The "Magic Cross" I would like to see

[brokenbar]

Originally Posted by nctomatoman

Another vote for Purple Russian - great taste, great productivity - and is very much like a Cherokee Purple flavored, purple fruited Opalka type!

NC, I have not tried Purple Russian. I may grow a couple to test. Are they dry-ish like Opalka and how's the seed content?

[dokutaaguriin]

Brokenbar,
Black Plum is about 1.5" in length. Very productive, sprawling plant.
Jeff
I would send a link but I have my pics on my home laptop. I do have pic in my catalogue if you are interested.

[johno]

I wonder if a cross like Japanese Black Treifele X Opalka would get you what you're looking for?

[nctomatoman]

brokenbar, I find them actually a bit more juicy/seedy than Opalka - in a way, a better fresh eating/salad tomato..though Opalka types are zillions times better than the typical Roma pear/plum type for fresh eating! How's this - if Roma is a 4, Opalka is a 7.5-8, and Purple Russian is an 8 in terms of flavor. Well worth trying out! The plant is not the healthiest looking thing in the world, however - scrawny thing, but despite that, yields very well.

[brokenbar]

Johno this

I wonder if a cross like Japanese Black Treifele X Opalka would get you what you're looking for

sounds interesting. I just recently started growing blacks (last year) because the chefs really want them both dried and fresh. I am no good judge of the subtleties in flavor in different varieties of blacks because I sure don't taste what others taste when eating black varieties. It would be important to get the best flavored black (and I know...you would just have to get an average consensus because everyone disagrees.) In paste tomatoes I particulary like Opalka and a couple of others...Federle, Chinese and Carol Chyko. They probably have as much flavor as any of the paste types and they are the performers in my garden. Chinese and Federle can really produce some "size" and although they are large, they certainly are not "comely" (in the eye of this beholder they are gorgeous.) I pretty much look for the same attributes in paste and drying tomatoes so I am assuming there are at least some growers who would like some size and taste on a paste-type, even if they do not dry them.

I keep hoping someone will "fiddle" around and produce just what I am looking for.

[Frog]

I'm currently performing two crosses Japanese Black Trifele x Orange Banana and Japanese Black Trifele x Andine Cornue.

One may yield a good black drier, but I've never worked with black crosses before, so I'm not really sure how it will work out.

[PNW_D]

I'm thinking of three in particular that may have potential for a good cross - The one year I grew Speckled Roman it was fabulous oven dried

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Speckled_Roman

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Purple_Russian

and Russian Black Pear shown below

[BR]

brokenbar... have you tried smoke drying tomatoes?