Fahrenheit Blues Cherry Tomato.

[Indyartist]

Here are the pictures of my first ripe Fahrenheit Blues cherries from my largest plant. I have about 5 plants with fruit on them with 4 out of the five being blues shoulders, long trusses. I have one plant that appears to be producing green trusses, which of course will ripen to presumably red.

[Indyartist]

Just a quick note on my observations with my FB tomatoes. My first ripe fruits that I photographed and posted here I now believe were picked too soon. I saved seeds from the two tomatoes pictured and the vast majority of the seeds were immature to the point of drying into little bits of nothing. From the two pictured cherry tomatoes I had only six mature seeds, and that is from two tomatoes.
I have now gone to leaving the fruit on the vine long after they turn red and have found that unlike some varieties that would split or simply fall off the vine, these stay firm and firmly attached for weeks after turning red.
It is at least my early belief that leaving the fruit on the vine long after it has turned red will not only allow the seeds to mature but also the flavors to develop as well.

[cleo88]

But how do they taste?

[Tom Wagner]

Questions like...But how do they taste? Hmmm. how can you answer that?

The breeding work going into Fahrenheit Blues is an on-going adventure. First it is a somewhat scientific exercise to get beauty before brains...so to speak. The flavor of the OSU Blues going around are less than top of the line in my opinion on flavor. The other breeding lines going into Fahrenheit Blues were selected for flavor but how does that necessarily transpose itself to a segregating clone like FB? Time will tell. There are many sorties of this seed scattered around the globe to get color first...flavor second. I am leaving it up to the cooperators to find the ones with 'Wow' flavors.

Indy has it right....leaving those fruits on the vine long past the normal time for tomatoes in a trait that we all want. If the flavor improves...great!

The non blue parent material has traveled with me as I lived in Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Ohio, California, and now Washington. It has a history going on fifty years with flavor always in the primary reason for being. If that flavor...mostly sweetness...can be successfully replace the rather boring flavor of the original blue....then so be it.

I was notified that one of my many tomato varieties at the local Herb Farm had ripe tomatoes. I picked it to determine flavor and also to extract seed. It was the only ripe tomato out of hundreds of tomato plants...many older than mine...at the farm near Woodinville. Will it have flavor...I kinda doubt it since it is so early...but rest assured...I am going to use it is crossing next week.

Last week I crossed one of my own Fahrenheit Blues to some other segregating blues. Some of those have higher acid sensations in the fruit...others have the SWTV resistant background in case someone needs it. And of course, to Brandywine clones.

But those questions...How does it taste? It is a question of the moment since I am always breeding the material several generations ahead simultaneously. The new material will get out there eventually...either as an OP...a segregating line...or as a hybrid.

[Heritage]

Indy,

Thanks for the photos (great as usual) and seed harvesting tips. I haven't had the time to harvest seed yet so it's good to know they only get better.

The flavor has been surprisingly good for me. The blue-shouldered, long truss selection had a nice clean, sweet flavor. A very refreshing taste. The bluest selection didn't have much flavor at all, only slightly sweet, but at least it wasn't a spitter. I've crossed the bluest one to my Sungold F4 multiflora to try and introduce some flavor and more production. I'll grow the cross out this fall to see if it took, and then will have the F2 to segregate next summer.

Wish I had more time, this is the fun stuff...

Steve

[Indyartist]

My "Fahrenheit Blues" cherry tomato has become the prettiest tomato in the garden. My wife can't help but grab one to eat each time she sees it. The flavor is good by our tastes now but they stay very firm after becoming red,so I'm leaving them on the vine long after you would leave most cherry tomatoes to see how the flavor develops.
She is like a pretty "Hot Rod" red custom car out in the garden.

[Alberta]

Interesting, I think I may give this plant a try next season.

Alberta

[Tom Wagner]

Indy,

I am glad you are getting some good flavor sensations along with the firmness in the Fahrenheit Blues. Your lovely Greek wife is demonstrating why picking tomatoes can be even more fun.

I am looking at various plants of my Fahrenheit Blues for nuances to consider for future seed saving. One clone in a high tunnel near Snohomish is showing a healthy vine type but with more sparse foliation allowing the leaves, stems, and fruit to color up blue well. I have used it as a male parent in a few crosses, ie., Blue Bonnet etc.

I am also looking at previous crosses and filial descendants from Fahrenheit Blues. One in particular...SOFT BLUE WOOL, is selfing out nice. I put one plant out on a raised bed/drip line/black platic location this past week. This is in a location where I hope to get late blight by October if not sooner. The mother plant last year had slight blight resistance coming from a Ph-2 gene. I used pollen from my prototype Fahrenheit Blue to a clone that had carried frost resistance, and several types of Brandywines....the original and Brandy Stripes and that crossed to Sophya.
Although my segregating line...SOFT BLUE WOOL...is only one fourth Sophya....it may carry some unique disease tolerance...hoping for some TSWV res. bouncing around.


For the record....Sophya has this write up...pretty impressive....and it would not hurt to have some future heirlooms carrying some of it..


Sophya is a hybrid on the market, and I am using it as a good flavored line with the Spotted Wilt resistance. I may never need it here but as I release more and more of my lines it may have some added value where they need it.

Fusarium wilt Fol US 1, 2 Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici
Root knot Mi, Ma, Mj Meloidogyne arenaria, M. incognita & M. javanica
Gray leaf spot Ss Stemphylium solani
Tomato mosaic ToMV Tomato mosaic virus
Tomato spotted wilt TSWV Tomato spotted wilt virus
Tomato yellow leaf curl TYLCV Tomato yellow leaf virus
Verticillium wilt

SOFT BLUE WOOL is coming along nicely. I am selecting for clones that carry the woolliness from Brandy Stripe..a sib of Vintage Wine.... some of the flavor of Brandywine, the firmness of my frost resistant line and cherry size fruit. The blue leaves, stems and fruit are being intensified for the contrast to the woolly foliage. I am hoping the black plastic will warm up the soil...it has still been too cool for tomatoes here outdoors.

One of my priorities for crossing is to use the SOFT BLUE WOOL with FAHRENHEIT BLUES to obtain a potential hybrid winner that can be made over and over again.

Tom Wagner

[Granite26]

A few pics of the progress on my Fahrenheit Blues. Great flavor by the way!
Thanks Tom!!!

[clara]

Great looking toms! Thanks to all who have posted pics here! I think I MUSt try FB next year! clara

[hardwaterbob]

Any chance of a few seeds to share on this one? Will trade or sase for 10 seeds.



HWB

[GnomeGrown]

WOW!



I am interested in some as well.

[frdlturner]

me too

[Boutique Tomatoes]

I don't have many of these as they didn't make many seeds, but Tom & Rob should be putting the 2013 seeds up soon, hopefully by next weekend.

http://newworldcrops.com/wp/

[Tom Wagner]

One of the many difficulties of releasing a variety before it is stable is that there is lots of recombination strains. Fahrenheit Blues is but one of the candidates for regional selection and re-offering of seed. I have oodles of FB crosses that will be even more colorful and flavorful/sweet.

I am growing out the next generation of the line shown below for the next filial level in a very warm climate right now. The photo is from Portland, OR. of the 2012 increase.

The seed will be available soon in two outlets