Prudence Purple Very Small Seeds

marc_groleau · July 30, 2014

Sorry for the misspelled title

I gave my son-in-law a variety of plants at the beginning of the season. He planted them and didn't mark them because he's not a seed saver. Every year he plants tomatoes and every year they are wiped out with BER.

This year was the same except for some beautiful beefsteaks that he says must be Pruden's Purple. I agree that the fruit looks like it must be PP.

Anyway because these did so well in his garden I want to save seeds for him. Last night I removed the seeds for fermentation and saw only very small seeds. Smaller even then any cherry variety I know.

I don't remember them being that small when I plant the seeds that I had purchased in the spring.

Anybody familiar with PP seeds? Are they very small typically?

Labradors2 · July 30, 2014

I just checked out my stash of Pruden's Purple seeds for you and they are medium sized. Sounds as if your son's tomatoes are something else.

It seems weird that a large Beefsteak tomato would have tiny seeds doesn't it?

Linda

Tormato · July 30, 2014

It's not misspelled, to me. And I'm not going there, even if Carolyn insists.

Seed size can very greatly with "Prudence"

Purple just like with any other beefsteak, heart, or probably most other types/shapes. I've never seen every fruit on a plant, of large fruited tomatoes, have all really small seeds, though. Several years back, I had one unknown variety produce both the largest and close to the smallest seed I've ever seen (from different tomatoes, of course).

As for identifying "Prudence"

Purple, from my observations in general, fruit will be earlier than most other beefsteaks, exterior color will be a dark satiny pink, many fruit will be boat-shaped along with the usual oblate type, the PL plant can be top heavy with fruit, the oblate ones are extremely meaty (the boat-shaped ones less so) but just a bit softer than average beefsteaks, and (which is totally subjective) the taste is simply superb.

Tormato

Labradors2 · July 30, 2014

Here are my first two P. Purples! (Seeds from Tormato's Swap - thanks!) I can't wait to taste them!

The big one had it's umbilical cord wrapped around it!

Linda

**carolyn137** · July 30, 2014

It's not misspelled, to me. And I'm not going there, even if Carolyn insists.

%%%%%

Knowing the back story on the name of this variety through the years from the SSE yearbooks I definitely am NOT going to insist.

Carolyn

JLJ_ · July 31, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by carolyn137

. . . Knowing the back story on the name of this variety through the years from the SSE yearbooks . . .

Tell us the story?

ginger2778 · July 31, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by JLJ_

Tell us the story?

Yes, please?

**carolyn137** · July 31, 2014

If you look at Tania's page for it all you see is that PP is also known as Prudence Purple.

But starting many Yearbooks long ago there was one person who insisted it was Prudence, and insisted that everyone should call it that and the person was not that nice about it. I don't have time to go back and quote anything.

But gradually Prudence disappeared in favor or Prudens,

I just looked at my 2014 Yearbook which is near me and only one person is listing it as Prudence, some of his huge listings are controversial, I'll say that, and says that Gary Millwood told him that Prudence was the original version from which Prudens was developed.

Then SSE lists Prudens Purple,True Variety, from someone in Canada, whom I know of , and says it has accession # 2505 and that takes it back to almost the mid 80's, which is way before Gary Millwood or most folks I know even knew of it.

I have all the Yearbooks back to the first year SSE started in 1975 except for the 1982 one which had Glenn Drowns on the cover. Craig, nctomatoman, has the same b'c we had offered to try and clean up as much misinformation in the YEarbook as we could. But the day it was to be discussed by the Board if we could do that Kent walked in and said that he and Diane were getting divorced, and so our proposal went by the wayside and was never raised again. I joined SSE in 1989 and I think Craig did so in 1988. Before that both of us were getting most of our seeds from Seeds Blum and Glecklers,

So it's clear that SSE has the data and is trying to discredit calling it Prudence as has happened in the way past by that one person who called it Prudence and just a few others along the way.

I'd have to pull out my earlier Yearbooks to see if Gary M even was an SSE member, that I don't remember.

To complicate things a bit more when Pinetree Seeds first started listing it, as Prudens Purple, they called it an early Brandywine, so lots of folks thought it WAS a Brandywine of some kind, which of course was wrong. They subsequently took that reference to Brandywine out of the blurb.What they were trying to say was that they thought it was as good as Brandywine but earlier,

Yes, I've grown it and it's a darn good variety.

Carolyn, where more cold and rain is expected forever here and her few tomato plants grown at home here by Freda for her, are in suspended animation and it's doubtful she'll have much of anything, for the 4th year in a row,

marc_groleau · July 30, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Labradors2

Here are my first two P. Purples! (Seeds from Tormato's Swap - thanks!) I can't wait to taste them!

The big one had it's umbilical cord wrapped around it!

Linda

That's exactly what they look like.
I'll post pics of he seeds after fermentation.

Tormato · July 31, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Labradors2

Here are my first two P. Purples! (Seeds from Tormato's Swap - thanks!) I can't wait to taste them!

The big one had it's umbilical cord wrapped around it!

Linda

The boat-shaped one looks like it took...a three hour tour...a three hour tour.

Labradors2 · July 31, 2014

We had one today and it was DELISH!!!!!

Linda

ginger2778 · July 31, 2014

I grew them this past season, and saved the seeds. They were wonderful tasting, similar to B. Sudduth, much more productive, and the seeds were about average, or maybe a little larger.

