what tastes most like Brandywine Sudduth's, but produces better?

[JLJ_]

Originally Posted by kerns125

. . . Until this year I grew a heart from my grandfather and for the first time thought a non-cherry tomato was more flavorful than BWS. It was just as intense and sweeter. Can't comment on production because I had major late blight issues this year, and half of my plants fell super-early -- but this heart was the first full-size tomato out of 24 varieties to ripen in my garden (first week of June in Alexandria, VA) and the flavor knocked my socks off. . . .

Was this heart from grandfather the tomato Pappy Kerns?

Did it have a better flavor this year than earlier years you grew it or was this the first year you grew it?

When did you set out the plants that produced fruit first week of June?

(I have my Pappy Kerns seeds tucked away and am faithfully planning to grow them next to Anna Maria's Heart and to save seeds from bagged fruit . . . germination, seedling health, weather, voles, and all the other tomato plagues permitting.

[venturabananas]

Thanks to all of you who have responded. Lots of really helpful information. And now I have an even longer "tomatoes I want to grow" list. But so many varieties, so little space. Hard choices will have to be made!

[Fusion_power]

Originally Posted by venturabananas

Hard choices will have to be made!

Yep, do you plant in the back yard or the front? Do you rip out the driveway to make room for more tomatoes? or remove that large tree that shades too much of the back yard. Hard choices indeed!

http://plantanswers.com/heroes/YingDoonMoy.html

[Labradors2]

Jen,

Is there a cherry variety that you think is as flavourful of BW Sudduth? Enquiring minds need to know .

Linda

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Labradors2

Jen,

Is there a cherry variety that you think is as flavourful of BW Sudduth? Enquiring minds need to know .

Linda

I can answer that question.
Riesentraube AKA Raisedasnob.

Worth

[Labradors2]

Really Worth? I've grown Reisentraube and found it a tad tart for my taste. It was very productive though.....

Linda

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Labradors2

Really Worth? I've grown Reisentraube and found it a tad tart for my taste. It was very productive though.....

Linda

The tartness of a tomato comes from the personality of the grower.

Mine have never been tart they have always had a full bold tomato flavor.

Seriously you may not be letting them stay on the vine long enough or it could be the climate.
Not the soil because I have grown them in just about everything there is to offer.
Stop sign red is when you pick them not a bit sooner.

Worth

[Labradors2]

Well MEOW Worth! And just when you seem to have removed your Avatar picture too! .

Maybe I'll try them again on your recommendation .

Linda

Originally Posted by Worth1

The tartness of a tomato comes from the personality of the grower.

Mine have never been tart they have always had a full bold tomato flavor.

Seriously you may not be letting them stay on the vine long enough or it could be the climate.
Not the soil because I have grown them in just about everything there is to offer.
Stop sign red is when you pick them not a bit sooner.

Worth

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Labradors2

Well MEOW Worth! And just when you seem to have removed your Avatar picture too! .

Maybe I'll try them again on your recommendation .

Linda

My avatar is still there.
Your computer is on the blink.

worth

[Labradors2]

You are right. My computer IS on the blink. The cat is back now, but earlier it showed my Avatar pic but not yours and it's incredibly s-l-o-w this afternoon. Grrrr!

Sorry for disrupting the thread

Linda

Originally Posted by Worth1

My avatar is still there.
Your computer is on the blink.

worth

[kerns125]

JLJ, yes, "Pappy Kerns" -- I started the seeds in mid-Feb and planted the second week of May, with ripe fruit first week of June. I am very hopeful they do well for others next year. Not sure about reproducibility since I only grew them this one summer, but Pappy grew them and saved seed for decades, so barring any crosses they should be similar!

Linda, only Sun Gold has as much flavor intensity as BWS in my humble opinion. Sorry I didn't have a new secret cherry to mention.

Jen

[JLJ_]

Originally Posted by kerns125

JLJ, yes, "Pappy Kerns" -- I started the seeds in mid-Feb and planted the second week of May, with ripe fruit first week of June. I am very hopeful they do well for others next year. Not sure about reproducibility since I only grew them this one summer, but Pappy grew them and saved seed for decades, so barring any crosses they should be similar!

Linda, only Sun Gold has as much flavor intensity as BWS in my humble opinion. Sorry I didn't have a new secret cherry to mention.

Jen

Good to know that you think Pappy Kerns is somewhat like Brandywine Sudduth -- I'm also planning to grow that next season, as well as BW Cowlicks and a locally successful Brandywine -- so will -- if all get to production -- look for comparison to those as well as to Anna Maria's Heart.

I was startled to see Sun Gold mentioned, though, as I wouldn't think of it as like those others, but it's on the agenda again next year also. Worth's suggestion of Reisentraube is more what I would have guessed -- though that's just from comments by others, I've never grown it. If it's somewhat like Brandywine Sudduth's I suppose I should, as I'm always looking for good cherries. (By 'good' I mean cherries with boring old fashioned tomato flavor.)

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by JLJ_

Good to know that you think Pappy Kerns is somewhat like Brandywine Sudduth -- I'm also planning to grow that next season, as well as BW Cowlicks and a locally successful Brandywine -- so will -- if all get to production -- look for comparison to those as well as to Anna Maria's Heart.

I was startled to see Sun Gold mentioned, though, as I wouldn't think of it as like those others, but it's on the agenda again next year also. Worth's suggestion of Reisentraube is more what I would have guessed -- though that's just from comments by others, I've never grown it. If it's somewhat like Brandywine Sudduth's I suppose I should, as I'm always looking for good cherries. (By 'good' I mean cherries with boring old fashioned tomato flavor.)

Look no farther than Reisentraube then.
It is what you would expect a glass of tomato juice to taste like without all of the added salt and acid.
But as was mentioned before, as with any tomato the stage of ripeness when eating makes a huge difference.
From Carolyn137's description of many of her tomatoes in her book they are the same as I would describe them.

As for growing conditions my plants get enough water to survive but not too much.
Any excess water drains out the sides of the bed.
They have every mineral in the soil they need and the PH is always kept below 7, more often around 6.
They get enough fertilizer so the leaves are always dark green.
My soil is also loaded with compost, peat moss. sand and decomposed granite.

Worth

[Labradors2]

Is the taste of BW Sudduth similar to regular Brandywine? That's what I would have guessed, but maybe I'm wrong.

I really love Little Lucky (who has BW as a parent). Maybe, because of its smaller sized fruit, it can squeak out enough tomatoes for me to enjoy before the season ends.

I too am confused about Jen's Sungold comment. Whilst I love SG, I wouldn't have put it in the same taste category as BW.

Worth has piqued my interest in Reisentraube. My neighbor LOVES it and I used to grow some seedlings just so that I could share some with her, but I was never impressed. Perhaps patience (in waiting for them to really get fully ripe) would be a virtue.

In the meantime, I love Early Annie for taste that is difficult to beat IMHO. It's a Ping-Pong sized (occasionally larger than that) compact plant that I grow in 3 a gallon container.

Linda

[Worth1]

To me Sungold has absolutely (((ZERO))) tomato flavor, it tastes like a tropical fruit like the description says.

Worth