Granny's Heart in Central Texas

Originally Posted by texasrockgarden

7/3/2012

Picked this Granny's Heart this morning. It will be a few more days before she is ripe. Have to get them at first blush else the birds will intervene.

It has been 98 days since the seed were sown.

So far I am very plaesed.

Your early Granny's looked much like my early fruit. They more resemble a medium sized beefsteak tomato than a heart. My later season Granny's developed the extended blossom end like typical hearts. My WES hearts had the extended blossom end all season.

Carolyn and a few others corrected me when I first described Prue as a heart. They pointed out the fact that Prue has a variety of fruit shapes through the season. Mine didn't. They all resembled a slightly reduced size WES fruit. The extended blossom end was more pronounced on the Prue fruit than on true hearts. While Granny's and WES did have slightly wispy foliage, Prue was very wispy and looked horrible in vigor, but produced great. I guess I am like Carolyn in not caring about how they look except for identification or classification purposes.

Ted

[Mark0820]

Here is the original post from barkeater. There are three photos in the first post. There is a photo of a smaller plant in post #45, and two very good photos of the fruit in post #56.

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...anny%27s+heart

[texasrockgarden]

Here is this mornings yield.

To date we have 12.15, 10.40 and 5.70 oz for total 28.25 oz.

I am still undecided as to which one to save seed from. There are more tomatoes on the vine and a couple nice large ones with a more pronounced heart shape that may make better candidates as seed savers.

[texasrockgarden]

What a good tomato! Texture is nice, not mealy at all. Taste is sweet with undertones of a slight bite (acid) to it. The skin is not tough and chewy, but rather on the soft tender side, yet not too soft to split from normal watering. I did pick at first blush, however.

It is stingy on seed production. I did get enough to save though. A few of the seeds were large and looked promising. I may need to let one of these tomatoes ripen on the vine to get great seeds.

This is one of the better tasting tomatoes I have eaten this year. There will be five of this variety in next years garden.

This picture is the 12.15 oz one I picked five days ago shown on the slice.

Texasrockgarden,

I not only am impressed with your tomato slices, but I really love your old high carbon steel knife you sliced them with. Those were great knives if you knew how to sharpen them.

Ted

[texasrockgarden]

Originally Posted by tedln

Texasrockgarden,

I not only am impressed with your tomato slices, but I really love your old high carbon steel knife you sliced them with. Those were great knives if you knew how to sharpen them.

Ted

I'm old school. Stainless steel knives are OK until they get dull. I just cannot master a sharpening technique for sharpening them. Now the old carbon steel thin blade knives to me are easier to sharpen and hold an edge just fine. And when they dull it only takes a couple slaps on a good steel and leather strap to put a razors edge back on it.

My grandfathers butchered most of their table meat especially in the early days and I had an uncle and two cousins who were butchers by trade. Somehow I ended up with several good butcher knives that have been handed down a couple generations.

Originally Posted by texasrockgarden

I'm old school. Stainless steel knives are OK until they get dull. I just cannot master a sharpening technique for sharpening them. Now the old carbon steel thin blade knives to me are easier to sharpen and hold an edge just fine. And when they dull it only takes a couple slaps on a good steel and leather strap to put a razors edge back on it.

My grandfathers butchered most of their table meat especially in the early days and I had an uncle and two cousins who were butchers by trade. Somehow I ended up with several good butcher knives that have been handed down a couple generations.

I always keep my "special knifes" hidden because I hate to fight a knife that simply won't cut when I need it to. I've also been spoiled and impressed by some of the new designs that seem to be so sharp they fall through anything you want to cut. Most of those new style knives can't be sharpened by me so I throw them away and buy new ones when needed. They usually last about six months and are very inexpensive to replace. I bought one at J.C. Pennys last year that has a purple coating on the blade and is almost razor blade thin. It is the sharpest knife I've ever owned, but it is beginning to become dull. I think it cost $8.00. It is the perfect vegetable slicing knife but is worthless with most meat.
Ted

[texasrockgarden]

A few more Granny's that were picked recently. The total weight so far is 56 oz or 3.5 lbs.

[texasrockgarden]

A few more Granny's that were picked recently weigh in at 2.52 lbs. The total weight so far is 6.02 lbs.

The tast has been good on every Granny I've eaten so far.

It has been a cool July with ample rainfall. Kinda wish I'd set out more plants later in the season.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by texasrockgarden

I'm old school. Stainless steel knives are OK until they get dull. I just cannot master a sharpening technique for sharpening them. Now the old carbon steel thin blade knives to me are easier to sharpen and hold an edge just fine. And when they dull it only takes a couple slaps on a good steel and leather strap to put a razors edge back on it.

My grandfathers butchered most of their table meat especially in the early days and I had an uncle and two cousins who were butchers by trade. Somehow I ended up with several good butcher knives that have been handed down a couple generations.

I'll post this here but first I love your tomato pictures.

I agree, I love Carbon steel knives.
Here is a picture of one from a set I have had for over 30 years.
The porcelain thing is something I picked up at work years ago.
I think it is from a sand blaster, I have no idea.
I use it to keep an edge on the knives.
Before the picture I will post a link to a company I by stuff from.
They carry gunsmithing and knife making supplies.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...4zzVVg&cad=rja
Worth

Attachment 26802

[texasrockgarden]

Originally Posted by Worth1

I'll post this here but first I love your tomato pictures.

I agree, I love Carbon steel knives.
Here is a picture of one from a set I have had for over 30 years.
The porcelain thing is something I picked up at work years ago.
I think it is from a sand blaster, I have no idea.
I use it to keep an edge on the knives.
Before the picture I will post a link to a company I by stuff from.
They carry gunsmithing and knife making supplies.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...4zzVVg&cad=rja
Worth

Attachment 26802

Worth1, Thanks for the website.