Opalkas....am i the only one that LOVES this tomato ?..hehe

[carolyn137]

The variety called Opalka was brought from Poland to Amsterdam, NY in about 1900. Seeds were from Carl Swidorski, whose wife's family was the Opalka family. Carl was a colleague of mine at the place where I last taught before retiring.

Craig came up this way once to interview for a job and who did he meet? A Chester Opalka. LOL I can't remember if Craig asked him if Opalka the tomato was a family heirloom, or not.

[rxkeith]

growing it for the first time here gimme. only had one plant come up from 5 seeds planted, fresh seeds to boot. so, hopefully nothing bad happens to it. i want to compare it to my great uncle steves' tomato. seeds from 1998 gave me 100% germination.

keith in calumet

[Gimme3]

well, its mighty fine to know that if i drop dead tommorrow....some folks will carrry on....)))


Julianna....birds of a Feather...)))

Doctor C ...lol...i know you prefer the simple Carolyn...)))but you are Always ...the Mother of Goodness, to me, as regards tomatos ....i'm gon take yo recent advice to heart....but before i move on....it's so uncanny...how most of the Tomatos i love,... YOU gave to the public. I'll never forget that simple fact...an i thank ya so much.....wish we could go set us out a row...you an me...in my soil, an you could simply swing in the Beautiful Porch swing, an tell me how to do it...))) Dr. C...you got Kids you dont even know...)))That LOVE YOU...)))

Now...lets get back to talkin bout Opalkas...)))

Yall gon think i'm further crazy, after you read this....hehe...



ZZTOP is a wonderful 3-man band. They did a song, called " Tube Snake Boogie".



Ever time i saw them Opalka fruits, last year....that song entered my pysche. An now...i caint tell ya why, but i associate an Opalka with bein a "Tube STEAK Boogie"...lol.......


Go ahead an commit me to Parkview....)))i gaurantee ya...we'll start eatin some good Tomatos if ya do...)))


Loved yall's responses...)))

[geoguy_TN]

Originally Posted by Gimme3

Go ahead an commit me to Parkview....)))i gaurantee ya...we'll start eatin some good Tomatos if ya do...)))

I know people that work at Parkview...might could get ya a good rate :wink:

[Tomstrees]

re:
PV:What does the name mean?
Last Name: Opalka
Polish (Opałka):
nickname for a sunburnt individual (see Opal).

RE:
Yup, yup, thats me !!!
I'd fit right in !!! lol ~ Tom

ps. I'm more brown than red (greek/italian) ...
who knows, maybe they won't notice at family functions !!! ~ lol ~

[Cecilia_MD7a]

My father, the retired Slavic languages expert (whom I'm sure everybody on the GW tomato forum is tired of hearing about) says Opalka means "heat wave" in Polish - so I suppose the sunburnt person nickname make sense.

Palka (without the O) is a chicken leg!

[travis]

"Palka (without the O) is a chicken leg!"

OMG! The return of the Reistertown Chicken Leg

PV

[Mantis]

Well TGS has been the winner again. With all this Opalka talk I had to have some

[Gimme3]

well...i'm so happy, that theys a few out there, that know what i'm talkin bout.

dont wanna beat down a good Horse talkin bout it, ...but i do wanna share an reciprocate.

problem is....lol...i got to skip back to do so....wish i could see all the responses....but thats ok,...jus a minor inconvenience...)))

Heirloom Newb....is it ok if jus call you...ELWOOD ?...hehe...that name comes from yo town,...an me bein a Blues Brothers Fan...))) I really hope you enjoy growin out an tastin....an Opalka...)))

Sorellina, i dont speak Italian or Spanish....not that i didnt wish i could...))) I love a Opalka in a salad, it has the absolute texture, and a taste to die for... i'm wantin, it's a mighty close runner to a GRSB in that regard, an probly wins that race...)))

My family endeavors in 2 major uses of tomatoes, each year. We make Chacha in the fall, usin all green tomatos left . In the winter, we make Hash, in a 15 gallon cast iron pot, over a fire, an we use about 4-5 gallons of frozen tomatos. I caint wait...to have enuff Opalkas, to make this hash in, this comin winter. I could relate a similar story about a certain pepper used in last years Chacha....lol...but i aint gon do that, here.....)))

KC Don...))) i sho hate what happenned, an...YES...thats gonna reduce an Opalka greatly, from it's yield, because they dont grow that big to start with. I sho hope she hangs in there w/ya, an you get a chance to see...what it is, an taste it. I got a few seeds left, aughta have more in the winter. Keep yo faith...Friend)))


Tomstrees, an Papa Vic...))) i blieve i was singin to the Professional Choir....yall KNOW what im talkin bout...)))


Geoguy...i was kinda hopin you'd chime in, in yo best wry voice, after you strapped on a good fake beard, an grabbed a broom guitar...hehe....an sing...." blow yo top!!!, blow yo top!!!"...)))

BTW...on this day...in 1980...Mount Saint Helens....in the State of Washington...BLEW her Top...)))

seriously...i wanna tell any first year grower ...what i think might not of been stated already about an Opalka.

An Opalka has whats called the..." limp gene". it expresses this natural attribute upon it's crown...always. So..if first time growers read this thread an decide to go out an pursue it...please understand....it's a limp-gened plant, there aint nothin wrong w'it. it's jus like growin a German Red strawberry, or a Anna Russian. Growing these cultivars will give you a Beautifull thrill, if you simply have patience, and practice good husbandry in Yo Garden...)))


