2016 Tomato and Pepper Reviews

[nhardy]

This the first year in 7 years I was able to keep my tomatoes growing health.

Iron Lady - This is the last year to grow this variety. I did not see I was any more disease resistance than any other hybrid. The fruit was shaped like a reverse pear. 3-4.5 oz. size average. A little on the firmer side. I have already pulled out one vine and picked the last 3 tomatoes. It was 48 inches long. It was a determinate and gave me fruit from mid July to beginning of Aug. with a few fruit here and there. Taste average.

Giallo De Summer - These were my free seeds from Totally Tomato. Two were potted in pots and one in the ground. The ones in the pots were not as productive. As such I have already picked the unripen fruit and killed the plants. The one tomato in the ground gave me a large amount of fruit for a few pickings. The first fruit had thicker skins. But the next week the skins were thinner. I picked them yellow and brought them inside to ripen to a orange color. They were a nice acidic flavor orangey yellow tomato. The fruit soften as they got more orange. They held up after picking for a non red variety. With that said, I will not be grow them again. They are indeterminates, that acted like determinates. I got a really large flush of fruit all at once. A few fruit here and there and now nothing. I looked over the vines and there is not fruit for several feet. They put all the energy on to growing vines during the July heat. They are 7 foot plus tall. Most of the new fruit is 6 feet and above. So for 3 feet not one piece of fruit. I have other indeterminates varieties with fruit from 3 feet to 6 feet, so it is only this one variety.

Sungold Select II - I would not regrow. Too long of fruit maturing, beyond 75 days. Flavor was not better that original Sungold.

Red Crest Pepper - This my first year growing this variety. I love the pimiento L variety. I was pleased with this variety and will grow them again for sure. Must plants had 4 peppers or more. They were earlier than the L variety. Nice and sweet, but not as thick as the L variety. I loved the size of the fruit.

Mama Mia Giallo Pepper - Look, I finally got the name right. This the first year for this one too. I like this one too for flavor. And again not as thick as L variety. The plants grow at least one pepper per plant. Some are huge because I amended my soil with MG Garden Soil. I'm still on the fence to grow again or try Yellow Crest Pepper.

[seaeagle]

We had a break in the humidity finally about a week ago and I just got the first perfect vine ripened Paul Robeson.

It is an excellent tasting tomato.I have seen it described as smoky, earthy and rich.Never tasted smoky in a tomato and have no clue what earthy means.I would describe it as smooth, rich, sweet and almost tropical in taste.If it does well going forward I might consider aiming for a late summer-fall tomato.Just have to figure out the timing.It is that good, but doesn't like the weather here in July and August.

Carbon is starting to blush tomatoes again.Tasted a Cherokee Purple and Carbon at the same time and there was a slight difference, not enough to even remember which was different and why.

Eva Purple Ball continues to be a beast and a tomato machine.

[Father'sDaughter]

Almost every one of my in ground tomatoes fell hard and fast this year (F and V). There are two exceptions that are almost unfazed -- Russian 117 and Oroma. Both are healthy with lots of foliage, R117 has about half a dozen medium size fruit and Oroma easily has two dozen and still setting more.

Another that I stuck in the ground about a month after the others is also loaded up with fruit and just starting to show early signs of disease -- Pink Honey. This one is too sweet/mild for me but my son loved it the last time I grew it. I started two and gave him one. The other was going to get tossed, but I had room so I stuck it in the ground.

Peppers, on the other hand, are about to overwhelm me. September is always the month when my peppers go into high production.

Shish-Ito - has been steadily producing and three small plants are providing enough for us to have them once a week as part of dinner.

Melrose - only two plant survived the seedling stage and I picked my first dozen last week. They were amazingly good with a sausage and ricotta stuffing and baked in the oven with a simple marinara sauce. The plants just set another round so I'm hoping to have them on the menu a few more times.

NuMex Big Jim is piling on the peppers and by next week I'll do my first round of roasting, peeling and freezing. I really need to grow more of these next year!

Serrano -- what do you do with a huge pile of Serrano peppers produced by one plant in a three gallon grow bag? I'm picking and using one or two here and there, but I think I'll let the bulk of them ripen to red and make hot sauce.

D'Appendere - an Italian long pepper good for drying. Each plant is starting to pile on fruit and with what I have left from last year, I should have more than enough Italian paprika to last a year or more. It's the main flavoring ingredient in my homemade sausages in lieu of fennel.

Leutschauer Paprika - again, three plants loaded with peppers. This makes me very happy because I've been hoarding the small amount of paprika I made from one plant last year.

Tabasco - the three plants in three gallon grow bags are covered in pointy little peppers, currently at the yellow stage. These will become hot sauce for sure!

