Tomato variety taste test

Discussion in 'Edible Gardening' started by JWK, Oct 6, 2008.

  1. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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    I've grown a few different tomato varities this year:

    [​IMG]

    Left to right: Black Russian, Golden Sunrise, Shadar, San Marzano, Gardener's Delight


    [​IMG]

    Taste Test:
    1. My favourite this year is Gardener's Delight, its very sweet, firm and tangy.
    2. Golden Sunrise in previous years has been my best, but this year its a bit watery. Its medium sweet and not tangy.
    3. Black Russian, this is a very distinctive nice taste, not sweet or tangy - almost salty.
    4. Shadar (beefsteak sized), is nice and tangy, firm and not sweet, its very nice cooked rather than raw in a salad.
    5. San Mazano (Plum), disappointing bland and watery - I won't bother with this one again.

    Its been a bad year for my tomatoes, I've had a reasonable amount of the Golden Sunrise and a few Gardener's Delight. All the others have loads of green fruit, but are ripening very slowly. The beefsteak types have been very poor in yield, beset with rot or just not ripening.

    I've also grown Black Krim but only one of these has ripened so far (it tasted similar to the Black Russian but is more of a larger beefsteak sized tom).

    I lost my Tigerella plants but a friend gave me some of his fruit, which were really nice (as good as the Gardeners Delight).

    What were your's like?
     
  2. Chas_Bracken Edge

    Chas_Bracken Edge Apprentice Gardener

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    You have done very well indeed considering the amount of blight from the wet summer.
    My MARMADE is very slow but has suddenly started to turn this weekend
    The RED CAP has produced fruit but the plants withered last week and I have to pick them to ripen indoors.
    I tried INCAS F1 this year and it has done really well from the plants which survived the gales early in the year.
    I think I will have a go with the BLACK RUSSIAN as it sounds the sort I like.
    Chas.
     
  3. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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    Chas, I am planning to grow a Black Cherry variety next year as well as the Black Russian, I've heard that is good. Marmade is a beefsteak if I recall correctly, all my larger varieties have been very slow this year as well.
     
  4. stony

    stony Gardener

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    We had a very good crop from Gardeners delight in the greenhouse. in fact we still have a few on the vines that are small but keep ripening. We also grew tumbling tom in a long basket, outdoors and they have been terrific croppers and so sweet. Recently a friend has provided me with some fruit from a new cherry variety called "Tomato Tomarvellous" which are so sweet and flavoursome. They can only be purchased as plants and no seeds are available.

    stony
     
  5. Chas_Bracken Edge

    Chas_Bracken Edge Apprentice Gardener

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    I will have a look for the Black Cherry when next I go on-line at Dobbies and/or Thompson & Morgan.

    Just clearing the garden and found some F1 SHIRLEY I had somehow managed to forget. They have produced good fruit but haven't turned yet but the plants are in excellent condition so I am hopeful. I remember I planted these to make chutney with as I was told they are excellent for that.

    I had Tumbling Toms growing well at the start of the season but they all very suddenly died back and "went home." It was so quick I never saw if there was any signs of disease. They were in large hanging baskets, correctly watered and good compost. Anyone else had this problem?

    Chas.
     
  6. Katherna

    Katherna Gardener

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    I grew gardeners delight and they were very very sweet, useful for introducing raw tomato to a toddler, he gave them the thumbs up. My beefsteak tomatoes weren't very good, still green haven't had a single ripe one - thats probably the weather though.
     
  7. Hex

    Hex Gardener

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    My beefsteak were exactly the same, they needed a lot more summer.
    Tumbling Toms were ok but not as prolific as last year.
    My fav variety was Red Pear..very sweet tasting and loads of them, definitely on the list for next year.
     
  8. Brian Simpson

    Brian Simpson Gardener

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    Only my moneymaker managed to produce any red toms this year - still got some green ones waiting to ripen. All were bland and insipid. Will not be repeating.

    Did have a couple of unusual ones from a trade from a neighbour but blight saw those off.

    Dismal first tomato year

    Brian
     
  9. Labrador

    Labrador Gardener

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    I've been very pleased with my toms this year after what was shaping up to be a bit disappointing. My sweet Millenium produced very little form the first two trusses on every plant and my Moneymaker have been getting bigger and better as th season has gone on. My only real problem is that I now have some beautiful trusses of excellant size toms but I fear they will not fully ripen now.
     
  10. pete

    pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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    I grew super marmande outside and have been suprised by how well they have done, not many left now, but started ripening in early August.
    The plants stayed short, but had quite a good crop.

    Main reason I was suppried was that super marmande, was, always suggested to be best under glass, unlike the normal marmade which is supposed to be outdoor only.
    The fruits are a much better shape than marmande, as well.:)
     
  11. Ivory

    Ivory Gardener

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    My favourite mato ever has been Benarys, that I grew this year,a very sweet cherry.
    My Grandpa grows very good tomatoes bacK in Italy (he has kept hisown seeds year after year for fifty years),but not as tasty as this one.
     
  12. sawfish

    sawfish Gardener

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    I grew a very small amount of purple russian this year and they were the best tomatos I've ever tasted.
     
  13. Synthhead

    Synthhead Gardener

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    Hi.

    I got some really great, juicy, deep red early greenhouse gardener's delight for the 3rd year running (almost like sweets :) ) From the 3 staggered outdoor plantings, only one lot did OK. One got wiped out over a weekend with blight, another semi destroyed, and the 3rd is hanging in there (sadly in a shadier bit of the garden) and is mostly green, although only a wee bit blighted.

    All the Marmandes except for a couple got blighted, so I haven't been able to taste them yet.

    have always had joy with G/H gardener's delight - in fact this year's lot is still slowly producing little toms - one or 2 a day.

    cheers,
    Dave
     
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