Green tomato varieties

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Doffer
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Green tomato varieties

#1

Post: # 43794Unread post Doffer
Sun Mar 28, 2021 7:24 am

There are various tomato varieties that are still green when ripe.
Like Cherokee green, Sungreen F1 and Green Doctors.

Which green cherry tomato variety is your favorite, and why?
Which green beef tomato variety is your favorite and why?

Is the variety more sweet, sour or is it a perfect balance between sweet and sour?

Do you know the brix value?

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jmsieglaff
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Re: Green tomato varieties

#2

Post: # 43800Unread post jmsieglaff
Sun Mar 28, 2021 9:03 am

Best GWR beefsteaks I've tried (I haven't tried a ton of them) would be Green Giant and Dwarf Emerald Giant (of which Green Giant is a parent). I'd describe both as delicious, intense tomatoes, ample sweetness but a nice supporting acid tang, which I prefer in a tomato. As far as GWR cherry tomatoes I haven't tried many, but I was very pleased with the flavor of Green Doctor's Frosted--it was a little later and a little less productive than most cherry tomatoes, but still plenty. My flavor notes for it say very delicious, sweet, tangy and rich tomato flavor. I don't know the brix of either, I don't bother measuring it.

FarmerShawn
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Re: Green tomato varieties

#3

Post: # 43806Unread post FarmerShawn
Sun Mar 28, 2021 10:55 am

My favorite green small one is Lucky Tiger, an Artisan Series Tomato. Tastier then Green Tiger in my garden, and better by far than any of the several green round cherries I've tried. As for a beefsteak, Aunt Ruby's German Green beats all of the multitude of GWRs I've grown. Pre pandemic, when I could offer tasting samples at the farmers market, I won lots of converts over to GWR tomatoes with that one, most of whom never knew any green tomatoes could be ripe. For a slightly smaller oblate GWR, I really like the Dwarf Project offering Numbat, available from Victory. Of course, I'm a bit prejudiced, since I had a hand in the growouts prior to its release. Still, it's a real tasty GWR tomato.

zendog
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Re: Green tomato varieties

#4

Post: # 43811Unread post zendog
Sun Mar 28, 2021 11:13 am

I've grown and enjoyed Cherokee Green for several years and really like it. More productive than most open pollinated/heirlooms I grow, lovely color (emerald green inside and golden skin on the outside) with a really nice well-rounded taste. I grow seedlings to donate to the PTA plant sale and have talked several people into trying one over the years (most are hesitant to grow a green tomato) and almost all of them have come back asking for it the next year. I do need to try Aunt Ruby's German Green sometime. I also have seeds from Cherokee Lime from the MMMM and was going to try it to compare with Cherokee Green, but the grow list just got too long.

I agree that Lucky Tiger is a great-tasting tomato and I grow it almost every year. My only issue is that it does crack a fair bit, usually along the streaks on the skin it seems. For me the perfect trio of cherries is Sungold, Black Cherry and Lucky Tiger. Still haven't found a pink/red cherry that I've loved, but I'm trying another 5 or 6 this year, so maybe I'll have the perfect cherry quatro figured out soon.

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pepperhead212
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Re: Green tomato varieties

#5

Post: # 43816Unread post pepperhead212
Sun Mar 28, 2021 12:12 pm

Green Tiger has been a favorite of mine for years, and last year I tried lucky tiger, but it had terrible splitting problems; green tiger had some, but not as bad - I did have some terrible storm surges last season, but it didn't bother other plants much. This year I have Esmeralda Golisina for a new green for me.
Woodbury, NJ zone 7a/7b

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wykvlvr
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Re: Green tomato varieties

#6

Post: # 43817Unread post wykvlvr
Sun Mar 28, 2021 12:21 pm

jmsieglaff wrote: Sun Mar 28, 2021 9:03 am As far as GWR cherry tomatoes I haven't tried many, but I was very pleased with the flavor of Green Doctor's Frosted--it was a little later and a little less productive than most cherry tomatoes, but still plenty. My flavor notes for it say very delicious, sweet, tangy and rich tomato flavor. I don't know the brix of either, I don't bother measuring it.
Umm how late is a little later? I have Frosted Green Doctors on my list and while mid season sometimes work they are always iffy. So if it needs a protected warmer corner of the garden I may have to move thing and change my list...
Wyoming
Zone 5
Elevation : 6,063 ft
Climate : semi-arid
Avg annual rainfall = 16 inches

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Cole_Robbie
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Re: Green tomato varieties

#7

Post: # 43823Unread post Cole_Robbie
Sun Mar 28, 2021 2:05 pm

Dwarf jade beauty is the sweetest gwr I have grown. Cherokee green has a more balanced flavor. Brads atomic grape is good, too, much more productive for me than esmeralda golosina.

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arnorrian
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Re: Green tomato varieties

#8

Post: # 43825Unread post arnorrian
Sun Mar 28, 2021 2:39 pm

I love the Emerald Apple.

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jmsieglaff
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Re: Green tomato varieties

#9

Post: # 43827Unread post jmsieglaff
Sun Mar 28, 2021 3:00 pm

wykvlvr wrote: Sun Mar 28, 2021 12:21 pm Umm how late is a little later? I have Frosted Green Doctors on my list and while mid season sometimes work they are always iffy. So if it needs a protected warmer corner of the garden I may have to move thing and change my list...
In my garden it has ranged 69-75 days from plant out.

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habitat-gardener
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Re: Green tomato varieties

#10

Post: # 43859Unread post habitat-gardener
Sun Mar 28, 2021 11:53 pm

I really like Green Gables. The medium size is a plus; it seems that a lot of the larger tomatoes have shape quirks that make them more perishable or less useful. I also grew Cherokee Green last year, which was a little larger and a little sweeter, but I found Green Gables to be more dependable, so that's the one that's coming back this year.
https://secretseedcartel.com/product/green-gables/

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wykvlvr
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Re: Green tomato varieties

#11

Post: # 43861Unread post wykvlvr
Mon Mar 29, 2021 12:27 am

My list for this year has Frosted Green Doctors, Claro Verde, and Dwarf Jade Beauty. All three are new varieties for me. I am hoping the snow holds off until I get to taste at least one of each of them...
Wyoming
Zone 5
Elevation : 6,063 ft
Climate : semi-arid
Avg annual rainfall = 16 inches

Gardadore
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Re: Green tomato varieties

#12

Post: # 43889Unread post Gardadore
Mon Mar 29, 2021 8:28 am

My absolute favorite GWR for flavor has been Malachite Box but it can be finicky from year to year. It is earlier and has lower yield for me but the flavor makes it worthwhile. Best for dependability has been Green Gables. It produced a few superb tomatoes early last summer and then continued throughout the season. Cherokee Green is my second favorite taste wise but is late along with Green Giant. This year I am trying Moldovan Green and Reinhard Kraft’s GWR Heart. Others we have enjoyed are Humpf (can also vary year to year), Cherokee Lime, Cherokee Lime Stripes (delicious and pretty inside), Evergreen, and Spears Tennessee Green (very prolific later in season and excellent). For smaller ones I grow Esmeralda Golosina, a larger salad size, which we love oven dried; not a fan of Green Doctors Frosted or Lime Green Salad but others love them. I did also enjoy Fuego Verde, which is more the size and shape of Blush and also perfect for oven drying when sliced in half. I still enjoy trying new varieties every year! Need to try Aunt Ruby’s German Green again as it was my first GWR and I grew it many years ago so don’t remember how it compares to the Cherokee Green and Giant Green. I believe it had low production but I was a neophyte at growing tomatoes then! GWR are my husband’s favorite for flavor. I do believe they would be a favorite of more growers if they were given a blind taste test!

mama_lor
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Re: Green tomato varieties

#13

Post: # 43893Unread post mama_lor
Mon Mar 29, 2021 9:46 am

Spears Tennessee Green, Emerald Apple excellent, balanced. Cherokee Lime is also good but was rather sweet for me. From the small ones I tried Green Tiger, which does taste good but was not a great producer. Not sure Brads Atomic Grape counts as a gwr, but it also was really good, a unique blend of aroma and sweetness for snacking without salt (in general I eat my tomatoes with food, so with salt).

