Caribbean Heirloom Tomato Varieties?

[Boutique Tomatoes]

This is something that has bugged me for a while. I've never found a tomato credited with originating in the caribbean. It seems illogical, as I know they are grown on some of the islands, and many of the islands have their own varieties of peppers that have been developed there so it stands to reason that just like the farmers selecting peppers for specific characteristics someone would have done the same for tomatoes.

If anyone knows of a variety I simply haven't found yet, can they help me out with some information about it?

Thanks!

[travis]

I can tell you that there are climatic and disease stresses endemic to the Caribbean islands specific to tomatoes that make it where most of the ones I've seen grown there are modern determinate hybrids tolerant to heat, wind, nematodes, poor soil, and salt. I suppose there are some wild species that could withstand the same conditions and fall into your historic category.

[Boutique Tomatoes]

Originally Posted by travis

I can tell you that there are climatic and disease stresses endemic to the Caribbean islands specific to tomatoes that make it where most of the ones I've seen grown there are modern determinate hybrids tolerant to heat, wind, nematodes, poor soil, and salt. I suppose there are some wild species that could withstand the same conditions and fall into your historic category.

That's what I keep hearing, but I'm hoping for something different. At one point most of the stewarding staff in the hotels I cooked at in Florida were Haitian, and I distinctly remember having gardening discussions with some of them and being told that seed saving was the only way to get seeds there. That makes me think that they're out there...

[travis]

Yes, I would seek out people or relatives of people who're from the poorer islands, or the arger islands with better land and growing conditions like Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Cuba, Trinidad and possibly Dominica. I've seen local varieties of open pollinated squash, pumpkins, peppers, and sweet corn, so I don't see why not tomatoes.

[Wi-sunflower]

I have 2 varieties with "Cuban" in the name. Cuban Black and Cuban Yellow Grape. I just checked Tomatobase to see what the history is.

Cuban Black is listed as from the USSR but since they had a close relationship with Cuba, there might be something there.

The seed for Cuban Yellow Grape came from TGS but there is no history on Tomatobase for it. That one seems to be in the currant family. Maybe a cross of some kind way back.

Carol

[bullish]

I found this site, which discusses a number of heirlooms that do well in the caribbean:
http://caribbeangarden.blogspot.com/...bbean-and.html

It mentioned: Calypso
"Said to be bred for humid tropical areas" - http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Calypso)[/B]

[Boutique Tomatoes]

Originally Posted by Wi-sunflower

I have 2 varieties with "Cuban" in the name. Cuban Black and Cuban Yellow Grape. I just checked Tomatobase to see what the history is.

Cuban Black is listed as from the USSR but since they had a close relationship with Cuba, there might be something there.

The seed for Cuban Yellow Grape came from TGS but there is no history on Tomatobase for it. That one seems to be in the currant family. Maybe a cross of some kind way back.

Carol

Interesting. I may have to trial those next year.

[mjc]

I just did a quick search through a couple of genebank databases and came up with

Cuba:

Bolivar
CC-2781
Cuba C 2781
Manalucie
Neman
Tropical Fl-5
Tropical T-60

A host of varieties with no real 'name' just things like tomate bombitaito (pear shaped tomato?) and tomate cocina (kitchen tomato)

With Manalucie being the only one listed on Tomatobase...and it isn't really a Cuban variety, but one developed in the 1950s...

[Boutique Tomatoes]

Originally Posted by bullish

I found this site, which discusses a number of heirlooms that do well in the caribbean:
http://caribbeangarden.blogspot.com/...bbean-and.html

It mentioned: Calypso
"Said to be bred for humid tropical areas" - http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Calypso)[/b]

I'd seen that site before, and I do have Calypso on my list for next year. What I was specifically after was a variety or varieties that historically came from the region.

By way of background, I'm a former chef, now hospitality industry consultant. One of my hobbies is collecting old cookbooks and recipe collections and I combine that with my gardening hobby to try to get access to the correct ingredients for a particular cuisine as well.

[bboomer]

Calypso was developed many years ago for caribbean conditions at the University of Wisconsin.

[Boutique Tomatoes]

For those in the future who might find this thread searching for an answer, I have found two somewhat obscure varieties:

Olirose Santo Domingo

and

Plate de Haiti

I have found quite a few unnamed varieties collected on various islands being maintained by seed banks and will likely spend the winter requesting some sample seeds of these to grow them out next year in hopes of finding some forgotten treasures.

[dhrtx]

That sounds very interesting. Hopefully you will find something you like! Like most other groups of varieties, it sounds like something I would like to try, if only I had 8000 acres

[The Future]

Very interested to see how this search turned out.

[Boutique Tomatoes]

I selected 22 varieties to trial this year, with varieties from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Jamaica, St. Dominique/Haiti, Martinique and Trinidad/Tobago. You can see them with the details I have on them towards the bottom of my grow list here http://www.tomatoville.com/showpost....8&postcount=18

[carolyn137]

I don't know if you found it yet, but there's a long thread about Plate de Haiti as well as Olirose St. Domingue ( sp?) here at Tville indicating the results of some who have grown them as I posted from those SSE members who grew them after I listed them many years ago. It's not a clear picture at all.

I received seeds for both in a large trade with Norbert in France in 1992.

And in the Town Hall here at Tville I just saw someone join from Costa Rica and someone else also from Costa Rica answered and I asked if either of them knew the variety Cartago Pear, which is on my grow list for this year and hoping the seeds germinate. Cartago is a city in Costa Rica and the seeds came to me saying it was from Costa Rica, b'c there are places called Cartago in other countries as well.



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