Help me love cherries

KathyDC · May 20, 2013

Good morning!

I have a confession to make: I don't like cherry or grape tomatoes very much, mostly because I find them a little too sweet. Of course, all I've ever had have been store-bought cherry tomatoes, so maybe my first taste of home-grown will change my mind. (This year I'm growing Sprite and Tiny Tim.) I do tend to prefer tomatoes on the "acid" rather than "sweet" continuum.

With those variables in mind -- are there any cherry varieties you'd recommend to change the mind of someone like me?

Kathy

camochef · May 20, 2013

Kathy,
I quit growing cherry tomatoes a few years ago, concentrating on my favorite large slicers instead. The last cherry tomatoes in my gardens were Sun-Gold, which had been my favorite for quite a few years, and Black Cherry which was probably my second choice.
Having cut back from hundreds of varieties each year to only 23 varieties last year and even less this year, I'm afraid I'll no longer be growing any cherry or grape tomatoes in the future. I always had a tendency to ignore them once the slicers began to ripen, anyway.
Enjoy!
Camo

Redbaron · May 20, 2013

Yellow pear is pretty good and not too sweet. It is fairly mild tasting though.

tam91 · May 20, 2013

To me, Black Cherry tastes like a "real" tomato, not sweet like sungold.

ddsack · May 20, 2013

Kathy, I am not a cherry fan either, and like you I don't care for sweet mild tasting tomatoes. I do like Sun Gold very much, because although it is sweet, it also has a fruity intense kick to it. It would probably be the only cherry I would grow for myself, though I do grow Snow White Cherry, and Black Cherry for others in my family, and usually keep one plant for seed every few years.

This year I am trialing Austin's Black Cherry, Casino Chips, Sun Sugar Hybrid, Zluta Kytice, and one more to see if I can find another one with more intense flavor. I used to grow Matt's Wild Cherry before I discovered Sun Gold Hyb. , and might try it again with fresh seed one of these years.

KathyDC · May 20, 2013

Thank you all for the suggestions! I value them all!

b54red · May 20, 2013

I've grown Sprite in the past and it is pretty good. The best cherry tomato I ever grew was a volunteer that made a relatively small plant with fairly large cherry tomatoes that had full rich tomato flavor and it was very productive. Let me check and see if I still have the seed for it and if I do I'll gladly send you some. I quit growing it a couple of years ago because our kids are all gone now and they ate most of them. Since I don't have lettuce during tomato season we just don't eat enough salads to justify growing them. They are small enough plants to do good in a 5 gallon bucket but they make much better for me in the garden.

Bill

Tormato · May 20, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redbaron

Yellow pear is pretty good and not too sweet. It is fairly mild tasting though.

Not calling it entirely tasteless, but...

Yellow Pear is, basically, nature's water balloon.

I'd try SunGold. Most people like them when they are orange in color, being very sweet and tangy. If you pick them when they are a lighter gold in color, they are less sweet, which might be to your liking.

Dr. L

ve Apple

SharonRossy · May 20, 2013

Yellow Pear is blah, not worth the effort. I love Sun Gold and Black Cherry. Black Cherry has a tartness to it. Like I mentioned on your other thread, I am trying Sun Sugar and Juliet. I love the cherry toms, they are so easy and early. Just my opinion.

KathyDC · May 20, 2013

I love all the opinions! And lots of new ideas to try which is great. B54red, I'd love some of your saved seed if you still have any and am grateful for the offer.

ginger2778 · May 20, 2013

Try Carbon Copy., not sweet at all, grows well, good tolerance to diseases. It was grown from regular Carbon seed, and came as a small fruited Carbon, with full Carbon flavor.
Marsha

discrepancy · May 20, 2013

Mexico Midget has slicer tomato flavor in currant-sized packages, no joke. Most will wind up in your belly instead of your basket. Black Cherry is another great choice for future grow-outs. Sungold's great! But in your case, follow Tormato's advice and don't let them ripen all the way.

Durgan · May 20, 2013

I like the dark types of small cherries (Carbon), BUT I don't like picking them. Too tedious. I usually plant two or three vines growing on a trellis alongside the deck,and seldom use them,

Wi-sunflower · May 20, 2013

Green Zebra has a rather sharp taste that you might like.

Negro Azteca is a Black Cherry look-alike but the flavor has a bit more of a red tomato bite than the smoothness of Black Cherry.

Carol

Fred Hempel · May 20, 2013

There are plenty of not that sweet cherry and grape tomatoes available. This might be one time when it is easier to shop for them than grow them...