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Shule
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Re: Green tomato varieties

#14

Post: # 43917Unread post Shule
Mon Mar 29, 2021 6:14 pm

I haven't tried a green cherry, yet. Here's my evaluation of the GWR tomatoes I've grown that I've tasted wherein they seemed remarkable in some regard:

* Green Giant (favorite for amazing rich raw flavor, and raw juice; extremely juicy; the flavor vanished upon cooking, though, and the fruits had to be in the sun to get the flavor)
* Taiga (technically this is a bicolor, I think, but it was mostly green; favorite for best mild flavor)
* Emerald Giant (for fruit size; they were larger than expected; the flavor is quite mild; Green Giant produced better for me; soft fruits)
* Green Pear (for texture; good production; firm fruits; can be prone to BER in poor conditions; these fruits are ~2.5 inches tall or so, and maybe over an inch at the base; it's a necked pear)
* Cherokee Green Pear (for fruity flavor; decent production; much bigger and somewhat fatter than Green Pear)
* Green Zebra (for tangy flavor; not my favorite texture)
* Summer of Love (Technically, this is a bicolor, but it was mostly green; favorite for production and vigor; it pumped out lots of big tomatoes; they cracked a lot, though! I had to harvest them before they were ripe if I didn't want them to spoil. I wasn't impressed by the flavor, but they were edible.)
* Green Tiger (For sweet flavor. Maybe this counts as a cherry. The flavor is outstanding; I highly recommend its flavor.)

I've grown some other GWR tomatoes that may compete with those, but I didn't manage to taste them: e.g. Green Gables, Malakhitovaya Shkatulka (a friend of mine loves that one even more than Aunt Ruby's German Green), and potentially others.
Location: SW Idaho, USA
Climate: BSk
USDA hardiness zone: 6
Elevation: 2,260 feet

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Barmaley
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Re: Green tomato varieties

#15

Post: # 43927Unread post Barmaley
Mon Mar 29, 2021 8:11 pm

If we would compare general green tomato to general red - which has the better taste? Is it that we grow green not because they are testier but because they are unusual? What if we compare GWR, yellow and red as class of fruits - what are characteristic of each class if such question can be asked?

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Shule
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Re: Green tomato varieties

#16

Post: # 43931Unread post Shule
Mon Mar 29, 2021 9:15 pm

Barmaley wrote: Mon Mar 29, 2021 8:11 pm If we would compare general green tomato to general red - which has the better taste? Is it that we grow green not because they are testier but because they are unusual? What if we compare GWR, yellow and red as class of fruits - what are characteristic of each class if such question can be asked?
They're not better or worse. They're just different.

I find green tomatoes to be less often acidic (so far) compared to reds, but it probably doesn't have to be that way. I might describe the green part of the flavor as fresher.
Location: SW Idaho, USA
Climate: BSk
USDA hardiness zone: 6
Elevation: 2,260 feet

mama_lor
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Re: Green tomato varieties

#17

Post: # 43938Unread post mama_lor
Tue Mar 30, 2021 2:30 am

Barmaley wrote: Mon Mar 29, 2021 8:11 pm If we would compare general green tomato to general red - which has the better taste? Is it that we grow green not because they are testier but because they are unusual? What if we compare GWR, yellow and red as class of fruits - what are characteristic of each class if such question can be asked?
For me, they perform better, I think they like calcium rich soil as opposed to magnesium rich clays. Healthier plants make better tasting tomatoes. I always have some magnesium deficiency in containers due to hard water, but the greens barely have any. There must be a common gene somewhere in all the ones I tried. I would say they are more balanced in taste to me than reds for example, which tend to be often sweet and sour, or pinks that tend to be more sweet. Also less prone to offtaste.

FarmerShawn
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Re: Green tomato varieties

#18

Post: # 43940Unread post FarmerShawn
Tue Mar 30, 2021 8:05 am

I just love the variety! A plate of tomato slices, red, pink, yellow, orange, bicolor, black, and green, slices of nice fresh mozzarella, a few basil leaves, that's just stunning! And even better if they all taste great, though different.

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