tomato taste off

[rossomendblot]

This is what my GGWT looked like last year.

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[Gardadore]

GGWT is one of my favorites but no space for it this year. Looks like you need to let it ripen longer. Envy you your ripe tomatoes in PA. Only three varieties have ripened here in the Poconos so far: Malachite Box, Green Gables and Thorburn’s Terracotta. Still many unripe ones hanging on those vines as well. Waiting on 17 other varieties! Fear leaves may drop off before they do ripen as most plants developing black or yellow leaves. Very strange summer here for tomatoes!

[JRinPA]

Black from Tula versus Amish Paste versus....Amish Paste

Three AP plants went in. Two are throwing very big solid meaty tomatoes. The third is stunty plant throwing little things. That don't even look the same shape.

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Taste on the big meaty amish paste is surprisingly solid. Not super fruity like a good slicer, but eatable raw. The little things, they taste like little plum usually taste like to me, nothing.

I'll save seeds from the big ones, thank you very much.

The Black from Tula, the leftmost one, very good overall, tastier than the big AP. Certainly I like these black from tula more than I've liked, in previous years, black krim or paul robeson.

The last three SOO have been awesome as well, just top form right now. One SOO was a solid 1.5lb. I'm actually a tiny bit concerned by these couple cool nights we are having down in the hi 50s. I don't want the tomatoes to change a bit.

[JRinPA]

Here are the plants, two on left are throwing big ones, the one on right, small and different shape. This row as hit by the late frost, right through the AG19. I split the AP up upon plantout to use as row markers/dividers. Maybe the single on the right got frosted, but they don't even look similar shape.

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[JRinPA]

I picked a nice AGP that might need one more day of training. I thought the challenger was going to be a nice stump but it tore in half, it was pinned by a clip/wire. I think the EML still need a few days. Geez I do have a lot of pinks this year.

[Shule]

@JRinPA
Yeah, I was going to say, GGWT is supposed to be more like the color maroon. If your tomatoes are still green when they're ripe, I might suspect a cross. How firm are they?

[Shule]

top by the stem that nobody eats anyway
have to find an organic marker

I eat the whole tomato, even if it has a core (unless we're talking about the bone-like fibrous threads of Orange Jazz's core). If it had Sharpie marks on it, I'd probably just cut/bite them off and then continue.

[sheltyone]

Interpretation please, I can't figure out which tomatoes AGP and GGWT are. And thank you.

[karstopography]

Interpretation please, I can't figure out which tomatoes AGP and GGWT are. And thank you.

Girls Girl's Weird Thing and Aunt Ginny’s Purple.

[sheltyone]

Thank you. I've grown Aunt Ginny's purple before, but Girls Girls Weird Thing is totally unknown to me, guess I'm way behind the time (like usual)!

[JRinPA]

Yeah I thought GGWT was considered a GWR (green when ripe) so that doesn't help. My brother had one that he said was good, he didn't save me any but a little bit, and it was more typical tomato flavor, but something in the aftertaste.

It is just such a late year here for tomatoes, it seems. Well, I didn't do any hybrids and they really must fill out the early red/orange look of the trellis. But with all these pinks and blacks and weird thing, and the weakish starts, I just can't believe how much green there still is on the trellis on 8/22.

Note - in past years the taste off was in-house only, practically every day of tomato season. So now flying solo I just feel the need to share. Also funny to look up and see the neighbors watch me eat tomatoes and corn in the driveway. I realize this is not up to some professional tomato taster standards.

Taste off - Aunt Ginny's versus that damaged Stump that looks really good. I'm not a good judge on the Aunt Ginny's ripening time but TWO young groundhogs have a trail from shed to gate door beaten into the drying out lawn grass. So I erred on the side of caution, yesterday.

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Both look ripe, the stump on the left a little redder. The stump was the same pretty sweet, moderate tang. Very good. The AGP was a great solid texture, about the same flavor, but the sweetness was not to the same extent as the riper stump, and less tang. For sure, if selling, the AGP was $$$ tomato and the stump was a freebie. But they don't taste that way.

[Yak54]

Thanks for your comparison on two highly rated Heirlooms. !!! Nice pics ! Keep up the great work.

[JRinPA]

Now this is getting serious. Mid-day double taste off. And I have halfway sore throat for the last day, 3rd time in the last few months. So these tomatoes feel really good to gobble down.
Two smaller cuostralee, a black from tula, and an amish paste.

Cuostralee vs Black from Tula
Cuostralee on the left is in its typical nearly 100% consistent top form. I mean, very few cuostralees that get picked and eaten ever disappoint. Very tangy, sweet (maybe very sweet sugar wise but the tang complements it, instead of letting it be too strong). Black from Tula, good, really nice, just..just not as much tang and taste sweeter and tomato-ey but maybe mellow? the aftertaste is never strong. I alway want to leave the cuostralee for the last bite.
It could be that I just can't judge the darker tomatoes for ripeness. They seem plenty ripe, just never have that strong tang.

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Cuostralee vs Amish Paste
Cuostralee on the left again and same same, just perfect, strong tang, like it has lemon juice on it, zing but not the flavor of lemon juice, just the bite, the flavor is awesome tomato flavor. Amish Paste, on par for this variety, so far. Sweetness about medium, very solid but not oversweet. Flavor is just sort of neutral tomato, not really much bite. Sort of a softness to the meat. Not really mealiness, but no snap. Like it is ground burger snack sticks instead of whole meat jerky. I think a lot of people would like this just fine on sandwiches or salads.

