High Crimson

[Materdoc]

Keen101 had PMed me regarding seed availability for this variety.
I don't seem to be able to reply.
I do indeed have seed.
As I recall, I had gotten it from High Mowing Seeds.
I would caution you, the blossoms are really that noticeable.
I thought they were a deeper yellow than most varieties, didn't notice a yellow stripe.

[travis]

Are there other folks here interested in high crimson tomato varieties?

I do not see much interest expressed here at Tomatoville, but I think there is great value in such varieties, even though there seems to be more interest in novelty types or color combos, etc.

[Fusion_power]

While the b^og gene is fairly common, there are some other genes that can ramp up levels of lycopene significantly. I found one S. Pimpinellifolium plant in my growout of TGRC lines that was very high in lycopene. A few growers here have it as Lycopimp. Swamper posted some interesting pictures of fruits from making a few crosses with it.

[Labradors2]

Originally Posted by travis

Are there other folks here interested in high crimson tomato varieties?

I do not see much interest expressed here at Tomatoville, but I think there is great value in such varieties, even though there seems to be more interest in novelty types or color combos, etc.

I am very interested in high crimson / high lycopene varieties and I think there are others here who are too, but what are we non-breeders supposed to do?

I am more interested in good taste than silly names and pretty shapes and stripes. If they are tough spitters, they are of no use to me.

Linda

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Materdoc

Keen101 had PMed me regarding seed availability for this variety.
I don't seem to be able to reply.
I do indeed have seed.
As I recall, I had gotten it from High Mowing Seeds.
I would caution you, the blossoms are really that noticeable.
I thought they were a deeper yellow than most varieties, didn't notice a yellow stripe.

Keen initially asked me at idig if there were blossoms of different colors, as in white, different shades of yellow, etc, and I told him about High Crimson, which was bred in Canada since the man who bred that one also bred others.

And for me and others back then each petal had a gold stripe in the center. Has that gold stripe disappeared over time? I have to wonder,

I no longer have those seeds, but sent him the following page from Tania.

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/High_Crimson

You can see that Craig L and I got it out of the PC GRIN and both of us SSE listed it many years ago.

Keen's interest was not high lycopene in PM's back and forth with me at idig, rather the novel petals was the interest.

Carolyn

[Keen101]

Yeah, im interested in it mainly because carolyn had mentioned its flowers had a stripe down each petal compared to other varieties. Although the high lycopene trait is interesting too.

Yesterday i stumbled on a page that said the type of lycopene in red tomatoes is not obsorbed well into humans very well and that orange tomatoes absorb more lycopene into humans despite having lower lycopene levels. Apparently has something to do with the biochemical pathways and how they break down or something. I thought it was interesting.

[Fusion_power]

It has to do with the way our bodies absorb lycopene. Cooking tomatoes, especially with a small amount of oil, makes the lycopene far more bio-available. The oil acts as a carrier that is readily absorbed and carries the lycopene along for the ride.

[sjamesNorway]

I'm going to grow Crimson Sprinter this year, which is said to be the earliest variety with the crimson gene (65 days). It's also gotten some good reviews. It's by the same breeder as High Crimson, Professor T. Graham of OAC, Guelph, Ontario.

Steve

[travis]

Originally Posted by Labradors2

I am very interested in high crimson / high lycopene varieties and I think there are others here who are too, but what are we non-breeders supposed to do?

I am more interested in good taste than silly names and pretty shapes and stripes. If they are tough spitters, they are of no use to me.

Linda

I have seeds for a few high crimson varieties and lines, not necessarily the highest in lycopene content, but varieties and segregating lines that I have found interesting to play with.

Here is a suggestion: Go to a supermarket that carries a large selection of tomatoes. Look for Tasti-Lee tomatoes. Pick out a couple that have the best shape and color. Save the seeds. Go from there ...

When selecting F2 Tasti-Lee plants from which to save F3 seeds, pay particular attention to the uniformity and depth of deep pink color at the core. When you squeeze the juice from your F2 fruit, it should look vividly deep pink, far more so than normal red tomatoes.

Also pay particular attention to the compact, determinate growth patterns you get from your best performing F2 plants, the yield, plant health, and flavor of the tomatoes.

You will be surprised after a couple of generations as to what you have found. Even if the flavor does not knock your socks off, keep in mind that when you make sauce or pasteurized juice from these tomatoes, you will get a better flavor and a more usable lycopene.

I also have been messing around with two other HC projects: Suncoast x various other lines (Suncoast is the base input for the University of Florida's high crimson and high color hybrid cultivars), and a HC segregation I happened upon in my cross of Cherokee Purple x Summerpink ... have no idea where the HC genetics came from, whether from Cherokee Purple or Summerpink, but there it is.

[Labradors2]

Travis, you bring up an interesting point.

Whilst we may eat so many tomatoes in the summer time that we are probably covered for lycopene intake, it's the winter time when we eat our home-made tomato sauce that high-lycopene is very important.

I will look out for some Tasti-Lee tomatoes and give it a whirl.

In the meantime I'll grow Tangerine for sauce-making.

Linda