Tormato · August 1, 2014

I have many years of P. Purple and B. Sudduth under my belt. Most years, maybe about 4 out of every 5, they taste fairly similar. In a close to perfect growing environment weather-wise, and in my garden, they do not taste at all alike, with PP being sweet and rich, but BS being a "balanced tangy" and having the richest flavor of all the varieties I've ever tried.

Gary

Labradors2 · August 1, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tormato

I have many years of P. Purple and B. Sudduth under my belt. Most years, maybe about 4 out of every 5, they taste fairly similar. In a close to perfect growing environment weather-wise, and in my garden, they do not taste at all alike, with PP being sweet and rich, but BS being a "balanced tangy" and having the richest flavor of all the varieties I've ever tried.

Gary

That's good to know Gary!

Linda

July 30, 2014	#1
marc_groleau Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 444	Prudence Purple Very Small Seeds Sorry for the misspelled title I gave my son-in-law a variety of plants at the beginning of the season. He planted them and didn't mark them because he's not a seed saver. Every year he plants tomatoes and every year they are wiped out with BER. This year was the same except for some beautiful beefsteaks that he says must be Pruden's Purple. I agree that the fruit looks like it must be PP. Anyway because these did so well in his garden I want to save seeds for him. Last night I removed the seeds for fermentation and saw only very small seeds. Smaller even then any cherry variety I know. I don't remember them being that small when I plant the seeds that I had purchased in the spring. Anybody familiar with PP seeds? Are they very small typically?

July 30, 2014	#5
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	It's not misspelled, to me. And I'm not going there, even if Carolyn insists. %%%%% Knowing the back story on the name of this variety through the years from the SSE yearbooks I definitely am NOT going to insist. Carolyn __________________ Carolyn

July 31, 2014	#8
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	If you look at Tania's page for it all you see is that PP is also known as Prudence Purple. But starting many Yearbooks long ago there was one person who insisted it was Prudence, and insisted that everyone should call it that and the person was not that nice about it. I don't have time to go back and quote anything. But gradually Prudence disappeared in favor or Prudens, I just looked at my 2014 Yearbook which is near me and only one person is listing it as Prudence, some of his huge listings are controversial, I'll say that, and says that Gary Millwood told him that Prudence was the original version from which Prudens was developed. Then SSE lists Prudens Purple,True Variety, from someone in Canada, whom I know of , and says it has accession # 2505 and that takes it back to almost the mid 80's, which is way before Gary Millwood or most folks I know even knew of it. I have all the Yearbooks back to the first year SSE started in 1975 except for the 1982 one which had Glenn Drowns on the cover. Craig, nctomatoman, has the same b'c we had offered to try and clean up as much misinformation in the YEarbook as we could. But the day it was to be discussed by the Board if we could do that Kent walked in and said that he and Diane were getting divorced, and so our proposal went by the wayside and was never raised again. I joined SSE in 1989 and I think Craig did so in 1988. Before that both of us were getting most of our seeds from Seeds Blum and Glecklers, So it's clear that SSE has the data and is trying to discredit calling it Prudence as has happened in the way past by that one person who called it Prudence and just a few others along the way. I'd have to pull out my earlier Yearbooks to see if Gary M even was an SSE member, that I don't remember. To complicate things a bit more when Pinetree Seeds first started listing it, as Prudens Purple, they called it an early Brandywine, so lots of folks thought it WAS a Brandywine of some kind, which of course was wrong. They subsequently took that reference to Brandywine out of the blurb.What they were trying to say was that they thought it was as good as Brandywine but earlier, Yes, I've grown it and it's a darn good variety. Carolyn, where more cold and rain is expected forever here and her few tomato plants grown at home here by Freda for her, are in suspended animation and it's doubtful she'll have much of anything, for the 4th year in a row, __________________ Carolyn

July 30, 2014	#2
Labradors2 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Ontario Posts: 3,896	I just checked out my stash of Pruden's Purple seeds for you and they are medium sized. Sounds as if your son's tomatoes are something else. It seems weird that a large Beefsteak tomato would have tiny seeds doesn't it? Linda

July 30, 2014	#3
Tormato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MA Posts: 4,971	It's not misspelled, to me. And I'm not going there, even if Carolyn insists. Seed size can very greatly with "Prudence" Purple just like with any other beefsteak, heart, or probably most other types/shapes. I've never seen every fruit on a plant, of large fruited tomatoes, have all really small seeds, though. Several years back, I had one unknown variety produce both the largest and close to the smallest seed I've ever seen (from different tomatoes, of course). As for identifying "Prudence" Purple, from my observations in general, fruit will be earlier than most other beefsteaks, exterior color will be a dark satiny pink, many fruit will be boat-shaped along with the usual oblate type, the PL plant can be top heavy with fruit, the oblate ones are extremely meaty (the boat-shaped ones less so) but just a bit softer than average beefsteaks, and (which is totally subjective) the taste is simply superb. Tormato

July 31, 2014	#12
ginger2778 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Plantation, Florida zone 10 Posts: 9,283	I grew them this past season, and saved the seeds. They were wonderful tasting, similar to B. Sudduth, much more productive, and the seeds were about average, or maybe a little larger.

August 1, 2014	#13
Tormato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MA Posts: 4,971	I have many years of P. Purple and B. Sudduth under my belt. Most years, maybe about 4 out of every 5, they taste fairly similar. In a close to perfect growing environment weather-wise, and in my garden, they do not taste at all alike, with PP being sweet and rich, but BS being a "balanced tangy" and having the richest flavor of all the varieties I've ever tried. Gary