Wuhib and/or Siberian Pink

[matilda'skid]

Please comment on the taste of either of these for fresh eating. I know Wuhib is recommended as a paste. Siberian Pink is described as tart. Tart as in sour splitter or do you like it?

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by matilda'skid

Please comment on the taste of either of these for fresh eating. I know Wuhib is recommended as a paste. Siberian Pink is described as tart. Tart as in sour splitter or do you like it?

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Wuhib

There were two tomatoes that I got from a former student, Tadesse Wuhib, who was from Ethiopia, and he got both at the farmner's market in Addas Abbaba when he went home to see his parents. We named one Wuhib and the other Tadesse, quite cleverly.

I think both are best used as sauce or canning varietird, but there are many hundreds of other ones that I'd grow for freash eating.

Siberian Pink I don't know and have never grown, so I can't comment.

I think it was this last seed offer where I offered Tadesse, which was a group project of some TV members since there was no source that was offering the correct variety. Short term memory but I think there were some seed sources for Wuhib listed in Tania's link.

Carolyn,noting that Tadesse went on to get his MD from JohnsHopkins, spent a year in S,America studyng natural
healing techiniques with a local healer, then got an MS degree in Health Ed, then went to Armenia to head up a pediatric Health program, then joined CDC in Atlanta, GA where he was on the special infectious disease team, and he remains at CDC last I knew. I sure have had some interesting students when I was still teaching. Oh, and Tadesse was a concert pianist, a wonderful cook and at graduation I met his Uncle who was the Bishop of Ethiopia.

[matilda'skid]

Wow there is quite a story behind that tomato. Thanks for answering Carolyn. An Ethiopian tomato sounds interesting. It might be a good one to grow if I have another one of those bad summers. I thought the name sounded odd but familiar. Now I realize it is in your book. My friend likes bite sized tomatoes. I don't like cherries so I was looking for small good tasting ones.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by matilda'skid

Wow there is quite a story behind that tomato. Thanks for answering Carolyn. An Ethiopian tomato sounds interesting. It might be a good one to grow if I have another one of those bad summers. I thought the name sounded odd but familiar. Now I realize it is in your book. My friend likes bite sized tomatoes. I don't like cherries so I was looking for small good tasting ones.

For small one bite, non cherries, why don't you consider:

Heidi, from Cameroon
Mama Leone
Moravsky Div
Martino's Roma
Jaune Flammee
Tangella
Pink Ping Pong
Mini-Orange

..... to name a few.

Carolyn

[bower]

I grew Siberian Pink this year, and I cannot recommend them for fresh eating. The texture was horrible and the taste nothing special. It was a fruit setting beast, though, and very cold tolerant. But what is the point, if the fruit ain't fit to eat? Yes, I'd call it a spitter.

The other one that rated "below marginal", and too bland to be worth eating, was Beaverlodge Plum. Precocious, early, reasonably cold tolerant, medium sized fruit ... useless.

Best tasting of the early small red determinates was Alaska. They were quite good when I finally got some, but didn't produce early in my cold greenhouse - not until I hucked outdoors. They did well in our field trial as well, started later and not so cold. Taste was rich, intense, and balanced not tart or sweet.

If earliness is not a concern, you might want to try Bulgarian Triumph - I haven't grown it yet myself but it's highly rated, and a bite sized red, midseason.

[matilda'skid]

Thank you Bower you answered my question on Siberian Pink. I see it in the Sandhill list and every year I wonder if I should try it.

I always grow Siberian the little red oval one that they sell. Years ago I tried a bunch of early tomatoes and don't grow any of them except Siberian anymore. We had two years of hot dry weather and Siberian produced all through it. I don't grow it because it is early, I grow it because it always does well here. My friend pops them in his mouth. I'm not sure if he just likes those little tomatoes or if he is too lazy to slice the big ones. I will have to look up Alaska; I have never tried that.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by bower

I grew Siberian Pink this year, and I cannot recommend them for fresh eating. The texture was horrible and the taste nothing special. It was a fruit setting beast, though, and very cold tolerant. But what is the point, if the fruit ain't fit to eat? Yes, I'd call it a spitter.

The other one that rated "below marginal", and too bland to be worth eating, was Beaverlodge Plum. Precocious, early, reasonably cold tolerant, medium sized fruit ... useless.

Best tasting of the early small red determinates was Alaska. They were quite good when I finally got some, but didn't produce early in my cold greenhouse - not until I hucked outdoors. They did well in our field trial as well, started later and not so cold. Taste was rich, intense, and balanced not tart or sweet.

If earliness is not a concern, you might want to try Bulgarian Triumph - I haven't grown it yet myself but it's highly rated, and a bite sized red, midseason.

I agree that Bulgarian Triumph is a great variety, and a one bite one as well. It's listed on page 80 of my tomato book and here's the link to Tania's page about it.

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/B...b=General_Info

Lots of seed sources and I know where I'd go to get seeds.

Carolyn