Heirloom ID, If You Please

[kayjay]

What do you think this sucker looks like? I bought it at the grocery store. If I like it, I'll save the seeds. It weighs 13.5 oz, if that helps.

Would it be uncouth to contact the growers via the website on the sticker and ask them? I don't want to come out and say, "hi, I'd like to take the seeds and grow this so I don't have to buy it from you again."

Not that I feel sorry for them, though... it seems to be a trend to grow and sell heirloom tomatoes in the grocery store as if they're somehow way healthier or better than hybrid-grown. I have a feeling they're just trying to prey on peoples' naivety about them. Honestly, when I buy a grocery store tomato, I don't care if it's a hybrid or not; I just care if it tastes decent, didn't go bad on the way to the store, and didn't cost me an arm and a leg.

[TomatoNut95]

Looks like Brandywine? If it came from a grocery store it's gotta be a hyrbid bred to be a long-keeper. Plus, It was probably picked green, so would the seeds in it be viable? Kayjay, I have seed for some large tomato varieties, I can share if you like. I have an extra packet of Belgian Pink, and I've got some Beefsteak seeds which I saved myself last year.

One of these days I'd like to find seeds for um.....what's it called??.....Bulgarian Old Sort...... Talk about a monster!!!

[applestar]

If it was labeled, heirloom, then it probably is ... but I’m not sure if even the grower would know? I mean If you;ve seen my harvest photos in the height of the season, practically all of them are heirlooms, and I have to label them with variety name right away or I wouldn’t know for sure a week later.

- I don’t think they would mind if you asked, though. OR you could always just call it “TomatoX from Somewhere” If all you are doing is saving seeds to grow for yourself.

To me, the shoulder is too pleated to be Brandywine — I think they are smoother shouldered? (This looks to be a double tho) — but it does look pink.Definitive test would be to scrape the skin and examine carefully. Just from the line-up of surviving seedlings this year, I can think of 5 or 6 varieties that are pink beefsteak that I might be growing — if you looked in my Master mater list, there would be dozens.

[kayjay]

Thanks for the replies.

MaterNut, I'd love to exchange seeds with you. Maybe we'll do that in the fall.

The seeds are viable as long as the tomato is ripe. That's one of the first questions the kind folks on this forum answered for me - I have to pick them all at first blush, or the (expletive) squirrels take them. I ripen them on the counter and the seeds have always been viable.

I already grow Brandywines, and this one is a lot more lumpy than the ones I grow. Sort of like me compared to my high school pictures! It's also more orange, though it's hard to tell from the photo.

I'll post another photo when I cut it open in a day or two... it could use a bit more time to soften up.

For what it's worth, these fancy heirloom displays in the grocery stores here have multiple varieties. There were some yellow ones, and some green zebra type - I could tell they were pretty much ripe, but they were light green and dark green striped.

[TomatoNut95]

I've never grown Brandywine, but I've seen pictures and I thought they were 'lumpy shouldered' like your store-bought fruit there. If not Brandywine, maybe Beefsteak? Beefmaster? Big Beef?

This year I am growing Mr. Stripey. Got him as a transplant. Heirloom, big, fat fruits which are yellow in color with red stripes. One of the immature fruits on the plant has the 'lumpy' shoulders. The rest are rounder and smoother. Weird. But if nothing goes wrong , I plan to save as many seeds as I can, and I plan to share. So I will be looking forward to seed swapping to.

[TNCatHerder]

I have some Brandywine seeds you can have. I didn't like the way they looked. I prefer smoother round looking tomatoes for slicing. Call me a snob

[kayjay]

Here's a pic of it sliced:



So it's fairly meaty, not a heck of a lot of seeds. It tasted really nice, nothing special. It was pretty mild. I might try growing it anyway. My husband likes the mild tomatoes... weirdo. I wish I could better describe the taste in terms of acidity vs tartness, etc... I'd honestly need a course in tomato tasting like they do wine tasting courses.

TNCH, yeah, the Brandywines tend to get cat-faced and ugly. That's when I dice them up with some avocado or just dump shredded cheddar on them.

MaterNut, I just googled Mr Stripey and they look really cool. Looking forward to adding that to my roster.

