First OP of 2024 - Grasa de Calina
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Seven Bends
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First OP of 2024 - Grasa de Calina
I picked my first full-size OP tomato of the 2024 season on 7/7, Grasa de Calina, and it was finally ripe enough to eat today. Here's some info and my thoughts after tasting it. Keep in mind, this is my first time growing this tomato and I only grew one plant, which means if it happens to be somewhat off-type I wouldn't know.
Pics first, for those of you who are here for the pics and not an encyclopedia entry: Weight of this tomato was 9.7oz There's been a moderate amount of shallow concentric cracking and a little bit of deeper radial cracking, but all the cracks have healed themselves on the vine Five Grasa de Calina and one Parks Whopper CR Improved. Whopper is the upper right in the vertical image (upper left if the pic shows up horizontally). Weights of the other four GdC were 7.4oz, 7.4oz, 6.5oz, and 6.1oz
Grasa de Calina is a Romanian potato-leaf red tomato whose name translates to "Fat of Calina" ("fat" as in "fat of the land"). I got the seeds from Farmer Shawn's last seed offer of Carolyn Male's seed collection. I think it was described as a large beefsteak, but I'd probably describe it more as a medium/large slicer -- think Better Boy, Big Boy or Whopper as the style of tomato, maybe 7-10 ounces on average, regular in shape, oblate, growing in small groups of three to four tomatoes.
The seeds were a bit old (2016), so I started 10 seeds indoors on 2/25/24 to test germination. Three seeds ended up germinating, and I kept and planted one plant in-ground on 5/3/24. By then it was much larger than my normal transplant size. It grew well, and as of now it's well above the top of its 5' concrete reinforcing wire cage. It set a lot of fruit early and has continued to set at least some fruit in the brutal, dry heat and drought we've had this year. Maturity on 7/12 gives 70 DTM.
The plant has been vigorous, but it has been the most susceptible to Early Blight of all the varieties in my garden this year. It is surviving fine, but it was hit the earliest and the hardest, and I've had to remove a great deal of foliage. Some other varieties have very little EB so far. To be fair, this plant was planted earlier so it is older. Grasa de Calina plant on 7/11/24 before I cut off the foliage with Early Blight
When I cut the tomato today, I was a little disappointed by the light-colored streaks inside -- I thought that might be core or something similar. Luckily it wasn't -- just a color variation with no effect on taste or texture.
This is a very juicy tomato. The flesh itself is juicy, and there are fairly large seed locules with a lot of gel. The seeds themselves are large and plentiful. The gel is very tasty, tangy but sweet and flavorful. The flesh with the seeds and gel removed is sweet and mild but a little bit bland. Eaten together (flesh with gel and seeds), it was a good to very good flavor, but not great or amazing. I would call it above average. Flesh texture is excellent. Skin was thick and noticeable, but I think that could be because of our very high heat and drought conditions. Every tomato I've had so far this year has been like that. Skin removes from the flesh easily, even without blanching.
I'll try to remember to update this post when I've had a chance to try more of the tomatoes for taste and I know more about its production over the whole season. So far the verdict is: Definitely worth growing, but not every year.
Pics first, for those of you who are here for the pics and not an encyclopedia entry: Weight of this tomato was 9.7oz There's been a moderate amount of shallow concentric cracking and a little bit of deeper radial cracking, but all the cracks have healed themselves on the vine Five Grasa de Calina and one Parks Whopper CR Improved. Whopper is the upper right in the vertical image (upper left if the pic shows up horizontally). Weights of the other four GdC were 7.4oz, 7.4oz, 6.5oz, and 6.1oz
Grasa de Calina is a Romanian potato-leaf red tomato whose name translates to "Fat of Calina" ("fat" as in "fat of the land"). I got the seeds from Farmer Shawn's last seed offer of Carolyn Male's seed collection. I think it was described as a large beefsteak, but I'd probably describe it more as a medium/large slicer -- think Better Boy, Big Boy or Whopper as the style of tomato, maybe 7-10 ounces on average, regular in shape, oblate, growing in small groups of three to four tomatoes.
The seeds were a bit old (2016), so I started 10 seeds indoors on 2/25/24 to test germination. Three seeds ended up germinating, and I kept and planted one plant in-ground on 5/3/24. By then it was much larger than my normal transplant size. It grew well, and as of now it's well above the top of its 5' concrete reinforcing wire cage. It set a lot of fruit early and has continued to set at least some fruit in the brutal, dry heat and drought we've had this year. Maturity on 7/12 gives 70 DTM.
The plant has been vigorous, but it has been the most susceptible to Early Blight of all the varieties in my garden this year. It is surviving fine, but it was hit the earliest and the hardest, and I've had to remove a great deal of foliage. Some other varieties have very little EB so far. To be fair, this plant was planted earlier so it is older. Grasa de Calina plant on 7/11/24 before I cut off the foliage with Early Blight
When I cut the tomato today, I was a little disappointed by the light-colored streaks inside -- I thought that might be core or something similar. Luckily it wasn't -- just a color variation with no effect on taste or texture.
This is a very juicy tomato. The flesh itself is juicy, and there are fairly large seed locules with a lot of gel. The seeds themselves are large and plentiful. The gel is very tasty, tangy but sweet and flavorful. The flesh with the seeds and gel removed is sweet and mild but a little bit bland. Eaten together (flesh with gel and seeds), it was a good to very good flavor, but not great or amazing. I would call it above average. Flesh texture is excellent. Skin was thick and noticeable, but I think that could be because of our very high heat and drought conditions. Every tomato I've had so far this year has been like that. Skin removes from the flesh easily, even without blanching.
I'll try to remember to update this post when I've had a chance to try more of the tomatoes for taste and I know more about its production over the whole season. So far the verdict is: Definitely worth growing, but not every year.
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karstopography
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Re: First OP of 2024 - Grasa de Calina
Thanks for the very informative and well written review.
"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
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bower
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Re: First OP of 2024 - Grasa de Calina
Looking forward to hear how your other tomatoes do with the Early Blight. It does seem to hit hard just when tomatoes start to ripen.
The inside pattern on Grasa de Calina is pretty!
The inside pattern on Grasa de Calina is pretty!
AgCan Zone 5a/USDA zone 4
temperate marine climate
yearly precip 61 inches/1550 mm
temperate marine climate
yearly precip 61 inches/1550 mm
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MissS
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Re: First OP of 2024 - Grasa de Calina
Great detailed review. Thank you for posting it!
~ Patti ~
AKA ~ Hooper
AKA ~ Hooper