Heirloom Tomato Varieties - 2009

Early Tomato

Glacier Tomato (55 days).
You can count on Glacier to usher in the tomato season. This very early tomato variety produces attractive orangey-red 2 1/2 inch tomatoes. Perfect for salads or fresh eating. Surprisingly sweet for an ultra-early type. Expect a determinate habit plant that is about 2 1/2 feet tall, 3 1/2 feet across, and quite open.

OREGON SPRING TOMATO (68 days) -

Semi-Indeterminate This is one of many excellent tomatoes released by Dr. Jim Baggett of Oregon State. Part of the breeding effort on this was to develop a variety which could be set out in very cool spring temperatures. The plants cannot be allowed to freeze, but they can go out in April if freezing can be prevented. Tomatoes are full sized, 4 inches across, with fine color and texture. Yields are high and flavor is great, nicely acidic.

Earliana (68 days) determinate

The 'Earliana' tomato was developed at the turn-of-the-century as growers attempted to bring the earliest tomato to market. It was first offered commercially in 1900 by Johnson and Stokes. We consider this a perfect market tomato because of it's visual appeal and it's wonderful sweet/tart flavors. Earliana produces well until frost and appears to have good disease resistance. A good salad and canning tomato.

Moskovich (60 days) determinate

An wonderful, extra-early tomato. This heirloom yields an abundance of deep red, 4-6 oz., smooth, cold-tolerant, round and slightly flattened fruits with a luscious, rich taste.

Heirloom Tomato

Anna Russian (70 days)

An heirloom oxheart variety from Brenda Hillenius, of Oregon, who got from her grandfather, Kenneth Wilcox, who received seeds from a Russian immigrant. An excellent, gorgeous tomato. Early maturing for a heart-shaped tomato, the large, visually beautiful, pink-red fruit normally weighs about 1 pound. Superb rich old-fashioned, tomatoey flavors with lots of juice. 

Big Beef (70 days)

This is a de-hybridized version of  an American favorite.  These large, juicy, fruits combine old-fashioned beefsteak flavor with heavy yields. 1-pound, round to globe-shaped. Flavor is full and hearty with lots of sweet juice balanced with that wonderful tomato acidity. These giants slice up perfectly for big sandwiches. Fruit stays large even at the end of a long harvest season.

PRUDENS PURPLE TOMATO (72 days) -
HEIRLOOM Indeterminate This heirloom tomato is a favorite. It is exceptionally early for a large tomato. Pruden's Purple is outstanding from every aspect. The average fruit weighs 1 pound, is 4 inches across and 3 inches high. There are distinctive ridges like the ribs of a cantaloupe which gird the fruit longitudinally. The color is more of a distinctive pink than a true purple. While there are occasional misshapen tomatoes, it never cracks, yet the skin is not thick. Flesh is firm and meaty and the flavor is wonderful. Remarkably, Pruden's Purple contain very few seeds.

Cherokee Purple (80 days)

Heirloom from Tennessee cultivated by Native American Cherokee tribe.  Very productive plants producing loads of dusky rose to purple colored, 12 oz.-1 lb.,  beefsteak tomatoes with deep red colors to the interior flesh and dark shoulders. A very popular market variety because of it's rich, complex and sweet flavors. One of the best tasting heirloom tomatoes

AMANA ORANGE (90days)
Huge heirloom beefsteak tomato named for the Amana Colonies in Iowa. These organic tomato seeds produce big, regular leaf plants that produce above average amounts of beautiful light-orange, irregular shaped (fluted) heirloom tomatoes that can grow to 2 pounds or more, with an average diameter of 5 inches. Excellent sweet, almost  tropical fruit flavors. This tomato variety has been included in my tomato garden for more than 20 years. A winner!

Giant Belgium  (90 days)

Developed in Ohio in this variety is known mostly for it's size and delicious flavor. Dark pink fruit that averages 2-lbs. (but can get to 5 lbs.) is meaty with few seeds. Great for cooking and canning.

Gary Ibsen’s Gold (75 days)

Tomato seeds for this tall, leafy variety were sent to me in 1990 from a gardener in Boone County, WV who shared that he had been growing these, and a favorite red variety for 40 years. Plant produces lots of very juicy, 14 oz. , brilliant orange-gold globes with tropical fruit flavors with enough acid balance to guarantee a burst of tomato delight. 

KELLOGGS BREAKFAST TOMATO (79 days)
HEIRLOOM Indeterminate An heirloom from West Virginia preserved by Darrell Kellogg, a railroad supervisor, in Redford, MI after receiving seed from a friend. An extremely large, sunny orange beefsteak with an outstanding flavor that is just unforgettable. 

MORTGAGE LIFTER TOMATO (77 days) -
HEIRLOOM Indeterminate. The story is that a gentleman named Radiator Charlie bred this variety with crossed between German Johnson, Beefsteak, and other varieties. He was able to earn enough selling the seed to pay off his mortgage during the Depression. The very large, pink skinned, sweet tomatoes.

BLACK KRIM TOMATO (69 days) -
HEIRLOOM Ukraine. Indeterminate. The deep red fruit appear to be a shiney black while the interior is a reddish green. Surprisingly, this very old, very sweet, fairly large tomato is also very early.

