Personal Beefsteaks

Schufrei · 3 Weeks Ago

It seems like everyone wants their tomatoes to be huge - except me. I drool at the thought of a big, juicy beefsteak, but generally the only one eating my tomatoes is me. Sure, I could grow delicious 2-pound tomatoes, but unless it can be consumed in one sitting, much of it will go to waste. And I don’t have to tell you how heartbreaking that would be. SO… here’s my question: can anyone recommend good smaller heirloom varieties, especially beefsteak types, if such a thing exists. I learned about Rutgers right here in Tomatoville, and that’s become a garden staple. But I sure would love to find a mini-Brandywine or Prudens Purple or similar. Suggestions?

Tormato · 3 Weeks Ago

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schufrei

It seems like everyone wants their tomatoes to be huge - except me. I drool at the thought of a big, juicy beefsteak, but generally the only one eating my tomatoes is me. Sure, I could grow delicious 2-pound tomatoes, but unless it can be consumed in one sitting, much of it will go to waste. And I don’t have to tell you how heartbreaking that would be. SO… here’s my question: can anyone recommend good smaller heirloom varieties, especially beefsteak types, if such a thing exists. I learned about Rutgers right here in Tomatoville, and that’s become a garden staple. But I sure would love to find a mini-Brandywine or Prudens Purple or similar. Suggestions?

Does it have to be a beefsteak? I'm trying to think of a small beefsteak with great flavor, and I currently draw a blank.

How about a personal heart? There are plenty of those, that have great flavor, and are much smaller than beefsteaks.

Schufrei · 2 Weeks Ago

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tormato

Does it have to be a beefsteak? I'm trying to think of a small beefsteak with great flavor, and I currently draw a blank.

How about a personal heart? There are plenty of those, that have great flavor, and are much smaller than beefsteaks.

What’s a personal heart?

Tormato · 2 Weeks Ago

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schufrei

What’s a personal heart?

It would be a heart-shaped tomato, the size of what you would be looking for in a personal beefsteak.

rxkeith · 2 Weeks Ago

i like pervaya lyubov.
earlier producing pink, does not get large, doesn't need to.
it just tastes good.

keith

Labradors2 · 2 Weeks Ago

I like Little Lucky. Brandywine is a parent and taste is great!

PaulF · 2 Weeks Ago

I have about twenty or thirty personal heart-shaped varieties. I would love to be able to call them my own but I know they are all up for grabs by hundreds if not thousands of heart lovers around the world.

My favorite/personal variety list used to be in the hundreds but as I age that list has been reduced by about half. Naming them would be a boring chore (both for me and for the readers). In a week or so my annual report will be bad enough let alone a huge list of personal likes.

MrsJustice · 2 Weeks Ago

The Granny's Heart Tomatoes would be good for you, too.

MissTee · 2 Weeks Ago

You could do a search on Tatiana’s Tomatobase or Tomatofifou for medium beefsteaks.

From my own experience, Bear Creek and Maya & Sion’s Airdrie Classic have been mid-sized beefsteaks that didn’t take forever to produce. Both are recent crosses from heirloom varieties and are fairly prolific. Bear Creek, a purple, is richer, while Maya & Sion’s is a tangier red. For a heart, Grandee is early and tasty.

Schufrei · 2 Weeks Ago

This is so great! Thank you, Tomatovillians!

eyolf · 1 Week Ago

One of my favorites may well not appeal to others, and might not even be the same in another's garden.

Here's my list, however:

Any of the early, modest potato leaf sorts:
Kotlas, Glacier, Stupice, etc. Not particularly "beefsteaky" in habit, but the flavor is so wonderful compared to the early ping-pong ball sized determinates.

I like a yellow steak called Orange Russian (Doukhobors) (Not the orange heart). Very similar to Azoychka, but at least a week earlier. It was once offered by a Canadian tomatophile after having been collected from the Doukhobors in Manitoba.

I love an orange globe called Faribo Goldheart. Only about 20% actually have a vague heart shape, and none have the heart habit of a few seeds in the top, and lower part all flesh. The flavor and texture are wonderful in a tomato about 9-10 oz max.

John Baer/Bonny Best fit the description to a "T".

Years back, Carolyn and I communicated about Better Boy and Big Boy, and trying to dehybridized them. I worked on it for 10 years and eventually ending up with 3 keepers. One seems to resemble German Johnson, which corresponds to the parent we heard called the "Teddy Jones tomatoe".
One is a pink version much like the John Baer/Bonny Best mentioned above, and one delivers loads of pink globes about 1-1/2" in diameter. It's not as useful as they come late, but fast and furious when they do: about 25 little tomatoes a week until cold shuts them down. By then you're drowning in tomatoes and unable to fully appreciate them, but we run them through the tomato mill and make juice.

