Eva St. Wendell

[travis]

Here is a tomato that I've been working with for several years in a row.

The original cross I think was done by Keith Mueller for Darrel Jones (Fusion Power), but Fusion may correct me if I am mistaken about its origin. Anyway the cross was made between Big Beef F1 and Eva's Purple Ball with the intent of selecting an Eva's Purple Ball type with greater disease tolerance.







I obtained F3 seeds from a medium sized pink F2 tomato, and continued to select for 6 - 8 ounce, round, pink, thin skinned tomatoes with well balanced flavor.

After several years of selection, I have a stable line that produces tomatoes that appear to replicate Eva's Purple Ball in appearance, but do not shatter (fall off) the vine when ripe as do EPBs.

The fruit size has varied between say 5 and 9 ounces year to year depending upon weather conditions (smaller and fewer in hot, dry seasons), but have produced very well in moderate climates according to reports I have received from several growers with whom I shared seeds in the past two summers.

[clkeiper]

Nice. I love pink tomatoes.

[Labradors2]

That one sounds like a real winner. How was the flavor?

Linda

[carolyn137]

And what's the story behind the name you gave it, again;

Eva, I understand

St. as opposed to Ste., refers to a male Saint, and knowing you as I do I'm positive that the St. is not referring to you.

Wendell, I don't have a clue.

Looks like a good one Bill and in terms of sharing seeds sometime in the future allow me remind you who first made Eva Purple Ball available to others.

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Eva_Purple_Ball

Your choice as how I might eventually thank you but perhaps sending you the original seeds that I saved from the plants I raised from the original seed Joe Bratka sent me. I know it wouldn't be a problem for you but they do reside in a screw top plastic scintillation vial and are from 1991 since I've never thrown out ONE saved seed since about 1990.

Carolyn, kept awake by the wolves howling last night and no, she isn't the Little Red Riding Hood type, so was not scared, but a nice nap is in the offing.

[travis]

St. Wendell is a small, unincorporated town that straddles the Posey/Vanderburgh County Lines in N.W. Vanderburgh County, Indiana.

When I was county surveyor, my chief deputy grew a few of my plants each summer in piles of rotted horse manure from her horse rescue paddock.

Three or four years ago, she grew one plant of this tomato that was superb, and they were larger than those I grew. So, I used seeds from her plant for all future grow-outs here at home.

The size still varies, as I said, depending on the summer climate and apparently whether you grow them in horse manure or not!

I suppose the correct name by gender would be Eva Ste. Wendell, but I never thought about that before. Thanks for the correction.

[travis]

Originally Posted by Labradors2

That one sounds like a real winner. How was the flavor?

Linda

I consider the flavor "well balance" between acids and sugars, and just perfect for salads and sandwiches. Personally, I like a deeper, more complex flavor, something more like Cherokee Purple.

But this tomato has the refined, pink tomato flavor, more like a heart tomato along the lines of Slovenian Bull's Heart would be the only tomato I've grown that I can think of with a very similar flavor. Or maybe Ozark Pink (which coincidently falls from the vine when ripe as does Eva's Purple Ball).

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by travis

St. Wendell is a small, unincorporated town that straddles the Posey/Vanderburgh County Lines in N.W. Vanderburgh County, Indiana.

When I was county surveyor, my chief deputy grew a few of my plants each summer in piles of rotted horse manure from her horse rescue paddock.

Three or four years ago, she grew one plant of this tomato that was superb, and they were larger than those I grew. So, I used seeds from her plant for all future grow-outs here at home.

The size still varies, as I said, depending on the summer climate and apparently whether you grow them in horse manure or not!

I suppose the correct name by gender would be Eva Ste. Wendell, but I never thought about that before. Thanks for the correction.

Well, I didn't really mean it as a correction, and knowing it was a woman who grew plants in horse manure for sure Ste. would be correct.

When you get it where you want to in terms of stability, please don't say to others that in order to get the fruit size you get that they have to grow it horse manure piles.

Carolyn

[travis]

whoopsie

[travis]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

When you get it where you want to in terms of stability, please don't say to others that in order to get the fruit size you get that they have to grow it horse manure piles.
Carolyn

I'm perfectly satisfied with mine at tennis ball size, but if someone wants really big balls ...

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by travis

I'm perfectly satisfied with mine at tennis ball size, but if someone wants really big balls ...

OK, you started this but if someone wants really big balls they should grow Couillies de Taureau, nee the red Huevos de Toro from Spain.

Carolyn

[JLJ_]

If you're naming the tomato after the place, rather than after the saint, surely however the place name is spelled would be correct?

[sjamesNorway]

Sounds good, Travis! Does it have disease tolerance, which you state was the original intent?

Steve

[carolyn137]

Just updating to say that Travis sent me seeds for Eva Ste.Wendell that will be in my seed offer here in late Summer or early Fall,as well as several other ones ,three of which he bred.

All to say that I've said elsewhere, there are several other varieties in addition to the ones Travis has been working with that IMO need to have more exposure,and my mission is to get them out there in the public domain.


I was able to send seeds to Glenn Drowns at Sandhill for three of his other new ones but had already sent seeds to Mike at Victory seeds ,and I forget where else before I got the seeds from Travis.

I will send seeds directly to Tania as well.

Hope that helps,

Carolyn

[travis]

SJames, I have no way to prove disease resistance to several of the disorders to which Big Beef is resistant.

I don't have nematodes in my garden. My plants have shown no signs of verticillium or fusarium. They have shown intolerance to septoria leaf spot and early blight, neither of which Big Beef resists, and both of which I get when late spring and early summer is cool and wet.

However, the plants do not succumb, and end up producing well.

[travis]

By the way, Carolyn and I decided to alter the name to Eva Ste. Wendell in order that the abbreviated title for Saint be gender correct