Kumato

I bought these Kumato tomatoes at Meijers and my mother liked them so much that she wants me to order seed and grow them. So I ordered seed from an online source called Local Harvest. But others have said that you can't get real F-1 seed for Kumato.
Does anybody know the real story about these tomatoes? And if "real" F-1 seed is available?

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by WillysWoodPile

I bought these Kumato tomatoes at Meijers and my mother liked them so much that she wants me to order seed and grow them. So I ordered seed from an online source called Local Harvest. But others have said that you can't get real F-1 seed for Kumato.
Does anybody know the real story about these tomatoes? And if "real" F-1 seed is available?

I know there are several threads here about Kumato so I'll be brief.

No, you can't buy F1 seeds. Syngenta is a huge world wide company similar to Monsanto and Syngenta, nor anyone else sells F1 seeds of Kumato . Only commercial producers are given F1 seeds for fruits to sell commercially in grocery stores.

It was bred by Syngenta and first distributed in England and Australia.

The hype they gave it as coming from the Galapagos Islands and mentioning the tortoises there was and is one of the most over the top hypes I've ever read.

Some like the taste, others don't.

Many folks have made selections from F2 saved seeds and by now there must be a bazillion different forms of it around.

A few years ago Syngenta introduced it in the US as Rossso Bruno, but of late fruits sold as Kumato have appeared.

No, I don't like the taste at all.

[travis]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

[Kumato®] was bred by Syngenta and first distributed in England and Australia.

The hype they gave it as coming from the Galapagos Islands and mentioning the tortoises there was and is one of the most over the top hypes I've ever read.

Apparently they've changed their story:

"In the 1970s, Luis Ortega would often go with his father to the fields cultivated by his family in the village of Agra, on the Almerian coast. His curiosity led him to discover that the tomatoes at the end of the lines, which received less water, were a different colour, but were much more intense and sweet in flavour. Having observed this, the young farmer set himself a personal challenge: to grow a tomato with an authentic and intense flavour that was a different colour. This was how the Kumato® tomato was born, on the shores of the Mediterranean.

"Kumato® is the outstanding result of tireless efforts to apply traditional plant breeding techniques and natural cultivation methods. Its origin can be found in the wild tomatoes which grow spontaneously and which adapted to withstand the dry and salty conditions of the Mediterranean region."

http://www.kumato.com/en/-ska-sorulan-sorular.aspx

Too bad Luis Ortega didn't have some of the good ol' American tomatoes from which to start his personal challenge!

[travis]

The taste of Kumato is vastly improved by the liberal application of a flavored sea salt.

[kurt]

Originally Posted by WillysWoodPile

I bought these Kumato tomatoes at Meijers and my mother liked them so much that she wants me to order seed and grow them. So I ordered seed from an online source called Local Harvest. But others have said that you can't get real F-1 seed for Kumato.
Does anybody know the real story about these tomatoes? And if "real" F-1 seed is available?

This is my third year growing the Kumato from each year crop saved seeds.They have gotten better each year and got them to grow larger and sweeter each year.They are tall and lanky,real dark green serrated foilage.5-7 fruits per bunch.Also they are good green(close to turning dark mahogany).I think they are determinate but act like a cherry in the ripening process.They keep very well after harvest.The wife loves them and we all know"Man has last the last word,YES DEAR!.I like the taste myself.

[roamwhereiwant2]

I tried Kumato's last week. Typical "been in the cooler" bland-tomato taste. These might have been good, but alas I will never know.

[kurt]

Originally Posted by roamwhereiwant2

I tried Kumato's last week. Typical "been in the cooler" bland-tomato taste. These might have been good, but alas I will never know.

My original Kumatos were grown in Canada.The wife bought some two weeks ago that had a Mexican stamp on them and they were bland as you mentioned.Also the ones that I grow do not look(interior)as the pictures on the other post.Mine come out with a green and almost red mahogany interiors,I think the land race and growing methods have changed when moving the locations,

[travis]

The Kumato I had also were packaged 4 per pound in a long paper tray as shown in Willy's picture, but were much darker both inside and out, and had way more chlorophyll retained in the flesh. The shoulders were very dark green even when the fruit became dead ripe. Only the central core became red. Also exterior and locule walls were thicker than shown here, and the 3 seed locules were much better defined by the thicker walls. I believe they also came from Mexico, but carried a different label with different logos.

I only say all these details, because I now wonder whether there already are some folks in Mexico growing open pollinated derivatives of Kumato for commercial sales.

Awesome! Thanks everybody. It looks like I will just have to grow them and see what turns up. I am sure they will turn out better than store-bought.

[gill_s]

As I have posted before I love Kumato. It is very productive, virtually every flower setting. It seems to have very good disease resistance and keeps very well both on and off the vine. I do find, though, that if it is allowed to get ripe enough to be red it is too sweet. We much prefer it still with some green. The ones I have grown I think taste much better than those I bought in France.

I have used seed from 2 different Australian sources, which say they have grown them out to come true to type. I haven't seen seed on sale anywhere else.

Gill

[tam91]

I liked them too. I think the ones I bought came from Mexico.

[sirtanon]

There was a thread over on GW a while back about growing Rosso Bruno aka Kumato from seeds saved from store-bought. It was back in 2009.

Anyways, the person growing them posted some pics, which I've linked here.

Apparently the 2 on the left here are F3's




This has me very anxious, as I have started a few seeds.

[swamper]

In my area supermarkets, I have noticed that there are kumatos packaged in sleeves as shown, grown in Mexico, and slighly smaller fruit packaged in small plastic tubs, like they use for Campari that are grown in Canada. In my limited experience, the smaller fruit from Canada have had better flavor. This may be environment or genetic. I'd be curious to know if there are different cultivars for canadian greenhouses, vs mexican fields etc.

[kurt]

I guess that is why all us mater nuts are always looking(and growing) for that perfect fruit.Someday!

[jennifer28]

OK so I was following this thread and it made me go and try some kumatos. I don't like them. What I don't like is they *look* like they should taste so good. Then you bite into it and it's just so bland and gelly-ish. yuck. Of all the store bought tomatoes I do think camparis are better. I actually will go for those when I can't get anything fresh.