Tanja's Top Twelve Heirloom Tomatoes 2016
I usually only rate the top ten tomatoes of the year, but as this year was an exceptional tomato year, have decided to pick the top 3 tomatoes in each of the four categories; cherries, slicers, pastes/plums (aka Roma style tomatoes), and beefsteaks.
Even at that, I had a hard time narrowing it down to just three of each.
1. Chianti Rose - big, pink, meaty, and wonderful.
I have been thrown off track a couple of times when looking for the seeds for this tomato. If someone offers you seeds that have the word 'Rose' in it, but no Chianti, do not buy them (such as Rose of Berne). They are not the same tomato, not even close .
Chianti Rose is in a class of it's own, it is that good. The tomatoes are medium to very large in size. The flesh is smooth and creamy, meaty not pulpy. The flavour is oh so good, sweet and mild with little tang. Very similar to a Brandywine... just better ; )
Is an indeterminate type, a vining tomato. Grows fantastic on a stake or a large cage. Have it well anchored, as the tomatoes are heavy, and there will be lots of them on the vine!
2. Aunt Ginny's Purple
Look at the size of these guys! Incredible. This was a new beefsteak variety for me this year, and has become a new favourite. Is meaty yet a bit juicy, has fantastic flavour, great for sandwiches! Considered one of the very best heirloom tomatoes.
A vining type, an indeterminate, make sure to stake them well!
This year was not a fantastic gardening year, despite the fact that my tomatoes grew so big and beautiful. It was a summer full of worry.
June was so cold and grey and damp, I was very, very concerned about early blight. Tomatoes need heat and lots of sunshine, which did not arrive until well into the month of July. We had six very long weeks of cool and grey days.
Luckily, all went well. The tomatoes all had good spacing at 2 to 2.5 feet apart from each other and were still young and small, so had good air flow between them. They were watered at ground level only, never on the foliage. With a whole lot of luck, a bit of forethought, and lots of nail biting, they hung in there till summer finally arrived.
The early tomatoes all had a bit of cat-facing, caused by those cool days at pollination time. However, after the sunshine came, and stayed, the rest of the tomatoes grew and grew and grew, were just perfect.
Sadly, tomato season not only started late, but ended early, too. The rains came in early September, so then one had to start worrying about late blight! Yikes!
I honestly have no idea why the tomatoes grew as big as they did this year, or produced as well as they did. Perhaps they were afraid they were going to die and go extinct, so fruited like crazy to compensate for the crazy weather?
I harvested like a mad woman, froze ours for ketchup making later on, and gave away over 100 lbs of tomatoes. Due to the late August wedding, which is prime harvest time, we have not yet canned anything this year. Not one single tomato, cuke or zuke!
The garden is now bare of tomatoes, phew! I had two tomato beds this year, so 120 feet (55 plants) of tomatoes have been harvested, frozen, and donated, while the fall rains come daily. No more worrying about blight for me.. this year.
Even at that, I had a hard time narrowing it down to just three of each.
CHERRY TOMATOES
Perfect little poppers!
Perfect little poppers!
Elfin
1. My favourite tomato in the entire garden this year was, by far, the Elfin grape tomato.
Everything about this tomato was excellent (growth, productivity), but it truly won number one status due to its fantastic flavour. Elfin was the best tasting tomato in the garden this year.
Everything about this tomato was excellent (growth, productivity), but it truly won number one status due to its fantastic flavour. Elfin was the best tasting tomato in the garden this year.
A small, red grape or pear shaped tomato. The shape varied a wee bit, some were kind of pointy, while most were blunt at the bottom, as in the picture above.
Elfin is a determinate (bush type), not a big plant, so can easily be grown in pots or in the garden. Is a good producer of sweet, thin skinned tomatoes that grow in clusters, perfect for popping right in your mouth. They never made it indoors.
Elfin is a determinate (bush type), not a big plant, so can easily be grown in pots or in the garden. Is a good producer of sweet, thin skinned tomatoes that grow in clusters, perfect for popping right in your mouth. They never made it indoors.
Black Cherry
2. Black Cherry
Yes, again! What can I say? This tomato always produces like crazy, and tastes great, too!
Is considered the top heirloom cherry in the world, so really not surprising that it makes the best-of list year after year ; )
Black Cherry is a vining type, an indeterminate, and gets huge! This super duper sized vine needed an extra large cage, plus two stakes, to keep it upright.
Is considered the top heirloom cherry in the world, so really not surprising that it makes the best-of list year after year ; )
Black Cherry is a vining type, an indeterminate, and gets huge! This super duper sized vine needed an extra large cage, plus two stakes, to keep it upright.
Fargo;s Yellow Pear
3. Fargo's Yellow Pear
Was really, really hard to decide who was going to be number 3, as so many varieties did so well this year. Should I go with Camp Joy, another red one that just produced like mad? Or Brown Berry, a great dark coloured cherry that has been tops on the list before? Or Grappoli D'Iverno, a red drying cherry tomato?
In the end, I went with Fargo, mostly because she produced earliest of them all. These pear shaped tomatoes were big and juicy, flavourful, and abundant. My mother-in-law loved them in salads and on their own, as did my mom. I am not a yellow tomato lover usually, but must say, these were actually pretty amazing this year!