This thread has been a Joy...Thank You, to Each...)))an catch some good Vibes...comin back Yo way...)))

[carolyn137]

An Opalka has whats called the..." limp gene". it expresses this natural attribute upon it's crown...always. So..if first time growers read this thread an decide to go out an pursue it...please understand....it's a limp-gened plant, there aint nothin wrong w'it. it's jus like growin a German Red strawberry, or a Anna Russian. Growing these cultivars will give you a Beautifull thrill, if you simply have patience, and practice good husbandry in Yo Garden...)))


Gimmee,

Most folks call what you call the limp gene the wilt gene, which is its real name.

And folks have associated the wimpy, droopy, finely dissected foliage of several paste varieties and also most heart shaped varieties with the wilt gene.

And I think they have done that b/c Chuck Wyatt at his website said so. But he was wrong.

There is no gene at all associated with that kind of foliage, for it's just one of the many expressions of regular foliage.

The wilt gene is applied to those varieties with perfectly normal non-droopy, non wimpy foliage that doesn't recover from lack of water well, when then watered.

it's a gene that has been studied well in the past, and is not associated with that droopy, wispy foliage we all know and love.

You and I and others know, though, how many folks think that's there's something wrong with their plants when for the first time they see that kind of foliage.

[Suze]

Originally Posted by Gimme3

ZZTOP is a wonderful 3-man band. They did a song, called " Tube Snake Boogie".

Ever time i saw them Opalka fruits, last year....that song entered my pysche. An now...i caint tell ya why, but i associate an Opalka with bein a "Tube STEAK Boogie"...lol.......

Go ahead an commit me to Parkview....)))i gaurantee ya...we'll start eatin some good Tomatos if ya do...)))

Gimme, it's always a pleasure to read your posts. Please post a bit more, will ya?

Opalka was one of the first OP tomatoes I ever tried and I like it very much. Been a couple of years since I grew it -- just so many others to try. Due to grow it next year for fresh seed.

[Gimme3]

Carolyn....i know it aint gon satisfy ya....)))thats why i sho wish you could be right here, an see...good soil, and absolute care bein given towards the greatest fruition possible...of any plant i endeavored to grow.

how bout if i jus call it the "droop Gene" ?...)))

I gaurantee ya...the OM in my soil prohibits ANY wilt....EVER...there is no such thing as dryin out/lack of moisture. Opalka shares a genetic trait common and Intrensic to a AR and GRSB. All i'm tryin to do, is forwarn, a first time grower who aint never seen it...))) It's actually part of the plant's unique Beauty, that i so embrace, but it can be dis-concerting, if a grower never saw it before...)))

The first time i ever saw the....hehe...))) Droopyness in a plant...came from a GRSB, an it sho did worry me, to start with...)))

Thats all im sayin....Grower....be notified...in Advance, so you wont be worried...)))

[travis]

Okay ... now this "droopy" gene thing ...

I noticed on Opalka seedlings that I've left in the 4-inch pots a little too long ... they are like lowering their bottom sets of leaves down toward the ground kinda like a "peace symbol."

Also, the Silvery Fir Tree that I first set out in a pot is doing the same thing. With the SFT the lowered leaves are actually resting on the soil in the pot in such a way as to support the main stalk more upright ... like they're acting as a tripod for the main stalk.

I noticed this about the Opalka and the SFT about the same time as they began setting their very first flower buds.

Q. Do you think this may be a natural characteristic of a wispy tomato to support itself when beginning to set fruit?

Q. Or do you think that this is the tomato plant's reaction to Carolyn's letting them sprawl all these years rather than staking the poor things up off the ground

PV

[giardiniere]

Thanks to my friend KCMO_Don, I'll be trying Opalka this year. He sent me a nice plant, even though his was damaged by hail. What a guy!!

[carolyn137]

Q. Do you think this may be a natural characteristic of a wispy tomato to support itself when beginning to set fruit?

Nope.

Q. Or do you think that this is the tomato plant's reaction to Carolyn's letting them sprawl all these years rather than staking the poor things up off the ground

Yup.

I used the well known Lysenko method for ensuring that the foliage of Opalka always touches the ground. It took me about 15 years to do that.

Opalka as received by me from Carl was a very nice large red beefsteak variety with PL foliage.

I first strung a lead line out to the tomato patch, attached a high intensity UV light to induce mutations, grew out the saved seed and looked for some RL segregants.

Got a few but they still had large beefsteak fruits.

So I then I built some plastic molds about 4-5 inches long and about 2 inches wide and shoved the developing fruits into those molds and voila, I got long red fruits.

I then saved seeds again, and again shoved the small developing fruits into the molds and kept doing this until all seeds sown gave rise to plants that were RL and had long red fruits.

I then started attaching fishing line sinkers to the main lateral branches to weight them down so as to touch the ground.

I saved seeds from the FWF ( fish weight foliage), grew them out and kept doing this until that happy happy day when all seeds planted gave rise to plants that were RL, had long red fruits and droopy foliage.

I'm so glad you allowed me to share this simple Lysenko method with other folks here since I successfully used it on Opalka. :wink: