What are your experiences with the 'other' green when ripes?

[Suze]

As most of you may have noticed, Green Giant has been getting just a wee bit of attention lately. It does sound like a fabulous variety, and I'll be trying it out this year.

Of the green when ripes I've grown, I think Cherokee Green was very good, even though I only got to taste a couple of fruits - autumn crop, so not much fruit set. I like Aunt Ruby's German Green as well. Lime Green Salad was pretty tasty -- surprisingly good for such a compact plant.

However, as many of you know, there are plenty of perfectly good (and even great) tomato varieties out there that just don't get mentioned as much as some of the other currently 'hot' ones.

So, I'm curious about your impressions and personal experiences with some of the other green when ripes like, for example, Evergreen, Moldovan Green, Greenwich, Green/Dorothy's Green, Stokes Green, Green Velvet, Green Pineapple, and others I probably have never even heard of...fill in the blank.

[Mischka]

I bought 3 Granny Smith (F1 hybrid) plants from a local garden center last year.

My results? Tasted like a hard, sour unripe tomato, no matter how long I let them hang on the vine. Disgusting.

What the hybridizers were breeding this one for, I'll never know...but I'm guessing hard and sour were two of the characteristics.

I grew Evergreen in 2003; quite tasty, smaller fruits than Aunt Ruby's German Green IMHO. More prolific than ARGG to a slight degree.

[nctomatoman]

The Green when ripes I've grown are:

Green Giant - superb flavor, unique in being potato leaf
Aunt Ruby's Green - also superb, but is inconsistent for me in terms of yield, disease susceptibility.
Dorothy's Green (formerly - and still - listed in the SSE as just "Green") - wonderful variety, very disease prone in NC, similar in color and flavor to Evergreen but a bit larger and smoother
Evergreen - delicious, tricky for me to grow to success in NC
Cherokee Green - right up there with Green Giant and Aunt Ruby in flavor/quality
Grune Helarios - fruits large, somewhat fluted, large seed cavities, not my favorite in terms of texture, flavor pretty good, yielded heavily
Kasachstan Grune Fleisch - large green paste type, never softens to a pleasant edibility! Very odd indeed.
Green Grape - I am still looking for the indet. "strain" - pretty good, not really a favorite to eat
Green Zebra - struggles with disease in NC - when fully ripe flavor is quite good. Certainly pretty!
Lime Green Salad - I really like this one - excels in pots, heavy yields, very good flavor.

I am trying Grub's Mystery, and have seeds for others - Green Thumb, Green Velvet, Moldovan Green, Big Green Zebra, Green Thumb - but have yet to try them.

[Grub]

Glad to hear you're growing the Mystery PL Green, Craig.

Your Green Giant is throwing out some normal flower trusses now so I'm confident I'll get some fruit set now. It's a good strong PL plant.

I grew Green Grape last season and quite liked them in the beginning. Had a sprawling growth habit, so mine was not the coveted original indet. Later, the fruit tasted a bit like sweet asparagus and almost a tad sickly when too ripe.

Green Zebra was the first green I grew and it was really nice and very popular. I will have to try Lime Green Salad next.

I'm terribly biassed but the best green I've tasted is my Mystery Green. It had a really complex taste and, in the height of summer, was as scoffable as a tumbler of green cordial is to a kid.

[carolyn137]

M, Granny Smith was bred by Petoseed and name recognition linked to the apple of the same name and it was bred to be used for salsa, etc., but not for fresh eating.

It was a huge failure. I mean why not just use tomatillos or unripe green tomatoes for salsa. So no wonder you didn't like it.

There's no way I'm going to remember all the green when ripes I've grown. But I will say that Green Giant in my garden last summer was not a total winner. Perhaps it was the season, I don't know what, but it deserves a second look.

My fave still remains Cherokee Green.

This past summer I also grew one newly listed in the SSE Yearbook called Humph, seeds sent to me by the GW/SSE person who listed it. Very good too, but not as good as CG. The other one listed by this person is called Mama Leone, a small vibrant red, blemish free, somewhat heart shaped and outstanding taste. The only problem was that it was a variety that I farmed out and I only got back three fruits and so have hardly any seeds, but have sent it already to Linda at TGS and will do same for Glenn at Sandhill. I see it as a huge winner.

Evergreen
Charlie's Green
Grandma Oliver
Lime Green Salad
Aunt Ruby's German Green
Green
Amber
Green Grape
Green Zebra

..... are some I can think of off hand that I've grown.

And the following trialed for Tom Wagner that will never see the light of day.

Chile Verde, a long green
Verde Claro, with clear skin, cherry type which I thought was superb tasting. Recently Tom called me about some stuff and he says Verde Claro is one of his faves as well. Craig was not that enthusiastic about it. TOm asked that seeds for none of the 22 varieties I trialed be shared, except with Craig, and I haven't shared those seeds elsewise.

There was another green when ripe one of Tom's that I've now forgotten.

I can get much more excited about green when ripes than I ever can about most blacks.

Just me and my tastebuds I guess.

Carolyn

[mdvpc]

I grew Ch Green last year-it was the best tomato summer for me in about 5 years, but the heat really burned CG up-I only got 2 fruit. The only greens that I can get away with during the summer are Green Grape, mine is a compact variety, and Lime Green Salad. I am growing GG now in the greenhouse and its getting ready to have ripe fruit. 8)

[Glenn 50]

The dwarfs down by the roadside are all Lime Green Salad.
I think they are safe from marauders. The birds don't seem to go for green either.

[GardeningGrrl]

My favorite last year was Moldovan Green. Superb taste, was one of the ones I hoarded for myself! And it was a winner at our Chicago Tomatoettes tomato tasting as well.

GG

[bully]

ARGG will always have a special place in my garden.

After imposing heirlooms in my dads garden for the last few years, it was Aunt Ruby's German Green that finally won him over in 2004..although in 2003 Andrew Rahartt's Jumbo Red certainly got his attention.

In 2005 he had a moving experience with Stump of the World..

[Mischka]

Thanks for the background information on Granny Smith, Carolyn.

So, if any of you see Granny Smith being sold at your local garden center or megastore...beware! You will be giving up precious garden space and time for a "ripe when green" tomato that will always taste unripe no matter how long you let it hang on the vine.

I just found the ID tag in my junk drawer: Bonny Plant Farms grew the plants I purchased in '05.


Mischka