Red tomatoes with silky texture
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Red tomatoes with silky texture
Looking for a medium mid season red tomato with texture like cherokee purple or some of the good silky pinks.
Gary in Olympia, WA PNW
16 ft long cattle panel sorta High Tunnel using 20 gal peat/coir fabric grow bags
USDA Hardiness Zones 8a
Elevation 190 feet Rain, Cool, and Cloudy alot 52.37 inches rain Mid Oct-July 5th plus June Gloom. Heat Units 1693
16 ft long cattle panel sorta High Tunnel using 20 gal peat/coir fabric grow bags
USDA Hardiness Zones 8a
Elevation 190 feet Rain, Cool, and Cloudy alot 52.37 inches rain Mid Oct-July 5th plus June Gloom. Heat Units 1693
- Tormahto
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Re: Red tomatoes with silky texture
I have no idea what "silky" means. A degree of smoothness? Firmness?
As for firmness, my scale is 1 - mealy/mushy, 2 - soft, 3 - medium, 4 - firm, and 5 - hard.
Cherokee Purple and most blacks, in my garden, fall into the soft category. Most reds and pinks fall into the medium category. This is for meaty hearts and beefsteaks. I really don't rate the bags-of-gel types.
As for firmness, my scale is 1 - mealy/mushy, 2 - soft, 3 - medium, 4 - firm, and 5 - hard.
Cherokee Purple and most blacks, in my garden, fall into the soft category. Most reds and pinks fall into the medium category. This is for meaty hearts and beefsteaks. I really don't rate the bags-of-gel types.
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Re: Red tomatoes with silky texture
You probably wouldn't know what a pull peelable is either? Most times a pull peelable has a silky smooth flesh texture. Almost drink a slice after it's peeled, and will completely destroy a burger or sammich.Tormato wrote: ↑Thu Oct 06, 2022 7:55 pm I have no idea what "silky" means. A degree of smoothness? Firmness?
As for firmness, my scale is 1 - mealy/mushy, 2 - soft, 3 - medium, 4 - firm, and 5 - hard.
Cherokee Purple and most blacks, in my garden, fall into the soft category. Most reds and pinks fall into the medium category. This is for meaty hearts and beefsteaks. I really don't rate the bags-of-gel types.


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Re: Red tomatoes with silky texture
creamy smooth brandywine like
I can find this in pinks and blacks but not reds so far.
I can find this in pinks and blacks but not reds so far.
Gary in Olympia, WA PNW
16 ft long cattle panel sorta High Tunnel using 20 gal peat/coir fabric grow bags
USDA Hardiness Zones 8a
Elevation 190 feet Rain, Cool, and Cloudy alot 52.37 inches rain Mid Oct-July 5th plus June Gloom. Heat Units 1693
16 ft long cattle panel sorta High Tunnel using 20 gal peat/coir fabric grow bags
USDA Hardiness Zones 8a
Elevation 190 feet Rain, Cool, and Cloudy alot 52.37 inches rain Mid Oct-July 5th plus June Gloom. Heat Units 1693
- Shule
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Re: Red tomatoes with silky texture
@strawbaleking
What reds have you tried?
I miss BBQ potato chips!
What reds have you tried?
I miss BBQ potato chips!

Location: SW Idaho, USA
Climate: BSk
USDA hardiness zone: 6
Elevation: 2,260 feet
Climate: BSk
USDA hardiness zone: 6
Elevation: 2,260 feet
- karstopography
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Re: Red tomatoes with silky texture
Marbonne (red hybrid, 69 dtm) is reported (Johnny’s) to have a soft, smooth texture. Brandywine OTV (red OP, 72 dtm) Is said to have a buttery texture(heirloomtomatoplants.com). Tati's Wedding (red OP, 80 dtm) has been described as silky(same as above).
Never grown these particular tomatoes myself. I do plan on growing Brandywine OTV in 2023.
Never grown these particular tomatoes myself. I do plan on growing Brandywine OTV in 2023.
"No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden."
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
- Tormahto
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Re: Red tomatoes with silky texture
With reds, it's tough for me to find ones with great flavor. So, I've never thought about smoothness of texture. Neves Azorean Red and Bacon Lettuce and This are two of the best red beefsteaks that I've trialed. In my experience, there are many more red hearts than beefsteaks with great flavor. But again, I never thought about texture with those either.
A buttery texture, to me, means a very meaty and fairly firm tomato. Seek-No-Further Love Apple (a pink) comes closest to the perfectly firm but melting texture, for me.
Reds are basically an afterthought in my garden. Hundreds of pink varieties equal or exceed the best reds for flavor, so I stick mostly with the pinks.
A buttery texture, to me, means a very meaty and fairly firm tomato. Seek-No-Further Love Apple (a pink) comes closest to the perfectly firm but melting texture, for me.
Reds are basically an afterthought in my garden. Hundreds of pink varieties equal or exceed the best reds for flavor, so I stick mostly with the pinks.