Finally, I have grown a few little known types. Buzau 22 and Efimir are favorites for me in that class

Sent from my motorola edge (2022) using Tapatalk

MrsJustice · 1 Week Ago

I just harvested the Last of My Amish Dester's Tomatoes and feel they are good-size & mid-sized beefsteaks to try next year.

God-Speed in our Tomato World, Amen

3 Weeks Ago	#1
Schufrei Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Luzerne, PA - Zone 5b Posts: 9	Personal Beefsteaks It seems like everyone wants their tomatoes to be huge - except me. I drool at the thought of a big, juicy beefsteak, but generally the only one eating my tomatoes is me. Sure, I could grow delicious 2-pound tomatoes, but unless it can be consumed in one sitting, much of it will go to waste. And I don’t have to tell you how heartbreaking that would be. SO… here’s my question: can anyone recommend good smaller heirloom varieties, especially beefsteak types, if such a thing exists. I learned about Rutgers right here in Tomatoville, and that’s become a garden staple. But I sure would love to find a mini-Brandywine or Prudens Purple or similar. Suggestions?

2 Weeks Ago	#5
rxkeith Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Back in da U.P. Posts: 1,848	i like pervaya lyubov. earlier producing pink, does not get large, doesn't need to. it just tastes good. keith __________________ don't abort. we'll adopt.

2 Weeks Ago	#7
PaulF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brownville, Ne Posts: 3,295	I have about twenty or thirty personal heart-shaped varieties. I would love to be able to call them my own but I know they are all up for grabs by hundreds if not thousands of heart lovers around the world. My favorite/personal variety list used to be in the hundreds but as I age that list has been reduced by about half. Naming them would be a boring chore (both for me and for the readers). In a week or so my annual report will be bad enough let alone a huge list of personal likes. __________________ there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes.

2 Weeks Ago	#8
MrsJustice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hampton, Virginia Posts: 1,494	The Granny's Heart Tomatoes would be good for you, too. __________________ May God Bless you and my Garden, Amen https://www.angelfieldfarms.com MrsJustice as Farmer Joyce Beggs

1 Week Ago	#11
eyolf Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Central MN, USDA Zone 3 Posts: 303	One of my favorites may well not appeal to others, and might not even be the same in another's garden. Here's my list, however: Any of the early, modest potato leaf sorts: Kotlas, Glacier, Stupice, etc. Not particularly "beefsteaky" in habit, but the flavor is so wonderful compared to the early ping-pong ball sized determinates. I like a yellow steak called Orange Russian (Doukhobors) (Not the orange heart). Very similar to Azoychka, but at least a week earlier. It was once offered by a Canadian tomatophile after having been collected from the Doukhobors in Manitoba. I love an orange globe called Faribo Goldheart. Only about 20% actually have a vague heart shape, and none have the heart habit of a few seeds in the top, and lower part all flesh. The flavor and texture are wonderful in a tomato about 9-10 oz max. John Baer/Bonny Best fit the description to a "T". Years back, Carolyn and I communicated about Better Boy and Big Boy, and trying to dehybridized them. I worked on it for 10 years and eventually ending up with 3 keepers. One seems to resemble German Johnson, which corresponds to the parent we heard called the "Teddy Jones tomatoe". One is a pink version much like the John Baer/Bonny Best mentioned above, and one delivers loads of pink globes about 1-1/2" in diameter. It's not as useful as they come late, but fast and furious when they do: about 25 little tomatoes a week until cold shuts them down. By then you're drowning in tomatoes and unable to fully appreciate them, but we run them through the tomato mill and make juice. Finally, I have grown a few little known types. Buzau 22 and Efimir are favorites for me in that class Sent from my motorola edge (2022) using Tapatalk __________________ a day without fresh homegrown tomatoes is like... ...sigh

2 Weeks Ago	#6
Labradors2 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Ontario Posts: 3,895	I like Little Lucky. Brandywine is a parent and taste is great!

2 Weeks Ago	#9
MissTee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2020 Location: Zone 4-5, Ontario Canada Posts: 5	You could do a search on Tatiana’s Tomatobase or Tomatofifou for medium beefsteaks. From my own experience, Bear Creek and Maya & Sion’s Airdrie Classic have been mid-sized beefsteaks that didn’t take forever to produce. Both are recent crosses from heirloom varieties and are fairly prolific. Bear Creek, a purple, is richer, while Maya & Sion’s is a tangier red. For a heart, Grandee is early and tasty.