Has anyone come across a history of Jersey tomatoes? New Jersey, that is, and the old Rutgers breeding programs, more specifically.

In the process of seeking the provenance of the Jersey Breeze tomato -- and finding out it "came out of a Rutgers program many years ago"-- my curiosity was piqued. I'm a native of the Garden State myself, though I didn't start seeing tomatoes as something special until many years after I'd moved away.

Since Heinz and Campbells had an interest in the tomato breeding projects at Rutgers University, I'm assuming the tomatoes were all reds, but still, I'd be curious if there's a database or germplasm repository. Or is all that history long forgotten?

@habitat-gardener
https://www.njagsociety.org/news/time-for-tomatoes
https://sebsnjaesnews.rutgers.edu/2022/ ... program-2/

I don't think I've ever had a can of Campbell's tomato soup in my life.

Oh believe me, I had my share of Campbell's soups as I was growing up! Not to mention countless other canned foods, the types that made many people hate vegetables, in general. The one that I actually liked was the Vegetable Beef soup, which got me to like barley, though it wasn't until I was away at school, and found barley at that co-op, that I found out how to make it! That tomato soup was not a favorite, and my sister refused to eat it.

None of those Rutgers, or other similar varieties were favs here, since they were determinate, so all would ripen at pretty much the same time, which, of course, is what the canning companies want.

I grew "Rutgers" once and learned what "old fashioned taste" is. An expression meaning "tart" !!!!!

Labradors wrote: ↑Mon Dec 30, 2024 6:43 am I grew "Rutgers" once and learned what "old fashioned taste" is. An expression meaning "tart" !!!!!

Blister your tongue tart.
We used to get sores on our tongue from eating them fresh with salt.

I've tried a thousand different brands of ketchup and nothing beats Heinz.

worth1 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 30, 2024 8:41 am I've tried a thousand different brands of ketchup and nothing beats Heinz.

Agreed, but "Burman's" from Aldi is pretty close and 1/2 the cost (or even less). Heinz (and Burman's) are "sweet" ketchups, IMO.

As a grocery person in my early work years, Heinz had about six wide space on the shelf times the three different sizes offered. Del Monte was less than half that and on the bottom shelf with three bottles wide was Brooks Tangy Ketchup. It sold just enough to keep its spot. Never tried it because I was convinced Heinz was the only brand for me.

A whole bunch of years later I began growing Old Brooks tomatoes. Suppose that was their proprietary tomato? Research is in order.

OK, I looked around and back in 2013-14 there a conversation on this topic with most concluding there was no relation to Old Brooks the tomato and Brooks Catsup/Ketchup. Brooks Brothers had local farmers/gardeners in Illinois grow tomatoes for them, supplied the seed but no mention of the variety…could have been a New Jersey variety..?

Right now I'm buying Hunts tomato ketchup with cane sugar mostly because of the price.
I like to add a little ground clove to ketchup sometimes.
There used to be a ketchup that had clove in it.
I haven't seen it in years.