Tomatoes that taste like Black Krim

[b54red]

Originally Posted by tjg911

i was not impressed by paul robeson, black from tula, spudakee, jd's special c-tex but cherokee purple is a fantastic tomato. i am growing black krim this season and have the 1st picked on the kitchen table but it'll be a few days before i try it.

tom

Tom I have grown all of those numerous times except Black from Tula and they all have very similar taste characteristics but like I have said on another thread one or two varieties will taste better one year and not the next. One thing that really makes the flavor pop on most of the blacks is very hot dry weather which we have had in abundance the last few years. Cool damp weather is not favorable for the flavor of the black tomatoes. Black Krim is even less tolerant of cool wet weather as it is a terrible splitter; but a long dry hot season can produce some amazing flavors in it.

The first year I grew black tomatoes was during the coolest wettest summer I can remember and none of them impressed me that much until fall when we finally got some hot dry weather. It was like eating a totally different tomato after a month of very dry weather. We have been in a severe drought for most years lately and most of the black tomatoes have been superb.

Carolyn I don't think the black tomatoes are a fad down here. I have given hundreds of them away in the past few years and now everyone that has grown them wants more of the black varieties. These are people who only grew reds and an occasional pink tomato before I gave them the plants. Many of the black tomatoes have the additional plus of setting better in the heat than most other types so they are usually more productive.

[kenny_j]

I have one Black Krim growing and it seems unusual in its' growth habit. It is on the short side and wants to grow horizontally. It seems to have a lot of fruit, really dark green on top. None close to being ripe. This really is my first year growing the darks, and I am impressed. I like intense flavors when they are pleasing, and so far in this dry weather the couple darks ( Vorlon , and Berkely Tie Dye Pink) have been awfully good.

[carolyn137]

Also - I really like black krim, in addition to the sweet tomatoes I have been craving lately. I like that you can get all sorts of flavors out of the same fruit - sweet, salty, bitter...
I think that is a cool thing to teach, too.

*******

Jenn, if the sweet, salty, bitter comment about getting those flavors out of the same fruit, and you're referring to Black Krim, well then, I can tell you that I'm one of many who has never experienced salty, bitter or smokey, you forgot that one which many experience with blacks, with ANY black I've grown, but sweet, yes.

It may be a cool thing to teach, for sure, but if not everyone perceives tomato tastes in the same way and we do so differently as we age, well, I wonder. And kids hear another kid say this tastes great and that spreads like wildfire in the group, I know kids, but adults tend to be more restrained about tastes and we usually end up suggesting that the only way to tell if a variety pleases them is to grow it and not rely on the opinions, of others.

I can still find that thread about the gf genes, it's not a thread that originated here at Tville, so you see what gf allele Black Krim has and perhaps select some others from the ones with the same gf allele. Your choice and no problem if you aren't interested.

[tjg911]

b54red,

interesting about hot and dry changing the flavor in black tomatoes. i should have added that just because i did not think those were all that great everyone really has to try a variety for themselves to know what they think. also i only grew those varieties just 1 season and back then i figured that what you get is what you will always get but today i know that if a variety disappoints, especially one that a lot of people like, then you really should grow it again.

as far as salty, one season my cherokee purple were the best ever and i have grown it many seasons. it had a salty flavor but i don't recall what the weather was like that year. i saved seeds thinking i could get that taste again but it hasn't happened.

if black krim develops superior flavor in hot dry weather then this should be a banner year here!

tom

[jennifer28]

[QUOTE=carolyn137;294435]Also - I really like black krim, in addition to the sweet tomatoes I have been craving lately. I like that you can get all sorts of flavors out of the same fruit - sweet, salty, bitter...
I think that is a cool thing to teach, too.

*******

Jenn, if the sweet, salty, bitter comment about getting those flavors out of the same fruit, and you're referring to Black Krim, well then, I can tell you that I'm one of many who has never experienced salty, bitter or smokey, you forgot that one which many experience with blacks, with ANY black I've grown, but sweet, yes.


Hi Carolyn,

I should have made the post more clear. I was trying to say that we grew different varities of tomatoes and it was cool to teach the kids about the different tastes of the different color tomatoes.

We were tasting KBX, sungold, ambrosia, black krim, some big pink hearts, green zebra, etc and the kids were amazed at the different tastes with the different colors of tomatoes.

I am going to search on that thread for the alleles because tomatoes (plants in general) are a fun way to teach genetics.

[carolyn137]

[QUOTE=jennifer28;294536]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

Also - I really like black krim, in addition to the sweet tomatoes I have been craving lately. I like that you can get all sorts of flavors out of the same fruit - sweet, salty, bitter...
I think that is a cool thing to teach, too.

*******

Jenn, if the sweet, salty, bitter comment about getting those flavors out of the same fruit, and you're referring to Black Krim, well then, I can tell you that I'm one of many who has never experienced salty, bitter or smokey, you forgot that one which many experience with blacks, with ANY black I've grown, but sweet, yes.


Hi Carolyn,

I should have made the post more clear. I was trying to say that we grew different varities of tomatoes and it was cool to teach the kids about the different tastes of the different color tomatoes.

We were tasting KBX, sungold, ambrosia, black krim, some big pink hearts, green zebra, etc and the kids were amazed at the different tastes with the different colors of tomatoes.

I am going to search on that thread for the alleles because tomatoes (plants in general) are a fun way to teach genetics.

Jennifer, as I said above that thread on the gf alleles is not here at Tville but I searched my faves and finally found it. Scroll down to the post done by Mulio on I think April 21 and then read and go down to the list of varieties tested re gf alleles. You'll find that Black Krim has a gf 3 allele and others with that same allele are listed with it.

Pay no attention to the one called Black Crimson b/c it's a fluke and name change made by one the tony places in CA to indicate exclusivity.

I find his description of what makes a black a black and of course the pictures that go with that very informative and of course just those varieties listed were tested which leaves out many. And yes, many of us know who Mulio is and he is professionally trained and knows more tomato genetics than anyone else I know except some of those at the Rick Center at UC Davis as well as hybridizers at several University sites and companies in the US and elsewhere that breed tomatoes.

And as was said there it also shows that Cherokee Purple is not the 100 yo heirloom that it was initially claimed to be based on gf allele assignments.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/l...529042.html?13