"The Blacks" Tomato du jour

[brokenbar]

Originally Posted by Blueaussi

Striped Cavern?

I made the mistake of growing that last year. My mother used them for a bridge club luncheon, and they were a hit. Now I'm stuck growing them, and they don't have the best flavor, in my opinion. I am trying some of the bi-colors to try and find something with more flavor to distract Mom.

But they look so darned pretty stuffed with a pasta or crab salad! I have a great sun-dried tomato pasta recipe and I made that and stuffed the Striped Cavern with it and put mozzarella on top and ran it under the broiler for the ladies at our bank. OMG...I was deluged for the recipe and they bought nearly every striped cavern he grew. He says that none of the "stuffing" tomatoes have that great of flavor? (compared to non-stuffing types...) He is probably on the prowl for a "black stuffer" as we speak!

[dustdevil]

Originally Posted by brokenbar

It is one we plan on growing in Mexico as that is it's native local anyway.

Planning on selling home grown in the winter-time? ;-)

[Wi-sunflower]

I tried the Shimmeig hollow stuffer before we even moved up here 9more than 20 years ago) because I thought it would be something chefs would like. But they are too darned small to be worthwhile for them for anything other than an appetizer.

We grew Yellow Ruffled last year and it's bigger but still rather small.

Are there any stuffers that are larger ?? Like about the size of a medium green pepper.

Carol

[brokenbar]

Originally Posted by Wi-sunflower

I tried the Shimmeig hollow stuffer before we even moved up here 9more than 20 years ago) because I thought it would be something chefs would like. But they are too darned small to be worthwhile for them for anything other than an appetizer.

We grew Yellow Ruffled last year and it's bigger but still rather small.

Are there any stuffers that are larger ?? Like about the size of a medium green pepper.

Carol

Carol, I think "Dad's Mug" is larger and Schmmeig Striped Hollow. There is also Burgess Stuffing, Ruffled Red, Coursen's Roy, Zapotec Pleated, Red Cup, Gezahnte, Tlacalula, Pink Accordian which is VERY large and Russo Sicilian Togeta. Russo Sicilian Togeta is my favortie tomato of all time. It sets fruit in heat, cold, wind or whatever. It pumps out tons of medium to large sized tomatoes on a shorter indeterminate vine. Ripens early and is bothered by nothing. Semi-hollow, this is an excellent drying tomato and/or sauce tomato. I always say if I was stranded on a dessert island, this is the one I would take with me...The strain I have has always been much larger than descriptions at other sites (and this can be hard to find...) I think Marianna's and Tomato Fest both may carry it. There are probably more stuffer varieties I am unaware of also.

I found: Beauty Lottringa, Canadian Stuffing, Brown Derby Mixed, Gogoshari Striped , Giant Oxheart, IPK T 973 (Cuba), Zakopane, Sierra Leone, Hallo, Gnom, Liberty Bell, Mauve, Novogogoshary & Zomok in the Seed Saver's Catalog but my husband has not grown any of those.

[brokenbar]

Originally Posted by dustdevil

Planning on selling home grown in the winter-time? ;-)

There were no sun-dried tomatoes for sale anywhere in Merida... They must have been waiting just for for me...

[PaulF]

Four years ago the only tomato folks in my area grew or liked was the round, red fairly small market style tomato. I started talking about and giving away yellows, golds, white, greens, pinks, reds and blacks. The most difficult to be accepted were the blacks .... until they were sampled in the first taste testings. After we guaranteed they were not "rotten" tomatoes, the black revolution began.

I now grow and give away around two hundred OP (heirloom) plants. Mostly people still go for the reds and pinks; the favorites are hearts. There is a hard core group of black lovers. I know Black Cherry is not OP, but it is now the #1 requested variety.

The green when ripe fad has not hit here yet. Maybe in a few years.

[brokenbar]

Same here...Husband reports there was little interest in the "green when ripe" or the yellows. Carolyn, if you browse this, do you know if "Zapotec" is different than "Zapotec Pleated"?

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by brokenbar

Same here...Husband reports there was little interest in the "green when ripe" or the yellows. Carolyn, if you browse this, do you know if "Zapotec" is different than "Zapotec Pleated"?

I just answered your PM on that and yes, they should be the same.

About Sierra Leone. I don't have my 2010 yearbook here in the back room, I'm still in the process of memorizing all the blurbs, ahem, but if that was listed by JK from MT then I know it b'c she sent me seeds and I grew it last summer. I didn't get enough seeds to list but you seem to be mentioning it as a stuffer, and it sure wasn't for me. it was a large red, meaty beefsteak with excellent taste.

