Aunt Ginny's Purple

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Shule
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Aunt Ginny's Purple

#1

Post: # 55512Unread post Shule
Tue Oct 12, 2021 9:13 pm

Once upon a time, on Tomatoville, I read that Tormato had grown zillions of tomatoes, and that Aunt Ginny's Purple was a standout among them. So, I decided to try it, this year, finally. I put it in my historically best-producing spot in the garden, since I didn't want to be disappointed, although the year before the plant there, at the end of the season, had a fruit disease of some kind (I think a mild virus, but I'm not sure); so, I was a bit concerned. Here's what happened:

AGP took it's time to start doing much (although it grew a nice healthy plant), but then it started producing a lot of big fruit. They took a while to start to ripen. I got a few here and there until the end of the season. The first ones all had veritcal cracks around the calyx. They tasted excellent! Really a great tomato. Today is the last day to harvest tomatoes, according to the weather; so, I vigorously tore through the bush for all its green tomatoes (to use for storage tomatoes), and there were loads of them. If my season were a month longer, both it and Orange Jazz would have produced so much ripe fruit.

The leaves covered the fruit pretty well.

It handled the heat well (we had a lot of heat).

AGP didn't have any problems with the fruit virus-thing, or whatever it was, as far as I know for sure (it's possible a few fruits might have mild issues, but I'm not sure if those are AGP or not). Here are the symptoms of the virus-thing, just for the record (we did have some of it in the yard, but not on AGP, AFAIK; it was mostly on the Church cross, the Mexican Yellow cross F3, maybe Dinner Plate, a little bit on Matt's Hornet, and mildly on a couple fruits that might be AGP, and that's all that comes to mind):
* Circular spots (but no rotting) all over the fruit; the fruit looks weird, but it's still perfectly edible
* Uneven/spotty ripening
* Slightly under-sized fruits
* Perhaps diminished production (not totally devastated production, though) and somewhat diminished plant growth
* No foliar problems at all

Anyway, I would grow AGP again (although I haven't saved seeds, yet, because I've been trying not to stress myself out too much with garden work, and seed-saving is one of the most stressful garden-related things I do). AGP is very tasty. Balanced. Desirable on a sandwich. I wasn't the only one who appreciated it.

It's one of my favorites, this year.

Here's a picture of AGP, mixed with Snacker_B. AGP is on the right; Snacker_B is on the left. There's a volunteer attached, too, beyond AGP (both AGP and Snacker_B are caged, but AGP's cage is a big wooden one on it's side to prevent the wind from blowing it over):

Image

I took the picture before I harvested the unripe fruit (so, the leaves are hiding it well).

Most, if not all, of the tomatoes that you can see in this ~20" plant should be Aunt Ginny's Purple, but there are more underneath, and elsewhere besides the plant pot (there are plenty of other kinds of tomatoes besides AGP in the pot, too, further down):

Image
Location: SW Idaho, USA
Climate: BSk
USDA hardiness zone: 6
Elevation: 2,260 feet

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JRinPA
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Re: Aunt Ginny's Purple

#2

Post: # 55514Unread post JRinPA
Tue Oct 12, 2021 9:38 pm

Got any pics of the part you eat? !! I grew it...only once I believe. A fairly big tomato, sort of pink red it seemed, not like a cherokee purple or a black krim.

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Re: Aunt Ginny's Purple

#3

Post: # 55515Unread post Shule
Tue Oct 12, 2021 9:42 pm

@JRinPA
I don't think I have any pictures of ripe fruit. There might be some rotten ones outside, though!
Location: SW Idaho, USA
Climate: BSk
USDA hardiness zone: 6
Elevation: 2,260 feet

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Re: Aunt Ginny's Purple

#4

Post: # 55516Unread post Shule
Tue Oct 12, 2021 9:44 pm

@JRinPA Yeah, they're supposed to be dark pink.
Location: SW Idaho, USA
Climate: BSk
USDA hardiness zone: 6
Elevation: 2,260 feet

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Re: Aunt Ginny's Purple

#5

Post: # 55526Unread post JRinPA
Wed Oct 13, 2021 7:24 am

I see the bowl of green fruit now, didn't show up earlier. Yeah I remember as red/pink. It was pretty strong here but was the year I grew the most new to me heirlooms. A tormato had struck here, a few months before, raining seeds. I think I had two plants, I know they were Florida weaved but not pruned much at that time. I want to say that they were right next to Lithium Sunset, but the plants were stronger against blight. It would be interesting to see how they compare now with my current growing style.

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Re: Aunt Ginny's Purple

#6

Post: # 55532Unread post CrazyAboutOrchids
Wed Oct 13, 2021 8:51 am

Exciting! Would have been cool to see some ripened fruit. So it's a taster, but none too pretty? Or were there only issues with the first fruits? This is on my grow list for 2022 - will be my first time trying it. Have read lots about it; looking forward to trying it!
- Sandy zone 6A

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Re: Aunt Ginny's Purple

#7

Post: # 55535Unread post wxcrawler
Wed Oct 13, 2021 10:00 am

I've tried many great pink beefsteaks over my 10 years of growing tomatoes, including Earl's Faux, Brandywine, Rebel Yell, Stump of the World, Pruden's Purple, McKinley, and Aunt Ginny's Purple. Aunt Ginny's Purple is the only one of these on my "grow every year" list.

Lee

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Re: Aunt Ginny's Purple

#8

Post: # 55552Unread post CrazyAboutOrchids
Wed Oct 13, 2021 2:18 pm

wxcrawler wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 10:00 am I've tried many great pink beefsteaks over my 10 years of growing tomatoes, including Earl's Faux, Brandywine, Rebel Yell, Stump of the World, Pruden's Purple, McKinley, and Aunt Ginny's Purple. Aunt Ginny's Purple is the only one of these on my "grow every year" list.

Lee
That makes me even more excited to try AGP! I have grown Earl's Faux, Rebel Yell, SOTW and Pruden's Purple. SOTW has been a favorite. Pruden's Purple was for a while but it got edged out. Thanks for the post!!!!!
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Re: Aunt Ginny's Purple

#9

Post: # 55558Unread post Tormato
Wed Oct 13, 2021 4:17 pm

Earl's Faux, Brandywine Sudduth, and Prudence (long story involving Carolyn) Purple are almost every year tomatoes, for me. All are in my all-time top 10. Aunt Ginny's Purple (#1) and SOTW (#2) are every year tomatoes. IF BS had any consistency of flavor, it would be every year.

As for color, many many decades ago several pink tomatoes were called purple. And of many of the pinks listed in this thread, most I would call medium pink, with Prudence Purple being dark pink.

AGP has always been relatively smooth, for me, with some ribbing just at the shoulders. I don't ever recall any cat-faced monsters.

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Re: Aunt Ginny's Purple

#10

Post: # 55565Unread post Shule
Wed Oct 13, 2021 6:08 pm

JRinPA wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 7:24 am I see the bowl of green fruit now, didn't show up earlier. Yeah I remember as red/pink. It was pretty strong here but was the year I grew the most new to me heirlooms. A tormato had struck here, a few months before, raining seeds. I think I had two plants, I know they were Florida weaved but not pruned much at that time. I want to say that they were right next to Lithium Sunset, but the plants were stronger against blight. It would be interesting to see how they compare now with my current growing style.
That's not a bowl! ;)

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Location: SW Idaho, USA
Climate: BSk
USDA hardiness zone: 6
Elevation: 2,260 feet

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Re: Aunt Ginny's Purple

#11

Post: # 55567Unread post Shule
Wed Oct 13, 2021 6:14 pm

CrazyAboutOrchids wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 8:51 am Exciting! Would have been cool to see some ripened fruit. So it's a taster, but none too pretty? Or were there only issues with the first fruits? This is on my grow list for 2022 - will be my first time trying it. Have read lots about it; looking forward to trying it!
Most of the ripe fruits that I remember had cracks, but it seems like the cracking slowed down.

Here are some tomatoes with the same kind of cracking. I don't know what kind they are, but they possibly could be AGP (not the best-looking AGP, though; the colors are off and the fruits are undersized); they have a waxy look that I don't remember AGP having. None of the unripe AGP fruits had cracks that I noticed.

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Location: SW Idaho, USA
Climate: BSk
USDA hardiness zone: 6
Elevation: 2,260 feet

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Re: Aunt Ginny's Purple

#12

Post: # 55572Unread post Vanman
Wed Oct 13, 2021 6:45 pm

AGP is on my grow list for next year, thanks to this thread.

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Re: Aunt Ginny's Purple

#13

Post: # 55575Unread post Shule
Wed Oct 13, 2021 7:18 pm

JRinPA wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 7:24 am I see the bowl of green fruit now, didn't show up earlier. …
I edit my posts a lot. I added the picture in after the initial post (so, that's why it didn't show up).
Location: SW Idaho, USA
Climate: BSk
USDA hardiness zone: 6
Elevation: 2,260 feet

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Re: Aunt Ginny's Purple

#14

Post: # 55577Unread post Shule
Wed Oct 13, 2021 7:39 pm

I'm pretty sure this is AGP, as I found it under the plant (it's a rotten one that I missed); it could possibly be an adventurous Picnic_B or a volunteer, though:
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Re: Aunt Ginny's Purple

#15

Post: # 55605Unread post Tormato
Thu Oct 14, 2021 1:05 pm

I'd eat part of the one on the ground, cutting off the bad parts, before I'd eat any in post #11. No yellow shoulders in post #14.

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Re: Aunt Ginny's Purple

#16

Post: # 56513Unread post Shule
Mon Nov 01, 2021 5:08 pm

Okay, so, the green Aunt Ginny's Purple tomatoes that I had set aside for seed ripened. Here are three of them (the other one ripened, too, but it got moldy, so I didn't put it in the picture--but I did save seeds from the bottom half of it, which wasn't moldy, too):

Image
host pictures

I used the seeded fruits of these three, and a large seeded Orange Jazz tomato for spaghetti sauce; the spaghetti was pretty good. (I don't ferment my seeds; I have another process: I put the seeds in a blender on low for like 8 to 12 seconds, to remove the gel sacks; I put them in herbal tea bags; I zap them in water with a Z4EX for 45 minutes; I dry them, usually on brown paper bags in a room with a fan, but my fan is broken, so I just put them in the food dehydrator on a safe temperature.)
Location: SW Idaho, USA
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Re: Aunt Ginny's Purple

#17

Post: # 56524Unread post Julianna
Mon Nov 01, 2021 8:47 pm

Tormato wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 4:17 pm Earl's Faux, Brandywine Sudduth, and Prudence (long story involving Carolyn) Purple are almost every year tomatoes, for me. All are in my all-time top 10. Aunt Ginny's Purple (#1) and SOTW (#2) are every year tomatoes. IF BS had any consistency of flavor, it would be every year.

As for color, many many decades ago several pink tomatoes were called purple. And of many of the pinks listed in this thread, most I would call medium pink, with Prudence Purple being dark pink.

AGP has always been relatively smooth, for me, with some ribbing just at the shoulders. I don't ever recall any cat-faced monsters.
I have never tried AGP but SOTW is my most favorite tomato. Are the flavors similar?
-julianna
10a Monterey Bay
Lover of Fogust, tomatoes, flowers, and pumpkins

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Re: Aunt Ginny's Purple

#18

Post: # 56539Unread post Tormato
Tue Nov 02, 2021 6:12 am

No, not to me.

SOTW is balanced, tasting both sweetness and tartness at the same time, somewhat canceling each other out. This leads to the most complex of flavors in tomatoes, in my opinion.