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I keep wanting to try new but really it is hard to beat cuostalee and SOO in my garden. This is the 3rd year for Stump back in the starting lineup and really I could get by with just those three for sandwiches. Stump's ongoing production seems to be a bit lower compared Cuostralee and SOO. The last two years, Stump into September, plants don't hold up and the fruit starts looking off. Hopefully this year proves me wrong.

I'm still waiting on ripe Estler's ML from four plants, Cherokee Purple(2 picked so far??), and more GGWT. I only see three more GGWT on the vine, and I only remember eating two. I believe I had three GGWT and there are two empty spots so I guess they got frosted. My brother does have some GGWT and he said he thought they were good.

[MissS]

@JRinPA Thanks for the detailed review. It's exactly as I would expect too so our taste buds must be very similar. Poor Amish Paste can't really compete with the others because it is well, a paste tomato. Their flavors usually only shine after they have been cooked down.

[JRinPA]

I remember when was I frustrated with cuostralee grown in the backyard. Seemed like they would bruise on the plant and then really not last long on the kitchen counter. At the same time they were amazing up at my brother's, just 10 miles north, with more rain and a sunnier spot. I was only getting good sun 10a-4p or so. Maybe a bit more at solstice. They were good, they had the taste and color, but seemed more fragile without the morning light.

I think yak and I should swap seed and I can check that brandywine out in the sun and good dirt and yak can check this cuostralee. I still didn't save seed this year, I think I have plenty from before. I don't like to risk it changing with crosses or mutations. I save every year but I try to use the good old stuff.

Oh and I tried a small EML today...fell off or a low hanger, can't remember. It was pretty good, again versus a cuostralee, the EML had some pop to it.

[JRinPA]

New test subjects saved from the oncoming rain.
1 roszny krazny on upper left(I can't remember that one)
3 AGP bottom left
5 EML center
3 cuostralee
1 stump in upper right

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[Yak54]

JRinPA---Thanks again for your taste testing episodes ! If I can take anything away from your report it's that Cuostralee is in my future thanks to your praise and general comments ! You provide valuable information and insight for me. Thanks.

[JRinPA]

I hope cuostralee transfers its awesomeness, but you never know. I can send seeds, unless I have before, I thought it was beans that went to ohio somewhere.

Before the pink-off, which I thought all needed at least a day to rest, I needed to clear some others. One big SOO was going softish on the bottom and needed picking.
Yesterday
SOO vs Cuostralee
Sweet Ozark Orange had no chance due to the overripe/overwetness. Even when cut down to the firm parts, any tang was gone and much of sweet with it. The day before, it looked terrific on the plant, and I would not have suspected the poor taste. It probably should have been picked and eaten a few days before that, but these often get passed over on picking in favor of red or pink. This was a mistake on my part - there were two SOO on the same truss, and I really thought one was huge and one was small. But it turns out they were both about equal in size, 18+ each. I was thinking the one was going to easily top 2 lb.
The cuostralee was once again, perfect to my palate. I think with the cuostralee I can better judge the best day to eat them?

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Tonight's action
Rosovye Krupnye vs. Estler's Mortgage Lifter
This is the 5th or so ripe Rosovye Krupne and what looks to be the 1st big ripe EML.
RK tko'ed EML in the first round. This RK was the best pink so far this year. It had a beautiful glowing hue to it (doesn't affect taste, just saying), almost as much tang as the typical cuostralee, with maybe more sweetness and just a total package. It even had the same look to the cross section that cuostralee gets. The EML was sort of flat all around. I had marked it as the first that looked ripe...and first tomatoes, often not that great, it might have been around a week longer in June. Not a great sweetness, though the color of the cut was beautiful. The EML has a more solid look to it. The RK has a lot of lightness to that meat, as cuostralee often does. That color of the meat, is that what houses the tomato flavor I crave? Could be. I tried the bonus breads but the results were the same.

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Aunt Ginny's Purple vs. Estler's Mortgage Lifter
I felt bad for that first EML, so I picked the "next best" one and got back on the horse. Aunt Ginny's has not been super so far, either, so I kept my hopes in check. Both of them, they look ripe. Both nice and firm yet, not hard, but not softening up. The shadow on the right hurts the direct visual comparison but they are the same tomatoes from yesterday's tray. On the slice, AGP had a little more in the way of seed cavity and white, while EML had the more solid build.
Taste off started and AGP...was superb. Very nice combo of tang and sweet and texture. Not the amount of zest as RK a few minutes before, but very nice and balanced. EML, I felt was in trouble. This EML2 looked about the same as EML1 did. Still I felt I had my duty. I closed my eyes and thought of England. Actually, English unicorns... Strangely, it was exactly the same taste. I checked the plate, definitely correct. Tried the AGP, again, excellent. Tried the EML, same taste, excellent, but the same excellent? Both sets of breads.
After those 4 breads were done I went to the overtime bread and used the remainder of the slices. No pics of that, it seems, ah lovely taste distraction was worth it. What a battle, they were both good, and it wasn't until I got to a watery bit on one of them that I could really declare for ---- oh well time was up, call it a tie. Not really fair to take it to the very last bottom slice when I blatantly cut cracks off the top.
AGP vs EML2, definite and exciting tie.

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**I want to assure everyone that eating 4 tomatoes and 12 breads in one go is not a hardship and I am willingly willing and voluntarily volunteering and that I am of soundish mind and body while performing these tastes offs and remain so for at least few minutes afterwards.**

[Yak54]

Thanks for your enlightening taste test. About a week ago I decided to put Rosovye Krupnye on my grow again list for next year since it was 2020 when I first grew it and was impressed with it's taste and production (58 tomatoes). Good to hear it's a winner for you also.

[Yak54]

"Soundish mind and body"......Having visions of English Unicorns may disqualify you on this one !