What exactly is "old time" tomato taste?

[tjg911]

i think that old tyme taste is in a lot of the tomatoes we grow.

it's also a memory, a feeling lost in the ethereal fog of time that we think we experienced but can't find again. sometimes memories are bigger than the reality was, it's easy to look back and remember when.

i grow old tyme taste every august and september and i suspect you do too.

[newatthiskat]

A few years back I was eating some tomatoes in the garden. They were all good and tasted great. I then took a bite of a Rutgers. I never heard any "Old time flavor" attached to it, but I had read an article about the elusive taste in general. The very first thing that popped in my head was "wow, that is an old timey tasting tomato." I don't know why, I just did. I am going to grow several plants of it this year.
Kat
PS it did not give me blisters in my mouth though.

[camochef]

Originally Posted by newatthiskat

A few years back I was eating some tomatoes in the garden. They were all good and tasted great. I then took a bite of a Rutgers. I never heard any "Old time flavor" attached to it, but I had read an article about the elusive taste in general. The very first thing that popped in my head was "wow, that is an old timey tasting tomato." I don't know why, I just did. I am going to grow several plants of it this year.
Kat
PS it did not give me blisters in my mouth though.

Kat,
Rutgers never did give me blisters either. While it's a good tomato its not one of those gigantic Jersey Beefsteaks. As I've gotten older, I've often wondered if those little blisters were from the tomato being high in acid or alkalinity? Or was it just that Jersey soil?
Enjoy!
Camo

[MrTudball]

I like Carolyns aggresive description, always a challenge as this thread has shown, to describe that old time taste. My family this year gave me the dictate to select based on that "aggresive" traite. With a couple of exceptions the seeds I just recieved today should be that.

My tomato list for this year

Chesapeake - First time growing, would love to hear other growers impresions
Adndrew Rahart's - Same as above
Flammee - Same as above
Earl of Edgecombe - Love this tomato, but I would not describe this as "aggresive"
Clint Eastwood's Rowdy Red - First time growing
Green Zebr - def aggresive, but not sure if it quailfys as old time taste
Red Zebra - first time growing
Earlianna - First time growing, mostly for my parents who live at high altitude and short growing season.
Black prince - freebee, not sure if i'm going to plant, anybody else have expreience with this?

Would love to hear members thoughts on the above list.

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by b54red

That 'old time tomato taste' is like porn. You can't really define it but you know it when you run across it.

b,

Okely Dokely,

But, would that be the old time prn, or the new tasteless prn?

Ned Flanders

[stormymater]

Mr. Tudball -

Your first 3 are must-haves in my yearly garden. The first 2 definitely have what I consider the old timey taste, texture & color.
Flammee is different, exquisite in her own way - color, texture & taste - worth waiting for - she is slow to start but continues to killing frost in my garden.
Zebras - meh, simply sour for me. I grow 'em for salads to have eye candy for friends but otherwise they go into salsa or off to my friends' produce market.

The first 3 never make it off the property.

[dice]

I have not grown Earlianna, but I have grown Alacrity, which
is said to be an earlier selection from Earlianna. It did have
good, traditional flavor, even in a cold, rainy summer where
virtually every fruit on it was catfaced (misshapen). I would
expect similar flavor from Earlianna (balanced but not bland).

Black Prince can be good in a dry climate. It is productive, mildly
sweet, has quite a few seeds per fruit. (Out here verticillium
wilt in cold, wet soil can take it down in a week.) I would not
describe the flavor as aggressive.

[MrTudball]

Stormy and dice, thanks for the replies. Although all of our taste buds vary on what we like, love hearing opinions on taste. I love all things about growing tomatoes but taste is first by a long shot, on my reason for growing tomatoes.

In those jersey PDF's posted earlier, they showed that balance (high acidity and sugars) make for a good tomato. I know some like a real sweet tomato, but if it does not have that bite (for lack of a better word) to me it is lacking. But if it just has bite, as a green zebra often does, it lacks also. Although I have to contradice myself, with my love of Earl of Edgecomb, very nuanced but definately no bite.

[MrTudball]

Does anyone know any seed company's that carry rampo? I have room for a couple more variety's this year, would love to give that hybrid a shot in my garden.

[rnewste]

I've got some extra Ramapo F-8 seeds from Knapps Fresh Veggies. PM me your address and I will get them in the mail to you tomorrow.

Raybo

[MrTudball]

Wow thank you so much, pm on the way. I owe you one.

[stormymater]

Mr T - you will love 'em. As a Cook College graduate I must direct you to the site that sells the Ramapo seed - they are good folks.

http://njfarmfresh.rutgers.edu/JerseyTomato.html

[MrTudball]

Stormy, fun link, found this among them

http://njfarmfresh.rutgers.edu/docum...toSalt2009.pdf

I might have to do a small trial on this. I am going to plant 4 of each variety this year, so I can see if it makes a difference in taste. I am a tomato geek esp when it comes to taste. Always wondered what nutrients or other had an impact on taste.

[PaulF]

Mark: I have grown Andrew Rahart's Jumbo Red a few times, the last was in 2006. I think that was the first Mid-West Tomato Fest year and I did bring some to sample that year. Don't you remember? Neither do I. My notes indicate it was very late and like Carolyn's description (paraphrasing), it is jumbo in flavor but not in size. I indicated it was "very tomatoey and smelled as good as it tastes." So if it was so good why have I not grown it since then? Most of what I grew were in the 6 to 10 ounce range.

It will be interesting to taste this variety again at the Fest.

[MrTudball]

Paul I will be at the fest for sure this year, what is on your grow list? Bummer about the size, my variety's are mostly medium to small.