AGP is overbalanced way over on the sweet side. For very sweet tomatoes it has the richest flavor, to me. And, the sweetness is unlike any other sweetness that I know of in a tomato. As an example, there is cane sugar, honey, maple syrup, etc...for sweeteners, all different in taste. While I can't perfectly describe AGP's sweetness, it seems to be closest to honey. This is the one and only tomato that makes my knees go weak.

And, my taste buds are unique to me. Most dark tomatoes don't do it, for me. Same with greens, striped, oranges, etc...

Your mileage may vary.

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Re: Aunt Ginny's Purple

#19

Post: # 56541Unread post Tormato
Tue Nov 02, 2021 6:20 am

Shule wrote: Mon Nov 01, 2021 5:08 pm Okay, so, the green Aunt Ginny's Purple tomatoes that I had set aside for seed ripened. Here are three of them (the other one ripened, too, but it got moldy, so I didn't put it in the picture--but I did save seeds from the bottom half of it, which wasn't moldy, too):

Image
host pictures

I used the seeded fruits of these three, and a large seeded Orange Jazz tomato for spaghetti sauce; the spaghetti was pretty good. (I don't ferment my seeds; I have another process: I put the seeds in a blender on low for like 8 to 12 seconds, to remove the gel sacks; I put them in herbal tea bags; I zap them in water with a Z4EX for 45 minutes; I dry them, usually on brown paper bags in a room with a fan, but my fan is broken, so I just put them in the food dehydrator on a safe temperature.)
The food dehydrator on a safe temperature, and a fan? If you can put wet seeds in a safe/secure place for a couple of weeks, away from pets and usually other humans, they dry themselves nicely.

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Re: Aunt Ginny's Purple

#20

Post: # 56545Unread post Shule
Tue Nov 02, 2021 7:10 am

Tormato wrote: Tue Nov 02, 2021 6:20 am
Shule wrote: Mon Nov 01, 2021 5:08 pm Okay, so, the green Aunt Ginny's Purple tomatoes that I had set aside for seed ripened. Here are three of them (the other one ripened, too, but it got moldy, so I didn't put it in the picture--but I did save seeds from the bottom half of it, which wasn't moldy, too):

Image
host pictures

I used the seeded fruits of these three, and a large seeded Orange Jazz tomato for spaghetti sauce; the spaghetti was pretty good. (I don't ferment my seeds; I have another process: I put the seeds in a blender on low for like 8 to 12 seconds, to remove the gel sacks; I put them in herbal tea bags; I zap them in water with a Z4EX for 45 minutes; I dry them, usually on brown paper bags in a room with a fan, but my fan is broken, so I just put them in the food dehydrator on a safe temperature.)
The food dehydrator on a safe temperature, and a fan? If you can put wet seeds in a safe/secure place for a couple of weeks, away from pets and usually other humans, they dry themselves nicely.
The herbal tea bags (which I zap them wet in) can only be opened once. I prefer that to be when I want to plant, trade, or give away the seeds. The seeds are clustered together (not evenly spaced)--potentially a *lot* of seeds; so, I don't want to take chances with the moisture in the middle. (Hence taking measures to dry it fast.) Normally the fan in my room is enough to dry them fast, but the fan is broken, and the air in my room seems moist, so that's why the food dehydrator. I've never dried seeds in a food dehydrator before this year, but I don't know why it wouldn't work, as long as the temperature is one seeds are naturally exposed to outside (during the growing season). They dry incredibly fast that way, too (like, overnight, or faster).

Anyway, I can let you all know how the germination rates end up next year (but without the food dehydrator, with the fan in my room, with the same process, I've had good results).

In my first year saving tomato seeds (2014), I did have a mold problem when I dried without a fan without brown paper bags (but I didn't have a good process for saving my seeds then, either; so, the seeds had more reason to mold). So, that's why I'm always cautious to have air circulation now (even if it's not strictly necessary).
Location: SW Idaho, USA
Climate: BSk
USDA hardiness zone: 6
Elevation: 2,260 feet

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