Fargo is a bush type, a determinate, stays compact, so is great for small spaces, pots and garden beds, too. The bush was loaded with tomatoes from mid-July on till the end of summer.
Was really, really hard to decide who was going to be number 3, as so many varieties did so well this year. Should I go with Camp Joy, another red one that just produced like mad? Or Brown Berry, a great dark coloured cherry that has been tops on the list before? Or Grappoli D'Iverno, a red drying cherry tomato?
In the end, I went with Fargo, mostly because she produced earliest of them all. These pear shaped tomatoes were big and juicy, flavourful, and abundant. My mother-in-law loved them in salads and on their own, as did my mom. I am not a yellow tomato lover usually, but must say, these were actually pretty amazing this year!
Fargo is a bush type, a determinate, stays compact, so is great for small spaces, pots and garden beds, too. The bush was loaded with tomatoes from mid-July on till the end of summer.
SLICERS
Abundant growers of mid-sized tomatoes, good for use anywhere and anyhow!
Abundant growers of mid-sized tomatoes, good for use anywhere and anyhow!
Boxcar Willie
1, Boxcar Willie - A fantastic tomato.
Great size, great productivity, and most of all, great flavour. Sweet, yet a bit of tang, that good old-fashioned tomato taste.
Wondering why it took me so long to try this well known heirloom, as it certainly lives up the it's reputation. Will be in my garden next year, to be sure. The perfect sandwich tomato, but one can also make it into great ketchup ; )
Wondering why it took me so long to try this well known heirloom, as it certainly lives up the it's reputation. Will be in my garden next year, to be sure. The perfect sandwich tomato, but one can also make it into great ketchup ; )
Paul Robeson - wow, just wow!
2. Paul Robeson
The taste is the determining factor with this one. Has a deep, rich, smoky flavour, sweet yet tangy. My favourite black tomato this year.
Paul is a vining tomato, great on a stake or a spiral, or a large cage. Produced lots and lots of these gorgeous big, black tomatoes from mid to late summer. Is almost big enough to qualify as a beefsteak tomato, though is juicier than most beefs.
The taste is the determining factor with this one. Has a deep, rich, smoky flavour, sweet yet tangy. My favourite black tomato this year.
Paul is a vining tomato, great on a stake or a spiral, or a large cage. Produced lots and lots of these gorgeous big, black tomatoes from mid to late summer. Is almost big enough to qualify as a beefsteak tomato, though is juicier than most beefs.
Early Annie
3. Early Annie - has been a couple of years since this one was last on the list, but once again, was a great year for Annie.
Early Annie starts making tomatoes early in the year and keeps on giving to the very end. The bush is compact, so easy to grow in a pot or garden, and loaded with fruits all summer long. Great tomato for anything, really. On sandwiches, in salads, and enough left over for roasting, freezing or canning, too.
Ludmilla's Plum is a classic Roma style tomato.
Though it did not make the top twelve list this year, it is a fantastic real Italian-style tomato!
PASTES & PLUMS (aka Roma's)
These are the meaty ones, grown for canning and processing.
Lots of meat, less pulp.
These are the meaty ones, grown for canning and processing.
Lots of meat, less pulp.
1. Ernie's Plump Plum - This was the prettiest tomato and oh so prolific! The plant was just loaded with dozens and dozens of these beauties. I wish I had a better picture of it, but I thought I had more time before the fall rains came ; )
These tomatoes blew my mind this year with their productivity and meatiness. Was my first time trying this one, but Ernie is truly the perfect plum. Big, plump, meaty, perfect for saucing, canning, salsas, and paste making. Comparable to the Italian Pear, but a much, much better producer.
These tomatoes blew my mind this year with their productivity and meatiness. Was my first time trying this one, but Ernie is truly the perfect plum. Big, plump, meaty, perfect for saucing, canning, salsas, and paste making. Comparable to the Italian Pear, but a much, much better producer.
Canada Long paste tomatoes
2. Canada Long - These have long been a favourite tomato of mine, but must admit that this year was a better than ever, fantastic year for them. They all grew and grew and grew, into these huge, long tomatoes and the vines were loaded!
We are all paste tomato lovers at our house (what you all call Roma's), so we grow more plums and pastes than any other type of tomato. We tend to prefer tomatoes with less juice and pulp and more meat. They are sliced onto sandwiches, chopped into salads, or sauced at the end of the year.
Canada Longs are indeterminate's, long vining types that do best grown up a string or stake. Support them well or they will soon be crawling all over the ground!
3. This last one is always the toughest one to choose. so many great tomatoes, but one can only pick a few for the top twelve. Therefore, decided to go with the San Marzano.
The San Marzano is the ultimate Italian 'Roma' style plum tomato, used for all their canning and cooking purposes.
A blocky, meaty, yummy, and prolific indeterminate tomato, truly the ideal tomato!
Psst, close runner up was the Purple Russian! Started early, made loads of these blocky tomatoes.. but kind of slowed down production towards the end of the year, while the others made more and more.
We are all paste tomato lovers at our house (what you all call Roma's), so we grow more plums and pastes than any other type of tomato. We tend to prefer tomatoes with less juice and pulp and more meat. They are sliced onto sandwiches, chopped into salads, or sauced at the end of the year.
Canada Longs are indeterminate's, long vining types that do best grown up a string or stake. Support them well or they will soon be crawling all over the ground!
San Marzano
3. This last one is always the toughest one to choose. so many great tomatoes, but one can only pick a few for the top twelve. Therefore, decided to go with the San Marzano.
The San Marzano is the ultimate Italian 'Roma' style plum tomato, used for all their canning and cooking purposes.
A blocky, meaty, yummy, and prolific indeterminate tomato, truly the ideal tomato!
Psst, close runner up was the Purple Russian! Started early, made loads of these blocky tomatoes.. but kind of slowed down production towards the end of the year, while the others made more and more.
BEEFSTEAKS
The big, meaty tomatoes, 1 to 2 lbs in size!
A variety of great big beefy tomatoes...
Beefsteaks fascinate me. To be able to grow such massive and meaty beauties, when one single slice of tomato covers the entire sandwich ... heaven.
Pretty in Pink ~ Chianti Rose
I have been thrown off track a couple of times when looking for the seeds for this tomato. If someone offers you seeds that have the word 'Rose' in it, but no Chianti, do not buy them (such as Rose of Berne). They are not the same tomato, not even close .
Chianti Rose is in a class of it's own, it is that good. The tomatoes are medium to very large in size. The flesh is smooth and creamy, meaty not pulpy. The flavour is oh so good, sweet and mild with little tang. Very similar to a Brandywine... just better ; )
Is an indeterminate type, a vining tomato. Grows fantastic on a stake or a large cage. Have it well anchored, as the tomatoes are heavy, and there will be lots of them on the vine!
2. Aunt Ginny's Purple
Look at the size of these guys! Incredible. This was a new beefsteak variety for me this year, and has become a new favourite. Is meaty yet a bit juicy, has fantastic flavour, great for sandwiches! Considered one of the very best heirloom tomatoes.
A vining type, an indeterminate, make sure to stake them well!
3. Bullsheart
Again, a tough decision... do I choose Ananas Noir with it's sweet, delicious flavour and unique colouring? The deep and smoky Chocolate Cherokee? Or German Pink, which is as stunning as the Chianti Rose?
Instead I chose the Bullsheart, an oxheart type that originates from Russia. Big, chunky and meaty, perfect for sandwiches and salsas.
Chosen for productivity, taste ... and looks, too ; ) I know, so odd, eh? But it is such a lovely tomato, the shape combined with that pink creamy hue. Gorgeous!
This one is also a vining type of tomato, I think all the beefsteaks are. As they are all so big and heavy and prolific, pound in that stake really well! I had this one growing up a spiral this year, which worked really well.
Again, a tough decision... do I choose Ananas Noir with it's sweet, delicious flavour and unique colouring? The deep and smoky Chocolate Cherokee? Or German Pink, which is as stunning as the Chianti Rose?
Instead I chose the Bullsheart, an oxheart type that originates from Russia. Big, chunky and meaty, perfect for sandwiches and salsas.
Chosen for productivity, taste ... and looks, too ; ) I know, so odd, eh? But it is such a lovely tomato, the shape combined with that pink creamy hue. Gorgeous!
This one is also a vining type of tomato, I think all the beefsteaks are. As they are all so big and heavy and prolific, pound in that stake really well! I had this one growing up a spiral this year, which worked really well.
Big and beautiful tomatoes were the norm this year!
This year was not a fantastic gardening year, despite the fact that my tomatoes grew so big and beautiful. It was a summer full of worry.
June was so cold and grey and damp, I was very, very concerned about early blight. Tomatoes need heat and lots of sunshine, which did not arrive until well into the month of July. We had six very long weeks of cool and grey days.
Luckily, all went well. The tomatoes all had good spacing at 2 to 2.5 feet apart from each other and were still young and small, so had good air flow between them. They were watered at ground level only, never on the foliage. With a whole lot of luck, a bit of forethought, and lots of nail biting, they hung in there till summer finally arrived.
Black Plum had twisty foliage for most all of the summer.
Did not affect the fruiting, but was an odd (and ugly) sight to see.
The early tomatoes all had a bit of cat-facing, caused by those cool days at pollination time. However, after the sunshine came, and stayed, the rest of the tomatoes grew and grew and grew, were just perfect.
Sadly, tomato season not only started late, but ended early, too. The rains came in early September, so then one had to start worrying about late blight! Yikes!
I honestly have no idea why the tomatoes grew as big as they did this year, or produced as well as they did. Perhaps they were afraid they were going to die and go extinct, so fruited like crazy to compensate for the crazy weather?
A bushel basket full of heirloom tomatoes
I harvested like a mad woman, froze ours for ketchup making later on, and gave away over 100 lbs of tomatoes. Due to the late August wedding, which is prime harvest time, we have not yet canned anything this year. Not one single tomato, cuke or zuke!
Happy Harvesting!
Comments
Post a Comment