(Not) Peperone Piccante Calabrese -- I bought a pack of these Franchi seeds back in late 2011 from growitalian.com. They were supposed to be hot red cherry peppers that I wanted for pickling and stuffing. What I (and a few other customers that year) got were elongated/heart shaped peppers about 2-3 inches long and about 1.5 inches wide. Walls are thick and crunchy when fresh, and they keep really well. If you've ever had good pickled cherry peppers, that's what this pepper tastes like. Perfect stuffed with prosciutto and sharp provalone cheese. I've grown them from saved seeds every year since 2012 and they always grow true. I have three plants this year and getting a bumper crop. There will be much more than I want for pickling, so they will probably get dried for flakes/powder.

I'm glad I have the peppers to take my mind off the lack of tomatoes!

[whistech]

Father's Daughter, are the Not Pepperone Piccante Calabrese peppers sweet? Sounds like a wonderful pepper and I love sweet peppers.

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by whistech

Father's Daughter, are the Not Pepperone Piccante Calabrese peppers sweet? Sounds like a wonderful pepper and I love sweet peppers.

No, they're hot. I'd say hotter than a Jalepeno, but not quite as hot as a Serrano.

[Father'sDaughter]

Oh, and I almost forgot my slow poke pepper plant -- Aji Amarillo Grande. The plant is grande--about equal to NuMex Big Jim--and healthy as can be. However, it just this week started producing flower buds. If the weather hangs on, I'm hoping to at least see what this one is like.

[Worth1]

I have been sitting on my fingers to report this but it is my opinion that the Ali Amarillo little is just another name for Aji Limon AKA lemon drop.
They both suck they both look and taste the same and not worth growing.
The Aji Amarillo Grande or just Aji Amarillo as is sold in Peru is the real thing and a fantastic pepper with thicker walls.
Worth

[Father'sDaughter]

I only like Aji Limon one way -- dried and ground into powder. It really lends a unique flavor to dishes.

Interesting that you say they're the same. The plants grow the same and the peppers share the same shape and size, but I think that's where similarities end, at least in my garden.

I've grown AL for several years and it's always on the early side and ripens to a very bright yellow. And it really packs a lot of heat.

Last year I grew the baby Aji Amarillo. It wasn't nearly as hot as AL, set and ripened very late, and was a deep golden orange.

I'd say definitely related, but not identical.

[Fred Hempel]

I have a few chefs that have a different opinion RE: Baby Aji Amarillo. This is based on the prices they will pay for Baby Aji Amarillo frying peppers (much more than for Shi★★★★o, Padron or others).

It's not Aji Amarillo (the classic) but it is pretty valuable to me as a grower. Only one pepper has more value, and that is the Aji Amarillo.

As for it being Aji Limon, I think it looks similar early, but this does not look like Aji Limon to me.

Originally Posted by Worth1

I have been sitting on my fingers to report this but it is my opinion that the Ali Amarillo little is just another name for Aji Limon AKA lemon drop.
They both suck they both look and taste the same and not worth growing.
The Aji Amarillo Grande or just Aji Amarillo as is sold in Peru is the real thing and a fantastic pepper with thicker walls.
Worth

[Fred Hempel]

Worth,

Is your opinion that Baby Aji Amarillo = Aji Limon based on side-by-side comparisons?

[Fred Hempel]

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

Last year I grew the baby Aji Amarillo. It wasn't nearly as hot as AL, set and ripened very late, and was a deep golden orange.

I'd say definitely related, but not identical.

Agreed. They look similar early on, but fully mature peppers are different.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Fred Hempel

Worth,

Is your opinion that Baby Aji Amarillo = Aji Limon based on side-by-side comparisons?

Pretty close if not the same at least in my opinion.
Not saying they are the same but too close to make much of a difference.
I have to look at the labels to see which is which.
This is from several plants not just one of each.
I will say they are both very heavy producers they just aren't bringing anything to the table I care for.
Not a bad pepper just not my cup of tea.
You have to consider where I live and what I have accesses to too.

Worth

[Gardeneer]

I grew Lemon Drop last couple of season. I liked it a lot for its fruit flavor . Not one to eat fresh but great in cooking and making sauce with.
For fresh eating I like Manzano , very meaty, juicy and fruity.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

I grew Lemon Drop last couple of season. I liked it a lot for its fruit flavor . Not one to eat fresh but great in cooking and making sauce with.
For fresh eating I like Manzano , very meaty, juicy and fruity.

I judge all peppers right off the plant in the morning with a cup of coffee at dawn.

I am eating fresh Jamaican hot red and yellow in my gravy as we speak.

More meat less seeds.

Worth

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by Worth1

I judge all peppers right off the plant in the morning with a cup of coffee at dawn.

I am eating fresh Jamaican hot red and yellow in my gravy as we speak.

More meat less seeds.

Worth

Yeah, we have different way of hot chili pepper usage/consumption. The ones that I eat fresh are the ones with thick wall like jalapeno, Serrano, Fresno, Hungarian hw, Poblano, ... . I use the hot thin walled ones as spice ( sauce, powder , in cooking ).
I guess I have low tolerance for anything with more heat than Serrano for fresh eating.