Darkloom Tomato from store

[Mr_Henri]

Hello,

I saw a possible blue tomato (could be extra purple) at the grocery store. It took a long time to figure out the variety is called Darkloom.

Has anyone grown from seed? I’ve put some in soil and hope to get something as good as that tomato.

Usually the blue tomatoes have a weird taste for me, but this one was really good. I hope to try to breed from it too.

[MrsJustice]

I have not heard of Darkroom. But it could be a Hybrid, so it made not taste the same as your Darkroom from the store. I see from elderly farmers; that hybrids are grown in an environment they can control in little spaces it is a good thing to remind them of their Farms and Gardens.

Farmer Joyce Beggs
Angel Field Heirloom Tomatoes

[D.J. Wolf]

Originally Posted by Mr_Henri

Hello,

I saw a possible blue tomato (could be extra purple) at the grocery store. It took a long time to figure out the variety is called Darkloom.

Has anyone grown from seed? I’ve put some in soil and hope to get something as good as that tomato.

Usually the blue tomatoes have a weird taste for me, but this one was really good. I hope to try to breed from it too.

From what I could find with a couple quick searches, Darkloom appears to be a blue to black heirloom tomato. One site I saw was advertising them for sale, certified organic, grown in Mexico. All the 3 or 4 sites I went to listed them as heirlooms, so I'm guessing you would be safe saving seed off of them. I did NOT notice any seed vendors with this tomato listed, but I may look a little farther.

[MrsJustice]

I must have this tomato if it is an Heirloom; as all my Blue tomatoes are small that is an Heirloom. !!!!

[Mr_Henri]

I have seeds if you like them, I won’t need them all. I bought because it was the biggest blue I’ve seen, and the only blue at the store. And the taste isn’t like blues that I’ve had. It was good.

[MrsJustice]

I really would like to try Darkloom if they are Heirlooms?
I sent you my information.

Look on my site Angel Field Heirloom Tomatoes angelfieldfarms.com to see if there are any seeds you would like to have from me.

Farmer Joyce

[KarenO]

I would think it’s probably a branded hybrid. Could also be an OP but there is no such thing as an “ heirloom” high anthocyanin or “ blue” tomato. The first more commonly available outside of university breeding programs sort of “escaped ( stolen). One that was widely distributed came from the osu breeding Program and were helped out of the program by some assistant with low respect for intellectual property who promptly shared seed with eager amateur breeders. That was back in around 2008? -ish so not that long ago certainly by “ heirloom” standards.
That tomato removed from the program without the breeders knowledge and consent was called P20 blue which was later released as indigo rose by the breeding program later but not until after other breeders were already crossing with it.
Pretty well every antho tomato out there descends from breeding with those at some point in their pedigree.
Many were also hurried along and released unstable which explains a lot of really low quality meh antho tomatoes out there but there is continued interest and better quality ones are becoming more available and even commercial hybrids are being produced now by some of the major seed companies.
KarenO

[MrsJustice]

The only information I found from good sources is from 2020 coming mainly from Mexico; Stating that it comes from other "Black Heirloom Tomatoes". But all the pictures show Darkloom Tomato is a beautiful flat Large Blue Tomato with green shoulders.

I want to taste them, Amen!!

[seaeagle]

According to this site it is not a blue tomato but a black or brown one. Some of the pics look like it is blue though.


Current Facts


Darkloom tomatoes, botanically classified as Solanum lycopersicum, are an heirloom variety belonging to the Solanaceae or nightshade family. The pigmented cultivar is a part of a larger grouping of tomato varieties labeled as black or brown tomatoes. These cultivars are categorized under this grouping by the unique characteristic of having an excess amount of chlorophyll or green pigment. Chlorophyll gives the tomato a “brown” or “black” hue when mixed with the dark red tones of the flesh and skin. Black tomatoes are native to Eastern Europe, where pigmented varieties are widely cultivated for their appearance, flavor, and dense nature. Experts estimate there are at least 50 varieties of black tomatoes, including well-known cultivars such as Black Krim, Chocolate Stripes, Black Beauty, Black Prince, or Cherokee Purple. Darkloom tomatoes are a recent variety introduced into the United States through growers in Mexico. The cultivar is still considered rare in American markets and is promoted as a specialty tomato with a complex, balanced flavoring. Darkloom tomatoes can be utilized in fresh and cooked preparations and are favored as slicing tomatoes.


https://specialtyproduce.com/produce...toes_18743.php

[Mr_Henri]

I have planted a few of the Darkroom tomato seeds to see if they're actually blue in color. To me, they don't look the purple tomatoes but antho.

Usually the antho seedlings have blue tint to them, right?

I don't really like the taste of the blue tomatoes (I've tried Indigo Rose)-- but this one was really good with salt. I'll post a picture of the seedlings.

[Mr_Henri]

I can’t post a pic without loading it from a website instead directly from my phone, but the Darkloom seedlings are definitely antho colored. They’re not just purplish but of antho descent.

[PaulF]

All the descriptors in the specialty produce story indicate that Darkloom is a hybrid or at best a stabilized variety and now an OP rather than a tomato that could be considered an "heirloom". All the variety of colors possible gives its background away. And then the story indicated Darkloom is "low acid" which tells me the growers don't know low acid from a hole in the ground. Higher sugar content maybe but "low acid"? The photos do have the antho look about them rather than a black tomato background...but that may just be the lighting or photoshop effects. Some of you guys try them out and report please.

[ddsack]

Mr Henri, they definitely look antho to me too, with the blue black concentrating at the stem end. They perhaps have some heirloom genes in their make up, but the blue/antho trait is an artificial "recent" lab creation, so this tomato itself should not be called an heirloom at this point. Some people may call any open pollinated or non-hybrid tomato an heirloom, and I suspect that is what the website is doing.

Definitely grow out the seeds and let us know what you get! I'm not thrilled with most antho tomatoes either, but I'm growing Lucid Gem again this year, it's not too bad!

[Fred Hempel]

Originally Posted by ddsack

Mr Henri, they definitely look antho to me too, with the blue black concentrating at the stem end. They perhaps have some heirloom genes in their make up, but the blue/antho trait is an artificial "recent" lab creation, so this tomato itself should not be called an heirloom at this point. Some people may call any open pollinated or non-hybrid tomato an heirloom, and I suspect that is what the website is doing.

Definitely grow out the seeds and let us know what you get! I'm not thrilled with most antho tomatoes either, but I'm growing Lucid Gem again this year, it's not too bad!

While antho tomatoes have been "produced in a lab", those are not yet available to the public.

All of the Antho tomatoes available in the US currently were produced by crossing standard tomatoes with a wild relative that is blue, using old-fashioned methods (cross pollination).

This approach has also been used to introduce disease resistance into standard tomatoes.

[ddsack]

You are right, Fred! I was being rather general in my meaning of "lab created" referring to the university research involved in the crossing that eventually produced Indigo Rose, (as well as the purloined tomato which was illegally shared outside the project and went on be used by others in their crosses.) Did not mean to imply they were genetically engineered.