What Is This Tomato???

Magnolias4Ever · June 10, 2008

Hmmm, I planted a ”Black Ruffles” tomato seed (pic is shown on the left) which is supposed to be a cross between Black Krim and Zapotec. I wish now that I would have planted more of this variety because I was really hoping to get some of these tomatoes! But that’s ok, I will make sure to plant plenty of them for my fall garden. Isn’t this a beautiful tomato? Instead, I got a tomato that I can’t find anywhere else…. it’s “different”….

This is what I got…. it’s smaller than a salad tomato but larger than a cherry tomato. These aren’t exactly what I would call a “black” or “brown” tomato variety. You can’t really tell well from the pic but the top half of the tomato is GREEN and the bottom half is RED. It’s not a dark red either, it’s an orange-red.

Inside the tomato (I cut it both horizontal and vertical). Each tomato has 3 “chambers”…. the seeds are regular sized. The gel and juice is GREEN. The tomato “skin” is red…. So I’ve searched everywhere I know of online to see if maybe this seed was just “mixed up” and the company packaged up the wrong variety. But I can’t find this variety anywhere. I closest I found was “brown cherry” but it is still different and isn't a "brown cherry"...

Yep, the seed gel and juice is GREEN! It’s a lime green. I saved the seeds (they are fermenting as we speak). Isn’t this cool? So who knows what I have — but I am very excited about it that’s for sure! Even if I didn’t get the variety of tomato that I thought I had planted. This is just too cool. Oh, the taste — I was a bit reluctant to taste it LOL But I did. And I was pleasantly surprised…. It had a bit of a tomato-y, tart flavor and just a little bit “earthy” like a black tomato. So I would rate the taste as pretty darn good — it’s just a little “different”.

Anyone have any ideas on what variety this is?

feldon30 · June 10, 2008

It is probably purely coincidental, but I find green gel around seeds to be an good omen that the tomato will taste good. It usually has a full flavor.

dice · June 10, 2008

What was the plant like? My initial guess would be a cross
between a cherry or saladette tomato and something like Black
Krim. You would need to grow more plants from the initial
packet to see if they were all like that (seed mixup) or just
a few random plants from that packet of seeds produced
fruit like that. If it is a bee-made F1 hybrid, then the next
generation should yield a variety of different fruits, different
days to maturity, perhaps different plant growth habits
(indeterminate, determinate, semi-determinate), etc.

pooklette · June 10, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by feldon30

It is probably purely coincidental, but I find green gel around seeds to be an good omen that the tomato will taste good. It usually has a full flavor.

You know; I've noticed the same thing myself. I always assumed it was coincidental but now that I hear someone else mention it...I'm intrigued...

RonnyWil · June 10, 2008

The original picture looks like a Tim's Black Ruffle from Amishland. As I recall, I had the same problem with mine last year. I don't think that variety has been stablized yet. Also a problem with Sabre from them, wouldn't germinate.

The Eva's Amish Stripe was a good one though. Strong plants with big delicious yellow striped fruits. The Gigantesque is also a good one. These may not be the real names of these tomatoes as the following thread will suggest.
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...ight=amishland

Suze · June 11, 2008

I agree with dice -- it is probably a cross with a cherry or saladette type.

Magnolias4Ever · June 11, 2008

Yes, the seeds I purchased were Black Ruffles :-)

As Feldon described, I would say that the taste of the tomatoes that I did get was "full flavored"... that describes it to a "T".

I will start more of the seeds that I still have for my fall garden (of the Black Ruffles) to see what I get. I hope that some of the seeds are accurate as I would love to have some of the Black Ruffles tomatoes.

I am fermenting seeds from the fruit that I obtained (the green/red tomatoes) and should be able to get a few of them started for the fall garden too -- it will be interesting to see what grows from them....

The size of the tomato plant is like an indeterminate. It has grown taller than the top of the tomato cage that I have it in and I'm now tying up the vines above the tomato cage.

Thanks for the info :-) I knew I could get some answers here at Tomatoville!

cecilsgarden1958 · June 15, 2008

Kool! Save those seeds. I had an odd ball tomato once. Beautiful in fact. Never saw anything like it since, but I never saved seed for myself. Did send some seed to some one, but forgot who. Sure would like to have some of that seed. I bought the plant locally. It was called "Emily". Just proves that you should save seed. I may go looking for that plant next year, but no gaurantee I'll get that tomato again, because it was probably a cross.
CECIL

