Chef Choice Black - anyone grow?

[Barb_FL]

Inquiring minds want to know -

How did / does it taste?

Where did you get the seeds?

Productivity?

Anything else of interest re: growing it.



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I've grown the CC - Orange before and it was a machine. I've bought seeds for Red and possibly pink but haven't grown them yet.

Thanks for any info.
Barb

[PaulTandberg]

I can let you know in about a month. I've got two of them just starting to set fruit.

Chef's Choice Orange was my best tomato last year. Tasty, productive, healthy and fun.

This year I added Chef's Red and Chef's Black.

I gave up on Chef's Pink. In the right spot I'm sure it's fine, but it was just way too late for my northern garden.

[PaulTandberg]

I got my seed from Jung's/Totally Tomatoes.

[Barb_FL]

Thanks; I don't start my seeds until late August / September 1.

Make sure you update after you taste.

[Goodloe]

I am growing CCBlack for the 1st time this year(4 plants); just starting to set fruit. Seeds came from Totally Tomatoes. I grew CCPink for the 1st time last year (3 plants...seeds from TGS). An awesome tomato!! The plants were >7' tall...produced heavily til the frost got em. Quite a few were >1.5 lbs... The tomatoes in my profile pic are CCPink....

I'll keep you updated on the CCBlack....

[gssgarden]

Growing it for the first time this year. Have picked one so far...it’s pretty good!
I’ll post a pic of it later on. Production looks like it will be good/pretty good!

Greg

[gssgarden]

That's her cut up in the middle, and on the left. I'll get pics of the plant tomorrow. BIG plant, nice and healthy.

Greg

[Barb_FL]

Sorry I missed your post. Nice pictures; Glad to hear the taste was good.

Any updates?

Do you (or anyone else experience less cracking with these compared to other blacks)?


Has anyone tried growing the Carbon / Cherokee tomato?

I start sowing my seeds the last week of August/early September so I still have time.

[friedgreen51]

Barb,
I am growing a couple of Cherokee Carbon. They were replacements plants after a Big Beef came down with disease early. One is in the ground and the other is in a large pot. I didn't have any replacement plants so I purchase them from a Big Box store. I set them out Memorial Day Weekend. I have fruit set on both about the size of a golf ball. Will let you know how they taste.

[SpookyShoe]

I grew Cherokee Carbon this year in a grow bag. It was a very healthy and robust plant. The fruit looked like a Cherokee Purple or a JD's Special C Tex. My fruit had prominent green shoulders, as do the CP and JD's for me. In my opinion the black tomatoes have a far superior taste compared to other tomatoes, and CC was no exception.

[Barb_FL]

If anyone want to trade a few (say 5?) Chef Choice Black tomato seeds for Damsel, please PM me. I can check for other desirable hybrids too. The CCB seeds are cheap but only available at Totally Tomato.

Damsel is very productive and if you have a long season, it is the easiest plant to take cuttings from. I just took mine down yesterday and it still had tomatoes on it.

Another thought re: the Carbon / Cherokee, has anyone grown the F2s out?


Spooky - I grew the JD Special Tex out once and it was productive but the worst splitter by far. I think Cherokee split fairly bad as well.

[Goodloe]

Picked my 1st 4 CCB today. This one was a "fused ugly", so I had to do some fancy cutting, but this is one really good tasting tomato!! A bit on the acidic side, but not overly so. The other three will need a day or two on the counter, so I will post taste test results (and pics), for those in a few days....
20190718_161829.jpg

[PaulTandberg]

I have eaten three of mine so far. I am very impressed. They are a very tasty and a very lovely tomato. Maturity for me is about the same as Big Beef.

Did I mention they are very tasty? They have a classic dark tomato taste, mild and sweet. And, (unlike some darks) they have character. They are NOT insipid, flat, and dull. And they have a great finish that leaves you waiting for the next bite (no odd bitterness or "off-ness").

And did I mention they are lovely? They are nicely shaped with no cracks, lumps, warts, splits, or odd protrusions. Perfect slicers with good size.

I will let the season finish. I have only eaten three. But the plant is healthy and loaded with fruit, so I will be eating more shortly. But so far, very promising.

(I grew Johnny's "Marnero" for two years. Chef's Choice has more fruit and is much better tasting. For me, "Marnaro" was a very good looking tomato, but its taste was definitely on the bland and insipid side of the fence. I got nice production early with a pronounced drop off.

I've given up on Cherokee Purple and Paul Robeson. Haven't tried Carbon.)

Paul,

Thanks for getting back with us about that, and giving us a review!

What is it about PR and CP that inspired you to give up on them? Taste? Production?

[PaulTandberg]

Production.

Loved the taste, didn't get to eat nearly enough of it.

- Too late and too few. After the first too small batch, a big drop off with both in production for any number of reasons.

- Inconsistent quality. Too many cracks, splits, and development anomalies which would lead to insect damage and rot. Too often I had to carve up the tomatoes like a surgeon separating the good from the bad (especially with Cherokee).

I am getting over twice the fruit off those two little Tasmanian Chocolates I am growing than I got off the Cherokee Purples I had last year (they heart breakers).

Time will tell, but so far, Chef's Black is Aces.

(note, my tomato growing takes place in northern Minnesota and eastern North Dakota. Late maturity tomatoes (85 days or greater for me) just aren't worth growing. Too little, too late. Everything slows down when the cool nights of September arrive and 85-90 day tomatoes act like they are 100 dayers.)