Mr. Brown Tomatoes

[MrsJustice]

I want to tell a beautiful story that happen here last summer. This story I am about to tell you only happen with the help of Angel Field Heirloom Tomatoes and Tomatofest.
On or around February 12, I received a call from the Counselor from the VA Hospital on behalf of his patient because he wanted to have a tomato he grew up with. "" It was called Mr. Brown."" Apparently, volunteers help him build his garden and he wanted a Mr. Brown tomatoes Plant. I was already growing my selected of heirloom plants I sell each year in April & May. I told them that "I never hear about a heirloom called Mr. Brown, but I have other Black Heirloom tomato plants available for sale. So they called back and said his family grew a Heirloom with the "Names Br. Brown Tomatoes' and not any of the Black varieties I had. I told them I did not have any Mr. Brown Plants. Than the 80 year old Retired Vet.. started calling me himself for the Mr. Brown's, because he missed the taste. I knew at that time I must include Mr. Brown Seeds with my search of replace tomatoes seeds I lost during the hurricanes. I knew in my heart that I had to stop everything and contact Old Tomatoes Friends who sell Plants. He called every week to see if any of my farmer friends around the United States had any Mr. Brown Plants for Sell. I told him I was not having any success. I found the Mr. Brown Seeds at Tomatofest along with Mr. Hawkins I was looking to replace. The Hawkins family gave me my first “Heirloom Fruits and Vegetable seeds” to learn from many years ago. Along with a tomato called Mr. Hawkins. I told the 80 year old customer that I found the seeds for Mr. Brown. He asked me if I could grow the plants for him. He called every week to check on his Mr. Brown Tomato plants. When he arrived at my plant sale: he was in a wheel chair and with the help of people taken care of him:" he wanted to made it to the table where I had his Mr. Brown plants all by his own power with-out any help from his caretaker. I gave them to him for free because of the Blessing and leaning experience I received, especially learning some history of Mr. Brown Heirloom Tomatoes and the excitement that Mr. Brown might be a Virginia Heirloom. I did not have all the heirloom plants I normally sell so I gave away many this year, because people traveled so far, and it's a bad feeling not having the plants they wanted. They understood we was recovering from hurricanes and were happy to have something new for their garden. I gave them new varieties like Port Crops tomatoes etc. I did not have time to bring up "Mr. Brown" in any forum until now.


Out of much respect I have for Gary Ibsen. I will not sell the seeds this year for both Mr. Brown & Mr. Hawkins, because I am so thankful that he had the Mr. Hawkins as a listed tomato from a loving farmer and felt the need to keep Mr. Brown Seeds available.

I need to learn more about Mr. Brown Tomato History!!

Is Mr. Brown is a Virginia Tomato Heirloom since my customer grew-up with them here?

I suffer from Dyslexia so please over look any spelling mistakes

[MrsJustice]

I am still looking for the lost tomato history of "Mr. Brown Heirloom Tomatoes". Could it be a Virginia Heirloom?

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by MrsJustice

I am still looking for the lost tomato history of "Mr. Brown Heirloom Tomatoes". Could it be a Virginia Heirloom?

Joyce, this Forum isn't the best one to ask about a tomato variety.

No, it is not a VA heirloom, and here's the page for it from Tania's website.

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Mr._Brown

So no lost history as noted in the link above.

Carolyn

[MrsJustice]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

Joyce, this Forum isn't the best one to ask about a tomato variety.

No, it is not a VA heirloom, and here's the page for it from Tania's website.

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Mr._Brown

So no lost history as noted in the link above.

Carolyn

Carolyn, I sorry

Maybe my customer family roots comes from Pennsylvania, because many citizens here have deep family roots from here, because I notice one of the Seed source to be Norbert Pikovsky, of Pennsylvania.

Thanks for all the help.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by MrsJustice

Carolyn, I sorry

Maybe my customer family roots comes from Pennsylvania, because many citizens here have deep family roots from here, because I notice one of the Seed source to be Norbert Pikovsky, of Pennsylvania.

Thanks for all the help.

No reason to be sorry Joyce,

But look again at the link. When a single variety is used as a seed source, see that Norbert was the seed source only to Tania, and then look to the right of that for a history of where someone got seeds from someone else and you get back to Jeff Dawson in CA as the original source of the variety.

Not Norbert in PA.

Carolyn

[MrsJustice]

Thank you

[retiree]

Thought this may be of interest.
I received seeds of Mr. Brown's many years ago. After reading about Mr. Brown('s)
tomato, I contacted my source to ask what he knew of it's history.

Here is basically what he said.
Many years ago I made a trade with a lady who lived near Philadelphia Pa. She had a nice pinkish tomato she said, which she had received from her neighbour Mr. Brown. She said Mr. Brown had lots of different kinds of tomatoes and that he saved them from year to year. I made the trade and subsequently was amazed at the fruit quality and quantity I got. Lost her address when my computer cooked. I named it Mr. Brown's. Different tomato from Gary Ibson's.