June 10, 2008	#1
Magnolias4Ever Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Gulf Coast of Alabama - Zone 8B Posts: 28	What Is This Tomato??? Hmmm, I planted a ”Black Ruffles” tomato seed (pic is shown on the left) which is supposed to be a cross between Black Krim and Zapotec. I wish now that I would have planted more of this variety because I was really hoping to get some of these tomatoes! But that’s ok, I will make sure to plant plenty of them for my fall garden. Isn’t this a beautiful tomato? Instead, I got a tomato that I can’t find anywhere else…. it’s “different”…. This is what I got…. it’s smaller than a salad tomato but larger than a cherry tomato. These aren’t exactly what I would call a “black” or “brown” tomato variety. You can’t really tell well from the pic but the top half of the tomato is GREEN and the bottom half is RED. It’s not a dark red either, it’s an orange-red. Inside the tomato (I cut it both horizontal and vertical). Each tomato has 3 “chambers”…. the seeds are regular sized. The gel and juice is GREEN. The tomato “skin” is red…. So I’ve searched everywhere I know of online to see if maybe this seed was just “mixed up” and the company packaged up the wrong variety. But I can’t find this variety anywhere. I closest I found was “brown cherry” but it is still different and isn't a "brown cherry"... Yep, the seed gel and juice is GREEN! It’s a lime green. I saved the seeds (they are fermenting as we speak). Isn’t this cool? So who knows what I have — but I am very excited about it that’s for sure! Even if I didn’t get the variety of tomato that I thought I had planted. This is just too cool. Oh, the taste — I was a bit reluctant to taste it LOL But I did. And I was pleasantly surprised…. It had a bit of a tomato-y, tart flavor and just a little bit “earthy” like a black tomato. So I would rate the taste as pretty darn good — it’s just a little “different”. Anyone have any ideas on what variety this is? __________________ Judy Beautiful Gulf Coast of Alabama, Zone 8B

June 10, 2008	#2
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	It is probably purely coincidental, but I find green gel around seeds to be an good omen that the tomato will taste good. It usually has a full flavor. __________________ [SIZE="3"]I've relaunched my gardening website -- [B]TheUnconventionalTomato.com[/B][/SIZE] * [I][SIZE="1"]*I'm not allowed to post weblinks so you'll have to copy-paste it manually.[/SIZE][/I]

June 10, 2008	#3
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	What was the plant like? My initial guess would be a cross between a cherry or saladette tomato and something like Black Krim. You would need to grow more plants from the initial packet to see if they were all like that (seed mixup) or just a few random plants from that packet of seeds produced fruit like that. If it is a bee-made F1 hybrid, then the next generation should yield a variety of different fruits, different days to maturity, perhaps different plant growth habits (indeterminate, determinate, semi-determinate), etc. __________________ -- alias

June 10, 2008	#5
RonnyWil Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Collierville TN Posts: 106	The original picture looks like a Tim's Black Ruffle from Amishland. As I recall, I had the same problem with mine last year. I don't think that variety has been stablized yet. Also a problem with Sabre from them, wouldn't germinate. The Eva's Amish Stripe was a good one though. Strong plants with big delicious yellow striped fruits. The Gigantesque is also a good one. These may not be the real names of these tomatoes as the following thread will suggest. http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...ight=amishland __________________ I'm two days older than dirt and I like to play in it.

June 11, 2008	#7
Magnolias4Ever Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Gulf Coast of Alabama - Zone 8B Posts: 28	Yes, the seeds I purchased were Black Ruffles :-) As Feldon described, I would say that the taste of the tomatoes that I did get was "full flavored"... that describes it to a "T". I will start more of the seeds that I still have for my fall garden (of the Black Ruffles) to see what I get. I hope that some of the seeds are accurate as I would love to have some of the Black Ruffles tomatoes. I am fermenting seeds from the fruit that I obtained (the green/red tomatoes) and should be able to get a few of them started for the fall garden too -- it will be interesting to see what grows from them.... The size of the tomato plant is like an indeterminate. It has grown taller than the top of the tomato cage that I have it in and I'm now tying up the vines above the tomato cage. Thanks for the info :-) I knew I could get some answers here at Tomatoville! __________________ Judy Beautiful Gulf Coast of Alabama, Zone 8B Last edited by Magnolias4Ever; June 11, 2008 at 08:28 AM.

June 11, 2008	#6
Suze Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 3,027	I agree with dice -- it is probably a cross with a cherry or saladette type.

June 15, 2008	#8
cecilsgarden1958 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: swPA Posts: 629	Kool! Save those seeds. I had an odd ball tomato once. Beautiful in fact. Never saw anything like it since, but I never saved seed for myself. Did send some seed to some one, but forgot who. Sure would like to have some of that seed. I bought the plant locally. It was called "Emily". Just proves that you should save seed. I may go looking for that plant next year, but no gaurantee I'll get that tomato again, because it was probably a cross. CECIL __________________ Hybrids Rule, Heirlooms Drool!