Sugardrop F1 tomato

[frogsleap farm]

A new supersweet cherry, w/ fruit marketed only in Europe I believe. Any of our trans-Atlantic friends with F2 saved seed? I don't think F1 seed is available to home gardeners.

[DanishGardener]

I just read a bit about it, and it seems that it was developed for Tesco (UK supermarked chain) and is only being sold in their stores.
When do you need the seeds? I am going to London in February, so I can look for some there.

Or you can find someone who lives in the UK, there are Tesco stores everywhere there, so chances are that you will find someone who lives close to one.

There is also this option http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresh_%26_Easy
They have stores in California, Nevada and Arizona.

[frogsleap farm]

I don't usually seed until late February, so that would be fine. Thanks. I didn't realize it was a UK only product.

[DanishGardener]

Tesco have stores in several European countries (not in Denmark), but from the text I have read it sound like it is only being sold in the UK stores.

This text is from last winter:

Described by the retailer as being as sweet as a peach, the new variety has gone on sale in the UK this week
Tesco has revealed that a new, extra-sweet tomato variety has hit the shelves this week, following two years of trials involving some 3,000 different types of tomato.
The UK retailer said that the new Sugardrop variety is "as sweet as a peach", and is the hybrid of two different, yet-to-be-revealed varieties, designed to appeal to consumers who find traditional varieties slightly sharp.
"A few years ago we sat down with our suppliers and asked them to find us a high-quality tomato that would appeal to gourmets with a sweet tooth," said Tesco tomato buyer Ashleigh McWilliams. "It was the beginning of major research that involved our growers contacting all the major seed houses in the world in order to find varieties that they could cross pollinate to find a tomato with higher than normal sugar levels.
"The result is the Sugardrop which is the sweetest tomato there has ever been, and now this week UK shoppers will be the first to try it."
Grown on the Costa Calida in Murcia, south-west Spain, the Sugardrop has been bred by Tesco grower Paloma, the retailer said.
"As tomatoes are so healthy we're hoping that the added sweetness of the Sugardrop will also appeal to Children who might otherwise turn their noses up at them," McWilliams added.
Another tomato variety, Moruno, has been launched alongside Sugardrop at Tesco, described as having a complex, aromatic flavour with very few seeds but a thick, juicy flesh.

[frogsleap farm]

TomaTech is the breeder. Here is a page from their website comparing a few of their mini-plums. http://www.toma-tech.com/products/Sweet_baby_plum.html

[maf]

I was looking at these tomatoes in Tesco last night, the shape is very distinctive; they look as if they would taste nice, if that makes sense. The background info makes them sound more interesting. Next time I am shopping there I will pick some up and taste test, can also save some seed for you frogsleap, if you like.

[frogsleap farm]

Wow, great. If Moruno is there also, I'd like to try F2 seed of that too. Moruno is also from TomaTech. Both of these varieties have reported long shelf life, which is a trait I'm interested in. Thanks a million!

[maf]

No problem. That Moruno sounds very interesting too, I have been looking for a high lycopene tomato to grow in 2011. Some early reports of people growing out the F2 seed from UK supermarket fruit seem to suggest it grows out more or less true to type. See the comments section at this blog: http://tomatolover.com/new-tomatoes/

[Jayc]

I've not seen Sugardrop in my local Tesco store but I tried Moruno last year. For a supermarket tom it was tasty and sweet, but my notes include "lacks some depth of flavour"

Another Tesco tom I tried is Perino, I rated these above Moruno for flavour and sweetness (though they may not have the qualities you are looking for). I have some spare seed of both if you are interested.

[frogsleap farm]

maf - I have seed of a high lycopene cherry I could send you.

[frogsleap farm]

Originally Posted by Jayc

I've not seen Sugardrop in my local Tesco store but I tried Moruno last year. For a supermarket tom it was tasty and sweet, but my notes include "lacks some depth of flavour"

Another Tesco tom I tried is Perino, I rated these above Moruno for flavour and sweetness (though they may not have the qualities you are looking for). I have some spare seed of both if you are interested.

Jayc - I'll try whatever you can send me. Thanks.

[cottonpicker]

How does it compare in taste / sweetness with Sun Sugar or Sun Gold????

LarryD

[gill_s]

Originally Posted by Jayc

I've not seen Sugardrop in my local Tesco store but I tried Moruno last year. For a supermarket tom it was tasty and sweet, but my notes include "lacks some depth of flavour"

Another Tesco tom I tried is Perino, I rated these above Moruno for flavour and sweetness (though they may not have the qualities you are looking for). I have some spare seed of both if you are interested.

I have been looking for Moruno tomatoes in Tesco but have not been able to find any near here. Maybe they are not on sale this year. If you could spare a few Moruno and Perino seeds I should love to try them. I don't know whether you have tried Kumato( previously sold in Marks and Spencer). They perform very well,keep well, ripening well indoors at the end of the season. When fully ripe they are a red/bronze/green colour. They are reputed to be good at all stages of ripeness and in fact I prefer them still fairly green. I have some spare seed if you would like some in exchange.
Gill

[zipcode]

I guess Kumato does indeed keep better than usual blacks, but the ones I tried (bought from store) just aren't worth the price. Flavour is fairly good, but definitely bland. From store bought tomatoes I prefer cherry types (sometimes largish but still labeled as cherries), the only ones that are usually good, even very good.

[frogsleap farm]

I bought Kumatos in Minnesota this winter. Pretty good taste, but great shelf life. It's the extended shelf life parents that I'm looking for to cross with my best tasting breeding lines. I have Kumato, and am excited about getting the few others talked about on this post.