In Search of The Holy Grail

[Volvo]

Might have posted a simmillar topic somewhere in the past im not sure but as i have been thinking about this ill take the punt and do so again ..
Do not have a Big plot for my Tomato growing and if i did i could take the task on a tad more heartier lol.
Task is not to see how many varieties i can grow but to track down the tastiest variety out there , always on the hunt for the perfect Taster be it on a Sanger ( sandwich ) , Piece of Toast , Salad (Especially a Greek salad ) or grilled.
Everytime i grow i think ive found it or nailed it but after a few Tomatos i still think its out there somewhere !!??..
Brandywine Red or Black
Mariannas Peace
Cherokke Purple
Choc Stripes
Big Orange Stipes
Bagota Maslova (Spelt wrong im sure )
Copia are some that have come close especailly a Black Beuty Cross or throwback ?? the Daughter recently picked and i scranned it from her as thought it odd. Took to it with my slicer and atop a Sanga to find the taste excellent !! so saved seed which i am planning to send some south also see if the same outcome is aquired tastewise or just a fluke ??..
Do have a few i have purchased in the last year which im told the taste is worthy and some more i will purchase if possible which look like they may hold the goods??.
Soooooo
Which varieties if i may ask you to play the game have you found which come close or are up there ??..
Cheers ey .

[worth1]

Gregory's Alti or however you spell it is a real winner in my book.
Russian variety
Early and very tasty.

[Vanman]

The only one I have found, so far, that is better than Cherokee Purple is Cherokee Carbon.

[MissS]

The only one I have found, so far, that is better than Cherokee Purple is Cherokee Carbon.

That's the second time that I have heard this this week. Given that, I'm going to try them next year. I am also going to try to order the seed in bulk so that I can send in a few to the Mostly Mystery Mater Mailing!

[mama_lor]

GWRs.

[Tormahto]

Stump Of The World would be my recommendation when I don't know what flavor(s) one seeks in a tomato. Brandywine Sudduth, if you have the patience to wait several years to finally taste it under near perfect growing conditions. (and I must assume there are those that have never tasted BS at its best, because they don't have those conditions)

If you like black, or green, or orange, or striped, or (fill in the blank) tomatoes as the best of the best, I simply can't help you with varieties, as I likely cannot relate to you and your taste buds. I can relate to pink tomato people.

I can relate to Marianna's Peace. It's fairly close to SOTW, BS, Aunt Ginny's Purple, Seek-No-Further Love Apple, and a few others, but still falls a bit short.

[Volvo]

Well thereya go ??, Daughter dig up another two Black Beuty Crosses or what appear to be ??, one had taste to tickle the tastebuds and the other just like most the other Black beuty picked ??..

[JRinPA]

Cuostralee, if you like big red tomatoes that taste good. Thanks to Dr Carolyn and company for bringing it to the US. I first read of it in her book.

224.JPG

235.JPG

on the right

277.JPG

There are a few stumps on the near left, it is the only pink I grew this year.
All told there are
Stump of the World - only pink I grew, left foreground
Black Krim- only black
Sweet Ozark Orange - only orange/yellow
Costoluto Genovese - center tray, rear
Moskvich
A few estiva F1 mixed in there
Cuostralees on the right, some split/burst with this rain

[Volvo]

And what were your thoughts regarding the Sweet Ozark Orange may i please ask ??.

[JRinPA]

If you like big orange tomatoes that taste good....Sweet Ozark Orange!

They are my favorite orange. They are about as big as the cuostralee and always taste good. It is a milder flavor, more sweet I'd say. Probably true of most orange tomatoes. SOO is not prone to collapse. The interior structure is the same tight meaty grid as cuostralee, with small seed cavities throughout. This seed was from a 2# SOO last year. I have...maybe 16 SOO plants. I had double-seeded 25 blocks and they were strong seedlings with near or equal to 100% germination. I think a few were left in as twins.

The SOO set nice fruit down low. They had the same water, but the Cuostralee have seen more sun since the 40" mark, being on the outside. Cuostralee is eastern face outside, morning sun, 3 rows of afternoon shade. SOO is in the eastern face of the middle row, so two rows of morning shade, one row of evening shade. SOO takes about 10 more DTM from what I can tell over the last few years, versus Cuostralee. Maybe 75 versus 85.

Pics are from right before picking those trays. I haven't been back since and I cringe about how many have split by now. I only managed a once over on about 1/3 of plants.

118.JPG

168.JPG

169.JPG

174.JPG

Here are two SOO, following them up the stem.
#1

178.JPG

179.JPG

180.JPG

Failed flowers at 5-1/2 ft. Or very, very young fruit started

181.JPG

#2 (Estiva F1 in background, they keep very green stem leaves)

175.JPG

176.JPG

At 5 ft high, these SOO look very young yet. I can't say for sure if they'll ripen fully.

177.JPG

This is the cuostralee higher up the plant, trusses 5 or 6. They set like gangbusters all the way up. I don't think SOO set so strongly up high. I can't say for sure why, just that they were grown and thinned the same way, but more shade in the middle.
The top of the trellis is about 6ft. Both the Cuostralee and SOO have hit 7 ft at least.

137.JPG

This year's plan was to grow tomatoes on one side of a double, peppers on the other, and to train the tomatoes up and over, then down the pepper side by August. But my pepper starts were rough and I didn't have the extra 50 peppers needed; I had to "settle" for all tomatoes. Oh, shame. Consequently, some have already begun to fold over with their unsupported fruit heavy stems. The rest will inevitably follow. Maybe next year it will all come together.

[Whwoz]

[mention]Volvo[/mention] , if you need SOO let me know.

[Volvo]

Thanks Whoz , dont know when ill get to plant them with all that i have planned to grow next year ?? , but if n when you have a spare mo you can send a few seeds of them up North. Try make room in my yard or Daughters place if she is still in the mood for planting Tomatos as shes had a rought trot with Bugs and Tomatos going off due to the closeness of her plants a tad too much humididty im thinking and losing quite few fruit which has had her a tad depressed with her crop..
My Choc Stripes plants seem to be having a second bit of energy and growth!!?? which looks like i may have more of that lot for the Greek salads fer awhile lol..
And dont mind as they certainly have tickled the taste buds ey..

[TXTravis]

The only one I have found, so far, that is better than Cherokee Purple is Cherokee Carbon.

I've found that the taste varies with the year, but production is so much better with Cherokee Carbon it's really no question. CC is one of the 2-3 I do every year.