I went the stuffer route many years ago and grew even more when I was selling to restaurants, but the chef's and I agreed that most of them were fibrous in nature and it was better to just grow a regular non-stuffer, scoop out the inside and be able to eat the whole thing without that sometimes tough cell wall,

I just remembered that Jeanne had sent seeds of Sierra Leone to Tania as well so here's her description and she does say for her it was semi-hollow, but it sure wasn't for me.

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Sierra_Leone

[mtbigfish]

Originally Posted by PaulF

I now grow and give away around two hundred OP (heirloom) plants. Mostly people still go for the reds and pinks; the favorites are hearts. There is a hard core group of black lovers. I know Black Cherry is not OP, but it is now the #1 requested variety.

Paul
I am confused why you say Black Cherry is not OP?

Dennis

[Mischka]

I'm guessing that Paul meant to say not an heirloom, not OP.

[carolyn137]

Or Paul could be thinking of Burpee's knock off of Black Cherry, which is Black Pearl and is an hybrid,


Yes, Black Cherry is OP and is not an heirloom variety, that's for sure, and it's one of the very few so called blacks that I like.

[brokenbar]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

I just answered your PM on that and yes, they should be the same.

About Sierra Leone. I don't have my 2010 yearbook here in the back room, I'm still in the process of memorizing all the blurbs, ahem, but if that was listed by JK from MT then I know it b'c she sent me seeds and I grew it last summer. I didn't get enough seeds to list but you seem to be mentioning it as a stuffer, and it sure wasn't for me. it was a large red, meaty beefsteak with excellent taste.

I went the stuffer route many years ago and grew even more when I was selling to restaurants, but the chef's and I agreed that most of them were fibrous in nature and it was better to just grow a regular non-stuffer, scoop out the inside and be able to eat the whole thing without that sometimes tough cell wall,

I just remembered that Jeanne had sent seeds of Sierra Leone to Tania as well so here's her description and she does say for her it was semi-hollow, but it sure wasn't for me.

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Sierra_Leone

I think it was in the desciription in SSC...I will have to go look. And I do agree...the Stuffrs just don't have what a regular tomato has in the way of flavor or consistency. I think they just act as a pretty holder for other food.

[Douglas_OW]

Originally Posted by brokenbar

I think it was in the desciription in SSC...I will have to go look. And I do agree...the Stuffrs just don't have what a regular tomato has in the way of flavor or consistency. I think they just act as a pretty holder for other food.

Like coring a pineapple, and using the husk to serve fruit salad, or a Pina Colada? They do make for pretty pictures.

Jim

[brokenbar]

Originally Posted by Douglas_OW

Like coring a pineapple, and using the husk to serve fruit salad, or a Pina Colada? They do make for pretty pictures.

Jim

That's right Jim! If you had a tray of three or four different colored stuffing tomatoes filled with something tasty, it would look magnificent! Most of the time, people eating them don't know what a good tomato tastes like anyway... Is there a Black Stuffer? How about Tim's Black Ruffles? I have never seen those "in the flesh" so to speak

[brokenbar]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

I just answered your PM on that and yes, they should be the same.

About Sierra Leone. I don't have my 2010 yearbook here in the back room, I'm still in the process of memorizing all the blurbs, ahem, but if that was listed by JK from MT then I know it b'c she sent me seeds and I grew it last summer. I didn't get enough seeds to list but you seem to be mentioning it as a stuffer, and it sure wasn't for me. it was a large red, meaty beefsteak with excellent taste.

I went the stuffer route many years ago and grew even more when I was selling to restaurants, but the chef's and I agreed that most of them were fibrous in nature and it was better to just grow a regular non-stuffer, scoop out the inside and be able to eat the whole thing without that sometimes tough cell wall,

I just remembered that Jeanne had sent seeds of Sierra Leone to Tania as well so here's her description and she does say for her it was semi-hollow, but it sure wasn't for me.

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Sierra_Leone

Carolyn, Here is Tanya's description:
B.C KO T - HAS -</B>days, indet., regular leaf, irregularly but beautifully shaped ribbed red fruits that are semi-hollow inside. Nice mild flavor with some acidity. Perfect for stuffing. Most fruits are in 6-10 oz range, but the largest fruit was 24 oz. , Seeds saved by Julie Swanson from a fruit that she bought in a farmer's market in Sierra Leone (West Africa). Lucie shared the seed with Jeanne Krenning of Montana (MT KR J), who, in turn, shared it with me for 2009 growouts. , MT KR J 09 / Sierra Leone (West Africa) market
SSE TOMATO