How can I identify my Brandywine strain?

[Hilde]

Hi,

I bought a pink Brandywine tomato from a fruit market last year, and I have no idea what strain it was. I have a picture of it, and I saved seeds from it, seedlings are growing in the basement under lamps right now.

The taste was superb, in fact that Brandywine and the Stump of the World are the best tomatoes I have ever tasted, and I did taste around 100 varieties last year.

Will it be possible to tell which strain Brandywine I have? Are there particular characteristics that makes it possible to distinguish one Brandywine strain from another?

Of the 15 Brandywines in Tatiana's tomatobase I can eliminate 9 because of color, shape (heart) and size (cherry). However, six strains are large, pink and PL. Any way I could find out if I have Brandywine, Brandywine Glick's strain, Brandywine Joyce's strain, Brandywine Liam's strain, Brandywine Pawer's strain or Brandywine Sudduth's strain?

Thanks!

Hilde

[bryanccfshr]

Those are simply selections. Pink Brandywine is Pink Brandywine. My seeds are saved from tomatoes I originally started that were labeled as Sudduth. I select plants that perform in a way that I want to encourage and save seeds from them. I think this is simply selecting the best adapted plants and encouraging that adaption.
If it is a potato leaved Pink and oblate with some lobing you have Brandywine and you can save seeds from it selecting the traits you like.


I have A similar situation with a store bought heirloom that was yellow or gold and was exquisite in flavor. It was a mix of different heirlooms and I spotted the name Aunt Gerdies Gold on the list and assumed that was what it was. I ended up with regular leaf seedlings. At this point I don't know what I have but I am growing them out and if they are again as delicious as I remember I will save seeds from the plats and continue the line and I will simply title it generically by "Gold" unless by some miracle I figure out what exactly I have. But if it's good and you are not trading it as any specific "strain" or heirloom then there is no harm in growing it out as long as you enjoy it. To answer your question... There is most probably no easy way to realy tell different pink Brandywines apart. But if it is delicious keep the line going.

[carolyn137]

Hilde, I agree with Bryan that there's absolutely no way you can distinguish one Brandywine from another.

There used to be lots more Brandywines listed as strains but when growouts were done of them at the same time it was shown that most were the same.

A strain can be IDed by associating the name of the person who first listed it, which is most common and actually irrelavent, or a strain can indicate a slight variation from the original variety yet the variety can still be Ided as being that variety.

Years ago I grew many of the different strains of Brandywine that were listed in the SSE Yearbook and the only one that I thought was different, and better was Brandywine( Sudduth/Quisenberry.

So if you grow a Brandywine that didn't come to you with a strain name attached there's no way to know what strain it might be. And IMO it doesn't make all that much difference what strain it is, overall.

I also wanted to share that the name is Brandywine, not Pink Brandywine since that's redundant since Brandywine is pink

[bryanccfshr]

Doh! Thank You for the correction Carolyn.
The reason you agree with me is because I am a student of yours in the tomato world and I find your advice always to be measured, common sense and accurate. I look forward to all the wisdom you simply give away. Your book arrived at my house today, it will be enjoyed this weekend when I am home.


Bryan, Who sometimes speaks out of turn for such a novice.

[Hilde]

Thank you guys, I really appreciate it. I was thinking that when I grow this and the taste remains superb that I should know what strain it was before sharing seeds with others. With your explanations, I don't really need to know.

Thanks!

Hilde

[Worth1]

Bryan your going to love the book.

Hilde,
Any ? Brandywine automatically gets named brandywine Worths strain.

Ive had a hard time with mine showing up where they shouldn't this year.

Worth

[TomatoDon]

Does anyone know what strain of "Brandywine" that Chef Jeff is selling this year? I thought some of you might be familiar with the company and know which strain they profess to grow.

Thanks.

Don

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by TomatoDon

Does anyone know what strain of "Brandywine" that Chef Jeff is selling this year? I thought some of you might be familiar with the company and know which strain they profess to grow.

Thanks.

Don

Don, if they knew it they'd put in on the label but most folks have no idea whatsoever what strain they're grpowing.

Linda at TGS was listing a Brandywine and felt sure it was the Sudduth strain, but b'c he diodn't know for sure she got the Sudduth strain and now offers that separately.

The list of folks listing Brandywine in the SSE Yearbooks is long indeed, and no doubt some of those are Sudduth, and other strains, but as I said above, since the strains were often listed with the name of the person listing it, it's relatively meaningless.

Even Worth knows that and is so distributing the Worth strain.

[TomatoDon]

I wonder if it will be "worth" anything? <jk>

I actually got a few from my last years "so called" Sudduth to germinate, so I'll see how those do this year. In fact, I think those seeds came from the exact tomato I'll post a picture of here. Many thought it did not look like a BWS, but it was straight out of the TGS BWS labeled pack last year, and all the plants grew the same in production and appearance.

And btw...sent you a note...got your mail...thanks...

Don

[Earl]

Don, the tomato in the picture looks red to me. :-)