What is the definition of an oxheart?

[IronPete]

I have several oxhearts growing and as I love oxheart tomatoes thats great. Most came from seed sources but I did buy one pink oxheart from the local nursery. Yesterday I got to looking at the picture on the little stick with the plant's details on it and the picture looks more like a big cortland apple then like an oxheart.

I always thought an oxheart was a tomato that looks like the heart of an ox you might get from a butcher if you were into eating that kind of thing. Now I'm not so sure. Does anyone know what the definition of an oxheart is? I am pretty curious now and I know curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought him back so I am looking for some of that satisfaction. Thanks in advance to anyone who can help with this!
Pete

[JamesL]

Well, I don't know if there is a consistent definition other than generally shaped like a heart or a strawberry. Meaty with few seeds.

[KarenO]

Hello Pete,
To me there is a distinction between a heart and an oxheart, size being the difference. So to me, a large heart is an oxheart, while a small or medium sized heart shaped tomato I would just call a heart. Not sure if that is correct but that is what I use to distinguish them.
KarenO

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by KarenO

Hello Pete,
To me there is a distinction between a heart and an oxheart, size being the difference. So to me, a large heart is an oxheart, while a small or medium sized heart shaped tomato I would just call a heart. Not sure if that is correct but that is what I use to distinguish them.
KarenO

Oxheart was the older name used for heart shaped varieties and many varieties still bear that description.

But there's Serdtse Buivola:

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Serdtse_Buivola

...... heart of the buffalo

aka Bawole Cerce in polish

Just noting the it's not just oxen, but also buffalo.

I'm a dedicated heart lover and karen, I don't distinguish by size, and one example is:

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Podarok_Fei

..... which is a very very small orange heart.

Tania's heading for heart shaped ones is just that and here's that link;

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/w...haped_Tomatoes

If any of you have nothing to do that's ASAP, you can check out some of the varieties on that list and you'll find heart shaped fruits of all sizes/ And actually all different names, most of them do not include oxheart as part of the variety name

Carolyn, who does distinguish between hearts that have acute tips, as opposed to ones like Wes and Russian #117 which are descibed as having blunt bottoms.

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Russian_117

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Wes

[Sodak]

I have not had much success with heart shaped tomatoes this year.
Wes, Fish Lake, Joe's Pink and Siberian Honey were all kinda "meh" taste wise.

Sunset's Red Horizon from Gary was pretty good last year.
Not sure I will grow again as the space is a bit limited and I am ready to do 2 - 4 of ones I like, like Red Barn, Boondocks, Lucky Cross, Estlers and a few more.

[MrBig46]

Oxheart is Italian tomato (in catalog EU), but it does not look like an ox heart - as well as other Italian tomato Cuor di Bue (type Albenga). With this one do about nothing.
Vladimír

PS.: Maybe some one hundred years ago seemed like an ox heart