[Gary350]

That tomato deformity looks like Beef Master but it could be something different. Beef Master will grow 2, 3, 4 deformed sections. Each section gets ripe at its own speed, 1st section to get ripe will rot before the other sections get ripe. I planted Beef Master last year but never again it is a waste of time and waste of garden space to have 95% rotted or not ripe tomatoes.

Big Beef tomatoes are the most dependable, best flavor, best to grow. They are excellent for slicing thin for sandwiches, good in salads, good in soup, stew, chili, salsa, etc. Pick a red ripe tomato right from the plant acid will be high but every day that tomato sets on your kitchen counter top acid turns to sugar they will be sweeter. The 2nd day setting in kitchen they will be sweeter and more sweeter the 3rd day and very sweet the 4th day. This allows you to eat the tomato on the day when it has the flavor you like best.

[digitS']

Of course, Big Beef is not an heirloom and is about as perfectly round as a tomato can be.

I often cannot allow my tomatoes, including my Big Beefs, to ripen on the vines. Quail population is an important factor in my garden. And, there are other things.

I'd like to think that the supermarket labels are honest but, first of all, many varieties are now available that have only the appearance of being an heirloom. Also, I was witness to a rather uncomfortable conversation between the president of a organic organization and a local grower who made no pretense that his produce was organic. However, one of the supermarkets that sold his produce labeled it as such. That was dishonest labelling and may have been a case of people not following due diligence.

Some heirlooms have their place in my kitchen and tomato patch. I'm happy to have them. This isn't a very tomato-friendly climate for varieties requiring a long season. I get by with some look-alikes . Brandywine OTV is one of those. The cross that produced it occurred a few decades ago but it can ripen fairly well and it's productive.

Tomatoes probably cross a little easier than what most people would like to admit. That can make saving seeds a problem. Twice, I have been sent seeds that were supposed to be one variety but the fruit didn't fit the descriptions! In one case, the other qualities fit well into our garden and diets.

KayJay, my wife also likes mild flavored tomatoes. Thirty years ago, I don't know that I had ever eaten a pink or yellow tomato. My experience has been that they tend to be more mild than many of the reds. One of those packets of saved seed that was sent to me was supposed to be a big yellow heirloom. It was little and red! I thought, "Hey, this is a pretty nice little tomato!" Healthy, productive little plants ... I grew and saved seed about 4 times. Then! I had a plant with fruit that recessive yellow color. The other qualities were still there but the intensity of the flavor dropped. It's one of DW's favorites . Save seed from what you like and if you have enough room in the garden, and even if you aren't into all the details, tomatoes can be lots of fun.

Steve
where do we think these heirlooms came from in the first place ?

[TomatoNut95]

I never cared for mildy flavored or sweet tomatoes such as pinks and yellows, reminds me too much of store-bought fruits. I like my tomatoes with a strong flavor like my Mystery variety tasted. However, my mild types like Bradley and Cherokee Purple are pretty good.

@digtS, perhaps your DW might like some of my Yellow Perfection. Fruits are small (not cherry small), yellow and mild. They're a favorite of my DM, who prefers sweet, mild tomatoes. I'm growing a YP this year to save seed from it because I think I'm out of seeds for it. I just love it's potato leaf foliage.
Garden Peach is another interesting mild, sweet yellow tomato. Called 'Peach' due to the fact the fruits are slightly fuzzy.

[TomatoNut95]

I have some Brandywine seeds you can have. I didn't like the way they looked. I prefer smoother round looking tomatoes for slicing. Call me a snob

FYI, you're not the only 'snob', I also prefer the smooth round types to the lumpy shouldered' ones, even though I like my tomatoes more fleshy and meat than juicy and goopey. Mostly I hate tomatoes that develop hard core, I HATE hard core 'cause then I have to go to the trouble of cutting out a square in the middle of the fruit.

[TomatoNut95]

MaterNutI just googled Mr Stripey and they look really cool. Looking forward to adding that to my roster.

Great! Be in mind though, that it is a Beefsteak type, and the first fruit that's on the plant is kinda cat-faced. The rest, however, look round and smooth. But I'll let you know what it tastes like and I'll save seed for you!