Cuostralee

[Fert1]

I've grown this variety once only, and only 1 plant. My tomatoes looked nothing like the photos posted by dokutaaguriin. The shoulders may not have been completely smooth, but were not nearly as ruffled as those tomatoes. The size was 12oz. to 1 pound for the most part. Mine did looked somewhat like the photo Mark posted, and like the photo is Dr. Male's book.

My plant was not nearly the huge monster that some people have reported. It was fairly productive, but was still outproduced by Rose and Kellogg's Breakfast the year I grew it. The flavor was okay, nothing special, but that may just be me. I also sampled this variety at Tomatopalooza. Still found the flavor to be only so so. Not bad, but to me, it doesn't have the strong full-flavor that some seem to detect. May just be my taste buds.

[WVTomatoMan]

Mine are in the 1 to 1.5 lb. range. There is some ribbing at the shoulder, but not nearly as much as was shown in the picture. The plant is large and productive. The taste is good and nicely balanced. My original seed source was TGS.

Edit: BTW, unlike several varieties in my garden this year, Cuostralee seemed unaffected by the nasty weather.

Randy

[Gardeneer]

Ok. This is an old thread.
Anyway, my experience is that cuostralee gets huge but not proactive.
This year it is worse. While my other varieties are loaded an having ripes, this one few walnut size tomatoes. What a waste of space.
I,ll give it few more weeke.
And BTW Amana Orange the same way. BigBeefs Cherokee Purple are doing star performance instead

[MrsJustice]

This year my Old Virginia Heirloom Tomato Plants are loaded down with Tomatoes. The Big Tomato like "Cuostralee Heirloom Tomatoes" has always very Big, but very medium to slow Producers. To Me Just "Pretty Bragging Rights for the Biggest, Best Tasting Tomato In Town, Amen!!

If I were you; get the "Tooth Picks Out" and gently massage the "Cuostralee Tomato Flowers for good Medium Results Of Extra Large Tomatoes the Whole Summer, Amen!!!

Farmer, Joyce Beggs of Angel Field

[JRinPA]

Old thread, maybe, but a good bump. I never read it. 2006, that is before I even started growing tomatoes. I first read about Cuostralee in Carolyn's book. And I remember Lee's exuberance for it, what a great signature line. Cuostralee has been one of my favorites the last few years. They are big tomatoes for me if given lots of sun. If not, smaller, but still a great taste. A perfect red sandwich tomato, here. Most of mine are grown as double stems. (btw cherokee purple used to grow well for me in cages, and last year it grew big tomatoes ignored and sprawled under weeds, but when I prune it and limit stems as I like to grow tomatoes nowadays, it is a dog and never seems to really ripen.)


Walnut sized cuostralees? Unless you have a pet squirrel, I would pull that plant. Certainly sounds like something is wrong with it. I keep seed every year but am still using seed from a 2-1/2 lb cuostralee. I don't want to risk it changing until I have to. This year I might bag some blossoms on a few grown from that seed, to be sure it is true when I finally run out.


Tylenol's photobucket link still works from 18 years ago if you copy paste the link to browser and remove the img tags. That was a nice haul, and those ones on the bottom-right do indeed look like CG to me.

[gssgarden]

I've grown her before but not for a few years because I moved and lack of garden space.
Now I have the room and have 2 plants, both with 2 perfect looking tomatoes!
In the past she was a monster in size and flavor! One of the more intense tasting I've had!
Lucky that Lee was nice enough to share seeds. I will save as well!

REALLY looking forward to her!!

Greg

[gssgarden]

I’ll have more but here’s one. Perfect so far! If something happens to her I’ll freak!
I really like it.

Greg