BRANDYWINE TOMATO (80 days) -
HEIRLOOM 1885 Indeterminate Flavor is the sole reason that this Amish heirloom tomato from the nineteenth century remains available. The large fruits range from 10 to 24 ounces and are borne on vigorous vines. Fruits are flattened and irregular, a pinkish red. Many say that this is the best tasting tomato they have ever

Old German  (85 days)

An old heirloom tomato from Germany. These organic heirloom tomato seeds produce very large, indeterminate, regular-leaf tomato plants that yield 1-2 pound (and more), deep-pink beefsteak tomatoes that have delicious, bold, sweet/acid tomato flavors with very few seeds. An excellent slicer for eating fresh in salads and sandwiches.

Tobolsk (86 days)

100 year old heirloom tomato, originally from the Urals near the city of Tobolsk, Russia. 3-inch, round, light yellow to orange fruit with excellent sweet flavors. Perfect balance of acid for it's deliciously sweet flavors.

Mule Team (79 days)

Vigorous plant with moderate yield of 3", 8-12 oz., globes.  Excellent mildly sweet flavor. Plant bears continuously till frost. Excellent taste.

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DRUZBA TOMATO – (80 days)
Bulgarian HEIRLOOM Indeterminate. The word druzba means "friendship" in Bulgarian and Druzba is a very friendly tomato. Not too large, half pound up to a pound, the fruit is born in clusters of 3 to 5. The fruit is a pleasant deep red throughout and almost all are perfect, without either cracks or blemishes. Flavor is very balanced, not overwhelmingly sweet or acid. Matures in the late midseason

Dona (75 days)

This excellent variety was bred by the French specifically for their customers in markets, where flavor and quality standards are uncompromising. Slightly flattened, almost seedless, round tomato with a sweet/acid balance (just like the commercial hybrid) that few modern tomatoes can match. The heavily producing plants yield 6 ounce, juicy fruits that are smooth, meaty, and deep-red in hue. Good disease resistance. 

STUPICE TOMATO -
Czechoslovakian HEIRLOOM Indeterminate. This heirloom is very early to mature. The very flavorful 3 to 4 ounce fruit are borne in clusters of 5 or more. Yields are very high and nearly every fruit is perfect. The color is an intense red and the sweet, tangy flavor is what you would associate with larger beefsteak types.

Mariana (70 days)

Small to medium-sized plants have good fruit set and are high yielding. 4-6 oz. fruits are extremely uniform in shape, firm with thick walls, and have very good flavor.

Small, Plum or Cherry Tomato

TIGERELLA TOMATO (55-65 days)
English HEIRLOOM Indeterminate. These unique fruit are noted for their stripes, hence the name. When immature they are a light green with dark green stripes. When mature the stripes alternate between red and a yellow orange. The 2 inch fruit have a very tangy flavor, yields are very heavy, and it is quite early.

Green Zebra (75 days)

Texas Wild (73 days)

All I really know is that the original seed of this tomato was collected from a patch of apparently "wild" tomatoes in southern Our Tomatofest organic tomato seeds produce huge, sprawling, indeterminate, regular-leaf tomato plants that copiously yield hundreds of 1/2 to 3/4-inch, red, cherry tomatoes with a delicious, sweet-tartness to them. A really decent snacking tomato for all you Texans and wanna be Texans.

Black Plum (82 days)
One of my favorite Russian varieties that produces a long and steady crop of 2-inch elongated plum-shaped fruits colored a beautiful deep-mahogany with dusky-green shoulders. Fruit resembles a small paste tomato but with thinner walls. Unique sweet tangy flavor.

BEAM’S YELLOW PEAR TOMATO (71 days) -

These organic tomato seeds produce huge, bushy plants that yield very large quantities of 1 oz., 1 1/2-inch, bright yellow, pear-shaped cherry tomatoes that will give you fruit until frost. The tomatoes of this yellow pear tomato variety are zesty sweet and delicious. A beautiful salad or snackin' tomato. If you are growing several colors of cherry tomatoes include this one. A great tomato choice for a patio or planter garden. A good producer even in cooler coastal regions..  

Jaune Couer de Pigeon (75 days)

Beautiful French 1x 1 1/2-inch yellow pear tomato with great flavor.  Very sweet.

Italian Paste Tomato

Principe Bourgese (78 days)

Italian heirloom tomato. Our organic tomato seeds produce short determinate plants that prolifically yield big clusters of 1-2 oz. red, plum shaped, crack-resistant paste tomatoes that are a great substitute for Roma tomatoes. Tomatoes are prized for drying because they retain more flavor than most other drying varieties. Italians are known for hanging the whole plant, loaded with fruit, up to dry..A great sauce tomato or eating fresh in salads or canning. Also prized for reconstituting in olive oil or crushing dried fruit into flakes to add to a sauce for quick thickening.

Martino’s Roma (75 days)

A prolific heirloom that produces an abundant crop of richly flavored, 3", red pear tomatoes that are perfect for cooking but sweet enough to enjoy fresh. Meaty with few seeds. Great for canning, adding to sauces, or making paste.

De Pinto

Red Paste tomato that is very solid on vines that are truly loaded with fruit.

San Marzano Redorta (78 days)
Named for a mountain, Pizzo Redorta in Bergamo, Italy. This is Gary Ibsen’s preferred Italian paste tomato. A much larger tomato (8 oz., 4-inch) with much better taste than it’s cousin, San Marzano. Good enough to eat off the vine with the bonus of ending up with more tomato paste per plant. Yum!

Super Marzano
Improved variety of San Marzano tomato. A very productive, 1 x 5-inch,  red paste tomato that has been dehybridized over a period of years.  A great addition to tomato sauces and salsas

Greenhouse Tomato

Cobra

Buffalo