Identifying Mystery Yellow Beefsteak

[fortyonenorth]

Greetings. I'm new to the TV forum, but thought someone might be able to help ID a yellow beefsteak I grew last summer. I've attached a few pics...

Deep yellow fruit were generally 10-12 oz. with some as much as a pound. They were borne on very large RL plants. 2009 was a very cold, wet year, but I'm guessing its a early/main crop tomato - it ripened before most of our other full-size tomatoes and bore up until frost. I found it to be prone to BER. The taste was exquisite--not too juicy, not too sweet--I'd say it was succulent and meaty--unique, unlike other tomatoes I've tasted. In terms of color--pretty much what you see in the pics--definitely not a bicolor.

My wife purchased it as Gramma Climen Haga but I'm almost certain that's incorrect. According to what I've found, Gramma is smaller and does not have the pleating of mine. I saved seeds, but my guess is that it was simply mislabeled.

Any thoughts?

[carolyn137]

My wife purchased it as Gramma Climen Haga but I'm almost certain that's incorrect. According to what I've found, Gramma is smaller and does not have the pleating of mine. I saved seeds, but my guess is that it was simply mislabeled.

****

So it was a fruit that was purchased for this variety or seeds? I just read the descrition for this variety in the SSE YEarbook and it doesn't seem too far off, but only three folks list it and one even says globes, not beefsteaks. This variety was developed by Stokes seeds to be used in their tomato breedling program but wasn't used, so I guess I have to ask if it's genetically stable.

If it isn't Gramma then i don't think it's going to be possible to ID it and that gets back to whether your wife purchased fruits or seeds. And I didn't even take the time to see if seeds were available commercially, not jsut thru the SSE YEarbook for members.

Ah well, sweet mystery of life, etc.

[mdvpc]

41: Don't know what it is, but beautiful photos of your tomatoes! Welcome to the forum!

[fortyonenorth]

Thanks for the replies. My wife purchased the tomato plant from Laurel's Heirloom Tomato Plants. There's a photo and description on her site. http://is.gd/64m4z

Among the other "yellows" on her site, it most closely resembles Yellow Brandywine, but I understand that one is PL.

I'll grow-out my seeds this summer and see what I get.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by fortyonenorth

Thanks for the replies. My wife purchased the tomato plant from Laurel's Heirloom Tomato Plants. There's a photo and description on her site. http://is.gd/64m4z

Among the other "yellows" on her site, it most closely resembles Yellow Brandywine, but I understand that one is PL.

I'll grow-out my seeds this summer and see what I get.

Well, I did go to Laurel's site and read her blurbs. Laural got into her plant business b'c of me many years ago, but she's not the Laurel I once knew.

Yes, Yellow Brandywine is PL.

I scanned through all of her listed ones and there were quite a few descriptions that left me scratching my head a bit. Ah well.

And I forgot to say welcome to you in my first psot, so hello.

let's see what you get with your saved seeds this summer.

[habitat_gardener]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

I scanned through all of her listed ones and there were quite a few descriptions that left me scratching my head a bit. Ah well.

Let's be glad she's using her marketing genius to sell tomatoes rather than consumer doodads or home mortgages!

The descriptions are so over-the-top that they're entertaining, especially if you've developed some immunity to tomato hype (or perspective) by growing some of the varieties yourself. I smiled at "finest tomato in existence" ..."gives me goose bumps" ..."pretty as starlight" ..."sinful pleasure."

[travis]

Funny stuff, Carolyn and Habitat.

[mtbigfish]

Travis
And yes, and who can afford the mortgage to buy tomato plants there?

[Worth1]

My word I wish I would have looked at this thread earlier, the tomato you have posted a picture of is undoubtedly called Yellow Streak.

It got its name from my Great, Great Uncle, Major Walter Skipper. He was a major in the Mountain Remnant Brigade on the Confederate side of the civil war.

Story has it that one of his young lieutenants was running from battle in a cowardly like manner.

In doing so he was hit in the back by a union Minie ball.

On his death bed he gave my uncle a small pouch of seeds and a few other personal items to give to his wife back in Alabama.

He told my uncle to keep some seeds for his self which he did.
On returning to Bend Texas the home of my father’s side of the family he planted the seeds on the family farm.

When the tomatoes ripened they were of a brilliant yellow, thinking the seeds were cursed from the lieutenants act of cowardice he called them Yellow Streak.

Worth

[nosnow]

So Worth,
ya gonna make a seed offer to all the newbies and lurkers(myself included) for your family heirloom "Yellow Streak".

Maybe with such rich family history, you could start your own website. I'm guessing you could get $1.50 per seed, and they wouldn't even need any fertilizer!

Always love your posts,
Joan

[Suze]

Welcome to the forum, fortyonenorth.

Originally Posted by Worth1

My word I wish I would have looked at this thread earlier, the tomato you have posted a picture of is undoubtedly called Yellow Streak.

It got its name from my Great, Great Uncle, Major Walter Skipper. He was a major in the Mountain Remnant Brigade on the Confederate side of the civil war.

He told my uncle to keep some seeds for his self which he did.
On returning to Bend Texas the home of my father’s side of the family he planted the seeds on the family farm.

When the tomatoes ripened they were of a brilliant yellow, thinking the seeds were cursed from the lieutenants act of cowardice he called them Yellow Streak.

I predict this is going to be the tomato to beat in 2010. Can I have some seeds?

[Worth1]

That does it I’m going to start my own seed selling business.
All I have to do is-----------
Buy seeds in bulk,
Rename them,
Make up wild histories and origins,
Dream up fantastic blurbs on how they taste,
Take photos of them and then run the pictures through photo shop so they look scrumptious,
Did I say scrumptious?
Inflate the prices and exorbitant shipping and handling charges.
I may lose the respect of everyone on the forum but after some time folks will forget, read the blogs and look at the pretty pictures and buy the seeds.
You are all HOOKED and you can’t help it.
And in the long run I will get rich and meet all of the so called beautiful people.

Worth

[Suze]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Did I say scrumptious?

You're going to have to do better than "scrumptious" if you want to run with the big dawgs. How about "sinful pleasure?"

[Worth1]

Don't tempt me I can go over the top when it comes to descriptions.

Worth