Dr. Dester

[chancethegardener]

Has anybody ever heard about this variety? It's introduced on Baker Creek's Facebook page. History of the tomato is given below:

"A large pink beefsteak variety that reaches 1-1 ½ pounds. Its rich sweet flavor makes it an excellent slicer. The seed came to us from an Amish lady just a few miles from our Baker Creek farm. Anna worked as a house cleaner for Dr. Dester and his wife in Indiana in the 1970's. Having acquired the seed from Germany, the Desters shared their favorite tomato seed with Anna, who treasured it and now shares it with us."

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by chancethegardener

Has anybody ever heard about this variety? It's introduced on Baker Creek's Facebook page. History of the tomato is given below:

"A large pink beefsteak variety that reaches 1-1 ½ pounds. Its rich sweet flavor makes it an excellent slicer. The seed came to us from an Amish lady just a few miles from our Baker Creek farm. Anna worked as a house cleaner for Dr. Dester and his wife in Indiana in the 1970's. Having acquired the seed from Germany, the Desters shared their favorite tomato seed with Anna, who treasured it and now shares it with us."

Sure have heard of it and here's a thread from several weeks ago about it. It was given to SSE last year for their taste testing by Larry Pierce and seeds were also available last Fall from the SSE Public catalog and seeds also available from Larry Pierce himself, his website is linked to in the thread and I gave it below as well, and it was he who gave the seeds to SSE.

When I was interviewed by Dennis this past late summer, he lives about an hour from me, he brought two HUGE Dester fruits with him for me, I took a big bite from each and set up both for fermentation.

I thought the taste was terrific. Dester took 1st place in the SSE taste event last year and 2nd place this past summer.

Then a really nice Tville member sent me several hundreds of seeds so I could offer it in my next Seed offer here.

So Baker Creek either bought seeds last Fall from the SSE public catalog or bought them from Larry Pierce,

Here's the link:

http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=20540


I'm not sure why Baker Creek said that Anna shared it with them when it was Anna who first gave the seeds to Larry. if you click on ABOUT at his website you'll see that he grows stuf for SSE and maybe he grows for Baker Creek as well.

http://www.piercenaturalfarm.com/seeds.html

[Blk_Vegan]

2012 SSE Results

http://blog.seedsavers.org/tomato-tasting-awards-2012/

[Father'sDaughter]

Glad to see the SSE is now offering the seeds individually instead of only as part of a variety pack. I have seeds I received from an SASE offer on here and am looking forward to trying them next year.

Now to figure out if I'll have room for a couple of Italian Heirloom plants next year...

[Blk_Vegan]

Could anyone answer the question as to the correct name of this variety? I've seen it as Dester, Dester's, Dester's Amish and now Dr. Dester. Has there not been a firm settled on name for this one yet? Curious....?

[greyghost]

I did write to Larry Pierce to tell him there was a lot of positive discussion
of this variety on T'Ville and asked him to tell us a definitive name. His
wife said she'd show him the e-mail and have him get back to me. Haven't
heard from him yet-I'm assuming he's very busy at this time so I'll follow
it up again. It's starting to get a bit complicated with the addition of "Dr.
Dester". I was under the impression that Larry also grew for Baker Creek-
the Pierce's Pride that's been on Baker's site is actually from Larry Pierce.
Darlene

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Blk_Vegan

Could anyone answer the question as to the correct name of this variety? I've seen it as Dester, Dester's, Dester's Amish and now Dr. Dester. Has there not been a firm settled on name for this one yet? Curious....?

Your question was addressed in the link I gave above and Greyghost was going to contact Larry and get some clarification.

Since I haven't seen an update why don't I just go ahead and PM Larry and ask him to clarify not only the name but also who got the seeds first, Baker Creek or Larry, or whomever, and if he knew the background in as much detail as Baker Creek indicated.

I don't remember Baker Creek offering Dester last year and at the same time that Dester won the taste testing at SSE and seeds made available last year via both SSE and Larry himself.

I'll do that today.

[carolyn137]

Darlene, your post wasn't there when I started mine so I'll let you do the followup.

I know Larry does growouts for SSE and wondered if he also did them for Baker Creek as well.

Could you also ask him if he could stop by here in this thread and help with clarification not just for the name, but also about the background info given by him as opposed to the more detailed info given at Baker Creek.

And since there's two Dester threads now why don't you send him this link b'c it has the earlier link in it as well.

Thanks so much.

[greyghost]

Will do. I did invite him to join when I wrote-have no idea if he did.
Darlene

[JereGettle]

Hello Tomato Friends,

We know both Larry and Anna well, friends with both and both are former employees of BC. Yes, Larry got it from Anna and grew it first, we got it from Anna, but just grew it this year. But have known about it for awhile from visiting Anna's house.

