Earls Faux results

[where_with_all]

I just had my annual taste test last night. BW Sudduth vs Earls Faux. I am not sure if I did something wrong or if my seed source was bad (TGS)-- but Earls Faux tastes nothing like BW. BW tasted far better. EF was good, it was more productive, and it certainly looks like BW-- but its not even close in taste.

I was actually shocked because most of the stuff I had heard on this board suggested the two strains were really close. Maybe its just me, or my garden, or the other million variables. But to me, even Marianna's peace was a better tasting tomato than EF too.

EF is still a good and very productive tomato. But its no BW.

[maryinoregon]

WWA, I have never been pleased with the taste of Brandywine. Earl's Faux has always beaten it to a pulp. Taste, soil, weather, fertilizers, who knows why our results are so different? But I believe everyone who says BW is an excellent tomato and I know EF is an excellent tomato for me. Part of the joy of growing tomatoes. Vive la difference!

[duajones]

Agreed Mary, In my garden conditions, Brandywine was the blandest tomato in my garden with even a lightly regarded hybrid tasting better. I dont think its a bad tomato, just didnt work out for me this particular year. I will be growing EF this coming year and hope that it is better. Varied results are very common as I have learned here. Sungold, which is pretty highly regarded, was a failure in my garden twice, first year it had disease problems and this year it was a spitter. Go figure, but its obvious there are a lot of factors involved as Cherokee Purple was mostly a failure the first two times I grew it, but this year it was the highlight of my garden taste wise. Yet it was smaller than average, both fruit and plant wise.

[TomatoDon]

EF has been fine for me, one of the top for taste. I guess I had a fluke on the BW's too, since no one else, especially in my area, did well with them. Thye were, overall, my best. EF is one of the "for sure" that I will plant next year after really giving it a test this time. It's a dandy.

Don

[greggf]

I may try EF from Fusion or somewhere next year.

Brandywine was great one year, but the other 5 or 6 years, from SSE and Johnny's and elsewhere, it was a dull dud. Very hard to explain this variation, even in terms of weather. Hybrids, while much more boring, seem to vary much less. All very perplexing.

But EF seems a go for next season.

[Grub]

Hi Gregg,

I take it you did save seeds from the good one in the first year. As far as taste in concerned for me, Brandywine Sudduth and Earl's Faux are just sublime... the big tomat-Os.

[carolyn137]

Aside from seeing variation in performance of both OP and hybrid varieties on the farm when I was growing up ( hybrids grown by my father only after I had left for college but I was home each summer) I also can see wide swings in performance since I got involved with OP varieties back in the early 80's after I moved back home from Denver.

Not just performance yield wise, but taste wise as well. And this with all those many tomatoes I grew in the exact same field with the exact same fertilizing routine.

So I'm one who, unllike you Gregg, does blame the swings in weather from year to year for the variation I've seen.

I've grown far more OP's than hybrids so I can't really speak to variability of hybrid performance and taste as I feel I can with the OP's.

[Hilde]

Carolyn, based on your experience, what seems to be the best weather conditions for tasty tomatoes? Does it wary depending on what variety you grow (some like it hot, others like it cooler etc.)

I know I can't do anything with weather, I just find it very interesting!

Hilde

[where_with_all]

Guys, I agree with all your comments especially viva la difference. But I was under the impression that EF was sort of related to BW sudduth. Didn't Earl notice it in a garden full of BW and then try to isolate it? I have heard on this board more often than not that BW and EF taste almost the same. SOme have enven wondered if they are not just the same tomato.

So that was why I was so shocked that they tasted so different?? . I am perplexed beyond belief. Can anyone at TGS vouch for the source of the seed?

I was expecting them to taste very close. but what I got was very different tomatoes. EF is slightly more acidic- gives that tomato bite. Not something I care for but a taste that appeals to certain folks. BW is sweeter less bite.

Forget what tastes better-- have others noted such a wide difference in taste?

[korney19]

EF I thought was supposed to be Red Brandywine, but looking at the original pics it looked pink to me, not red. That was back when Earl grew it and had a tableful of them, maybe 50 or so...

[Suze]

Originally Posted by where_with_all

EF is slightly more acidic- gives that tomato bite. Not something I care for but a taste that appeals to certain folks. BW is sweeter less bite.

Forget what tastes better-- have others noted such a wide difference in taste?

Agreed about the extra element of tartness/acid bite. Fruits seem to be a bit smaller, it also tends to set better in the heat for me.

I'd grown it before, but this year I decided to grow a few pink brandywine "types" for comparison purposes.

I grew two plants each of:

BW Sud
Dora (stabilized BW x CP cross)
Brandy Boy F1
Earl's Faux

Would have also grown the Brandy Boy F? that Misch is attempting to stabilize, but I forgot to ask him for seeds.

And I still personally think EF is distinct from BW (or BW Sud), as some had speculated it might be for obvious reasons. Maybe a cross -- I figure we'll never know for sure.

Earl tells it better than I do, but he was sent the seeds as "Red Brandywine" from someone on Gardenweb a few years back. I don't think he's ever been able to find out anything else about it from the original trader.

He grew those seeds, and got what is now known as Earl's Faux. It's been stable ever since he grew it out that first time, as far as I know. Shared the seeds, others got the same results. Others suggested the name; Earl did not name it himself.

It's a great tomato to my tastebuds, wouldn't be without it in my garden. Leaves BW Sud (which I also like) in the dust.

Can anyone at TGS vouch for the source of the seed?

If memory serves, it was either Carolyn or Earl that sent the seeds to TGS; one of them will have to clarify.

[carolyn137]

If memory serves, it was either Carolyn or Earl that sent the seeds to TGS; one of them will have to clarify.

****

I didn't and I don't think Earl did either b'c I know he asked me if he should send a better picture to Linda after he found that it had been listed.

But best to let Earl speak for himself.

[tomatoguy]

Earl's Faux is the best tasting tomato in my garden this year, in my opinion. It is, however, a very close call. I would rate Mortgage Lifter second and Brandywine Sudduth's third. ML is a big surprise as it has been very good before but the texture hasn't been great This year, they are all three very tasty with great texture. My choices reflect my preference for tangy tomatoes. Polish C and Granny Cantrell's German Red are very nice too but sweeter. We will be having a taste test on Labor Day weekend and we shall see if my opinion is verified by others. That is, if the EF doesn't burn up in the 100 degree heat we have on the way. It is in a container and those plants don't stand up to the heat as well.

mater

[Grub]

"It's a great tomato to my tastebuds, wouldn't be without it in my garden. Leaves BW Sud (which I also like) in the dust."

Wow... we differ on this score... as BWS, for just pure flavour, ignoring production, is absolutely the bomb here. EF is wonderful, a full half point behind on the 10 scale, but makes up for it in terms of hardiness.

I am supposing humidity may have something to do with it.

[Ruth_10]

To my tastebuds both BW Sudduth and EF are very similar. I've grown the two side by side for two years running and find EF slightly earlier to ripen and slightly smaller. I got my EF seeds from a trade and my BWS from TGS.

In my garden, both are still the tomato to beat with respect to flavor.