- Cornelius_Gotchberg
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Re: Red tomatoes with silky texture
IMO, firmness starts-n-ends with the Yaqui VFFNA Hybrid, a staple in Jardín del Gotch!
https://tomatogrowers.com/products/yaqui-vffna-hybrid
The Gotch
https://tomatogrowers.com/products/yaqui-vffna-hybrid
The Gotch
Madison WESconsin/Growing Zone 5-A/Raised beds above the Midvale Heights spade-caking clay in the 77 Square Miles surrounded by A Sea Of Reality
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Re: Red tomatoes with silky texture
Yeh, reds would be an afterthought but after covid lessening of taste for months now and some continued blandness in my pinks - except in Terhune and Rebel Yell - (that I firmly am working to resolve) I thought maybe I could get some bold reds.
But I have always felt that texture for me was almost half the tasting experience of all foods.
I tend to find many pinks and many blacks have my preferential creamy texture but with juicy - meaning enough gel. That gel gives complexity for me in taste. Too meaty and little gel I can't taste...like most hearts. I also didn't like Prudens.
Since I am in a cooler weather PNW I am trying to also stay away from the larger late tomatoes. Under a pound.
Most of the reds I have tried for years were hybrids or were too big. Every single time I grow any hybrid, for me it's always a spitter. Well except for that new Damsel. But that is a pink! But it was extremely late.
OP I have tried previously in California,
Neves (always had a weird huge fibrous octocore - ),
Andrew Raharts Jumbo red (not a fair trial the heat was ridiculous tasted weird won't be a problem normally now),
Brandywine OTV (never a single fruit before dying of fusarium but I won't have that problem now),
In WA,
Cosmonaut Volkov (thick skin),
Moscovich (ok but not early really),
Druzba (ok best of the lot)
Matsu Express (for me was very ribbed and ok)
I will check out Tatti's Wedding. Seems to fit.
I do have Brandywine OTV on my list can anyone tell me their experiences with it?
Or Nepal or Beliy Nayiv?
But I have always felt that texture for me was almost half the tasting experience of all foods.
I tend to find many pinks and many blacks have my preferential creamy texture but with juicy - meaning enough gel. That gel gives complexity for me in taste. Too meaty and little gel I can't taste...like most hearts. I also didn't like Prudens.
Since I am in a cooler weather PNW I am trying to also stay away from the larger late tomatoes. Under a pound.
Most of the reds I have tried for years were hybrids or were too big. Every single time I grow any hybrid, for me it's always a spitter. Well except for that new Damsel. But that is a pink! But it was extremely late.
OP I have tried previously in California,
Neves (always had a weird huge fibrous octocore - ),
Andrew Raharts Jumbo red (not a fair trial the heat was ridiculous tasted weird won't be a problem normally now),
Brandywine OTV (never a single fruit before dying of fusarium but I won't have that problem now),
In WA,
Cosmonaut Volkov (thick skin),
Moscovich (ok but not early really),
Druzba (ok best of the lot)
Matsu Express (for me was very ribbed and ok)
I will check out Tatti's Wedding. Seems to fit.
I do have Brandywine OTV on my list can anyone tell me their experiences with it?
Or Nepal or Beliy Nayiv?
Gary in Olympia, WA PNW
16 ft long cattle panel sorta High Tunnel using 20 gal peat/coir fabric grow bags
USDA Hardiness Zones 8a
Elevation 190 feet Rain, Cool, and Cloudy alot 52.37 inches rain Mid Oct-July 5th plus June Gloom. Heat Units 1693
16 ft long cattle panel sorta High Tunnel using 20 gal peat/coir fabric grow bags
USDA Hardiness Zones 8a
Elevation 190 feet Rain, Cool, and Cloudy alot 52.37 inches rain Mid Oct-July 5th plus June Gloom. Heat Units 1693
- Tormahto
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Re: Red tomatoes with silky texture
I really can't help you much with reds. Nearly all are duds in my garden, while the pinks are fantastic. Have you tried Pervaya Lyubov (a pink beefsteak) ? It's the earliest, great tasting, fairly large tomato, of any color, that I've ever trialed.
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Re: Red tomatoes with silky texture
It's on my list as well as Aunt Ginnie. Is Aunt Ginny's Purple juicy?
Gary in Olympia, WA PNW
16 ft long cattle panel sorta High Tunnel using 20 gal peat/coir fabric grow bags
USDA Hardiness Zones 8a
Elevation 190 feet Rain, Cool, and Cloudy alot 52.37 inches rain Mid Oct-July 5th plus June Gloom. Heat Units 1693
16 ft long cattle panel sorta High Tunnel using 20 gal peat/coir fabric grow bags
USDA Hardiness Zones 8a
Elevation 190 feet Rain, Cool, and Cloudy alot 52.37 inches rain Mid Oct-July 5th plus June Gloom. Heat Units 1693
- Tormahto
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Re: Red tomatoes with silky texture
Similar in juiciness to Brandywine Sudduth, Stump Of The World, and many other pinks.strawbaleking wrote: ↑Fri Oct 07, 2022 1:05 pm It's on my list as well as Aunt Ginnie. Is Aunt Ginny's Purple juicy?