It is a great tomato, one of our new favorites.... But my overall Favorite this year, was Green Giant, it was incredible tasting and was our heaviest producer... No we don't have it this season... But Victory Seeds does.... It was my favorite of two hundred varieties.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by JereGettle

Hello Tomato Friends,

We know both Larry and Anna well, friends with both and both are former employees of BC. Yes, Larry got it from Anna and grew it first, we got it from Anna, but just grew it this year. But have known about it for awhile from visiting Anna's house.

It is a great tomato, one of our new favorites.... But my overall Favorite this year, was Green Giant, it was incredible tasting and was our heaviest producer... No we don't have it this season... But Victory Seeds does.... It was my favorite of two hundred varieties.

Good to see you here Jere, and thanks so much for the clarification on Dester. I do think it's unfortunate that there are now two names for it. As you can see Darlene was again going to contact Larry for clarification, for you call it Dr. Dester and most of us have just been calling it Dester, and Larry/his wife sent out seed packs with some alternate names as well.

What's the chance that you and Anna and Larry can communicate with each other and decide on ONE name for this excellent variety? I do hope that could happen b'c it would benefit everyone.

If you look at the thread here on what was first called Siberian Pink Honey there was a similar problem with that name but that was resolved , see the thread, and it was agreed to call it just Pink Honey:

http://tomatoville.com/showthread.ph...ian+Pink+Honey

As for Green Giant, I know I love it as well as do many others who have grown it, and thanks to Reinhard Kraft for it as well.

Here's the link to Tania's database about it for those who would like to know the background:

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Green_Giant

And as you can see from the above link there are many places where seeds for Green Giant are sold in addition to Mike's Victory Seeds.

I think it's also interesting that many in the south see no amber blush with this variety, but most of us in the northern climes do see that amber color which is so typical of most green when ripes except for the GWripes that have a clear epidermis such as Verde Claro, another favorite of mine and some others.

Finally, I hope all is well with you and your family and that adorable daughter of yours has inherited some of your enthusiasm for growing anything and everything.

Edited to add that SSE has been selling the seeds for two years now from their public catalog and selling the variety as Dester, I forgot them above, but you already know that since you're a listed SSE member. I know that many folks grew Dester this past summer as well and will be offering them in seed offers/trades and some at Tville are seed site owners so they too will be listing them for 2013. Just saying that if it's possible to have one name for this variety it would be great.

[Fusion_power]

hmm, I think I have about 8000 Green Giant seed from this season. I might be able to send them to Glenn at Sandhill.

DarJones

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Fusion_power

hmm, I think I have about 8000 Green Giant seed from this season. I might be able to send them to Glenn at Sandhill.

DarJones

That's a whole lot of seed you're talking about Darrel, and since he wants to sell seed no older than two years old, and does huge growouts each year to be able to do that, I'm not so sure he could sell 8,000 seeds in two years.

I could have sworn that I might have sent him seed for GG for trial, but when I just checked his catalog for the green ones it's not there. Ah well, it's not the first time I've forgotten something, that's for sure. I'd have it recorded in one of my data books, but they aren't all in the same place, so no reason to go on a search mission.

[greyghost]

OK Phyllis and Larry Pierce found time to clarify the name and a little
personal history on the Dester tomato that I hope everyone will find
interesting. (I think I had already given up calling this variety Dester's Amish
or Dester's.) I found the additional info on Egg Yolk and Pierce's Pride of interest,
too. Note the tool website---they have absolutely beautiful hoes for sale (I've
also seen them advertised in Gardener's Edge catalog, too).

As far as Dester vs. Dr Dester (Anna also provided this to Jere), I personally have
no opinion on that although if I had bought the seed at Baker Creek, I'd call it the
name that was on the packet. This issue is for others to decide if anyone feels it's
necessary.

Anyway, here's the letter copied and pasted:

Dear Darlene


I was first given the DESTER seed 3 years ago by Anna. We traded seed to grow out, I gave Anna Egg Yolk and Pierce's Pride, both of these tomatoes I developed. The Pierce's Pride was a cross between Tappy's Heritage and Black Krim. The Egg Yolk was a sprout I found growing in a patch of Muldovan Green. It took 4 years to stabilize the Egg Yolk. It is a super good tomato.
To get back to the DESTER . The day Anna and I traded seed, I asked her what was the name and she told me DESTER (verbatim). I added the nomenclature Dester Amish, since people go crazy anything Amish, at the time I wasn't interested so much in the correct name as I was wanting to have everyone try it, since it was the best tomato I had ever tasted. I send the Dester seeds to SSE two years ago. I had a conversation with Anna last year when upon my request to SSE sent Anna the magazine with the taste test winner. Anna felt she maybe able to capitalize on it. I told her then she may want to contact Baker Seed and see if they were interested in the tomato.
My commercial seed growing is coming to a end, because of our other business www.roguehoe.com has grown so large I just do not have the time or energy to do it. I have several ounces of seeds to finish out the upcoming season. I hope this clears up the water as for the name DESTER.


Sincerely
Larry D. Pierce

[kath]

Originally Posted by greyghost

I hope this clears up the water as for the name DESTER.

Thanks to all involved for clearing this up. Too bad it's already being sold under a different name.