So I guess there are quite a few with this name.

Neil G. (Canada)

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by retiree

Thought this may be of interest.
I received seeds of Mr. Brown's many years ago. After reading about Mr. Brown('s)
tomato, I contacted my source to ask what he knew of it's history.

Here is basically what he said.
Many years ago I made a trade with a lady who lived near Philadelphia Pa. She had a nice pinkish tomato she said, which she had received from her neighbour Mr. Brown. She said Mr. Brown had lots of different kinds of tomatoes and that he saved them from year to year. I made the trade and subsequently was amazed at the fruit quality and quantity I got. Lost her address when my computer cooked. I named it Mr. Brown's. Different tomato from Gary Ibson's.

So I guess there are quite a few with this name.

Neil G. (Canada)

Neil, did you ever SSE list it or did you share seeds with me, b'c now a memory cell is activated and I think I also grew that and yes, the fruits were a large pink.

I can check, but when many of us were sending seeds to Adam Gleckler I think someone sent seeds for Mr. Brown's as well, so it got some expose, I think.

I looked in just a few back Yearbooks, probably not back enough, to see if there was a Mr. Brown's listed, but didn't see it.

For sure it isn't the same as the one Jeff Dawson named Mr Brown, b'c that one isn't pink. And didn't you mean Jeff Dawson insted of Gary Ibsen?

Carolyn

[retiree]

No, I've never grown it but I will! My source did say Gary Ibsen and Gary has a

chocolate or mahogany tomato with the name Mr. Brown. In fact, on re-reading the

message I was sent, he indicates that he named it Mr. Brown until the other Mr.

Brown showed up and then he added the s to make it different.

Neil G.

[MrsJustice]

Originally Posted by retiree

Thought this may be of interest.
I received seeds of Mr. Brown's many years ago. After reading about Mr. Brown('s)
tomato, I contacted my source to ask what he knew of it's history.

Here is basically what he said.
Many years ago I made a trade with a lady who lived near Philadelphia Pa. She had a nice pinkish tomato she said, which she had received from her neighbour Mr. Brown. She said Mr. Brown had lots of different kinds of tomatoes and that he saved them from year to year. I made the trade and subsequently was amazed at the fruit quality and quantity I got. Lost her address when my computer cooked. I named it Mr. Brown's. Different tomato from Gary Ibson's.

So I guess there are quite a few with this name.

Neil G. (Canada)

Thanks for sharing. I think you are right, there must be different varieties of Mr. Brown's. But the most important information's I obtained so far: is the Mr. Brown Tomato I got from Gary Ibson is a open-pollinated pure brown tomato with green shoulders from California, introduced by Jeff Dawson of California. along with the other information Mr. Ibson's disclosed. I am amazed with the "Ex Long Shelf Life" this Mr. Brown has.
It shelf life is almost as long as a Black Plum heirloom large cherry from Germany.
I don't want to confuse this customer next year, because he said this was the brown tomato he grow-up with. But I would like to have another Brown Tomato Plant for him with a longer history. Even if the Mr. Brown is pink as you stated. My search for his Mr. Brown, my customer only stated that is was not purple, dark purple, or purplish-black. But he never ruled out the color pink. Maybe because he was convinced that the color was a True Brown. My Customer Last name was not Brown, but many citizens here have deep families roots in Pennsylvania. So maybe there is really another Mr. Brown out there some where as you stated.

[amideutch]

I grew out Mr. Brown's this year which fits Neils description. Seeds were from Larry Watson and I believe he said the source was from Pa. The seeds were 13 years old and I planted 6 and got 100% germination! He also sent me seeds for the Anderson tomato which were 15 years old seeds and again I went 6 for 6 on germination. He stores his seeds in a freezer.

Ami

[MrsJustice]

Originally Posted by amideutch

I grew out Mr. Brown's this year which fits Neils description. Seeds were from Larry Watson and I believe he said the source was from Pa. The seeds were 13 years old and I planted 6 and got 100% germination! He also sent me seeds for the Anderson tomato which were 15 years old seeds and again I went 6 for 6 on germination. He stores his seeds in a freezer.

Ami

Hello Amideutch
This could be the Heirloom Mr. Brown. I started to call this customer, but I thought to myself that his happiness is more important than my quest for knowledge of the true Mr. Brown or a older variety of Mr. Browns. The way my customer was talking about the different lands around here that grow Mr. Brown's before they were developed neighbor hoods here in Hampton: let me know I have to get more information.
So It's possible to have the Open-pollinated Mr. Browns and the Heirloom Mr. Browns.
Can you post a picture?