May 20, 2013	#1
KathyDC Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Suburban Washington, DC (Zone 7A) Posts: 347	Help me love cherries Good morning! I have a confession to make: I don't like cherry or grape tomatoes very much, mostly because I find them a little too sweet. Of course, all I've ever had have been store-bought cherry tomatoes, so maybe my first taste of home-grown will change my mind. (This year I'm growing Sprite and Tiny Tim.) I do tend to prefer tomatoes on the "acid" rather than "sweet" continuum. With those variables in mind -- are there any cherry varieties you'd recommend to change the mind of someone like me? Kathy

May 20, 2013	#3
Redbaron Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 4,488	Yellow pear is pretty good and not too sweet. It is fairly mild tasting though. __________________ Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture

May 20, 2013	#4
tam91 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Crystal Lake IL Posts: 2,484	To me, Black Cherry tastes like a "real" tomato, not sweet like sungold. __________________ Tracy

May 20, 2013	#5
ddsack Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3 Posts: 3,231	Kathy, I am not a cherry fan either, and like you I don't care for sweet mild tasting tomatoes. I do like Sun Gold very much, because although it is sweet, it also has a fruity intense kick to it. It would probably be the only cherry I would grow for myself, though I do grow Snow White Cherry, and Black Cherry for others in my family, and usually keep one plant for seed every few years. This year I am trialing Austin's Black Cherry, Casino Chips, Sun Sugar Hybrid, Zluta Kytice, and one more to see if I can find another one with more intense flavor. I used to grow Matt's Wild Cherry before I discovered Sun Gold Hyb. , and might try it again with fresh seed one of these years. __________________ Dee **************

May 20, 2013	#2
camochef Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Posts: 707	Kathy, I quit growing cherry tomatoes a few years ago, concentrating on my favorite large slicers instead. The last cherry tomatoes in my gardens were Sun-Gold, which had been my favorite for quite a few years, and Black Cherry which was probably my second choice. Having cut back from hundreds of varieties each year to only 23 varieties last year and even less this year, I'm afraid I'll no longer be growing any cherry or grape tomatoes in the future. I always had a tendency to ignore them once the slicers began to ripen, anyway. Enjoy! Camo

May 20, 2013	#7
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I've grown Sprite in the past and it is pretty good. The best cherry tomato I ever grew was a volunteer that made a relatively small plant with fairly large cherry tomatoes that had full rich tomato flavor and it was very productive. Let me check and see if I still have the seed for it and if I do I'll gladly send you some. I quit growing it a couple of years ago because our kids are all gone now and they ate most of them. Since I don't have lettuce during tomato season we just don't eat enough salads to justify growing them. They are small enough plants to do good in a 5 gallon bucket but they make much better for me in the garden. Bill

May 20, 2013	#9
SharonRossy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Montreal Posts: 1,140	Yellow Pear is blah, not worth the effort. I love Sun Gold and Black Cherry. Black Cherry has a tartness to it. Like I mentioned on your other thread, I am trying Sun Sugar and Juliet. I love the cherry toms, they are so easy and early. Just my opinion.

May 20, 2013	#11
ginger2778 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Plantation, Florida zone 10 Posts: 9,283	Try Carbon Copy., not sweet at all, grows well, good tolerance to diseases. It was grown from regular Carbon seed, and came as a small fruited Carbon, with full Carbon flavor. Marsha

May 20, 2013	#12
discrepancy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2010 Location: Holly Springs, NC (zone 7b) Posts: 112	Mexico Midget has slicer tomato flavor in currant-sized packages, no joke. Most will wind up in your belly instead of your basket. Black Cherry is another great choice for future grow-outs. Sungold's great! But in your case, follow Tormato's advice and don't let them ripen all the way.

May 20, 2013	#13
Durgan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Brantford, ON, Canada Posts: 1,341	I like the dark types of small cherries (Carbon), BUT I don't like picking them. Too tedious. I usually plant two or three vines growing on a trellis alongside the deck,and seldom use them,

May 20, 2013	#14
Wi-sunflower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 2,591	Green Zebra has a rather sharp taste that you might like. Negro Azteca is a Black Cherry look-alike but the flavor has a bit more of a red tomato bite than the smoothness of Black Cherry. Carol

May 20, 2013	#15
Fred Hempel Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Sunol, CA Posts: 2,723	There are plenty of not that sweet cherry and grape tomatoes available. This might be one time when it is easier to shop for them than grow them...