This year we again had a really great time at the 4th Annual Taste of Tomato. In spite of a chilly and foggy start to the morning, lots of gardeners and other tomato enthusiasts came out to share their tasty tomato successes and learn what other tomato treasures are growing well for gardeners in our area. Participants also received up-to-date tomato-growing advice from Master Gardeners and Harlequin’s Gardens staff, learned how to save seeds from their tomatoes, and eight lucky people won valuable door-prizes.
A total of 64 different varieties were entered or donated, and quite a few of them were varieties we’ve not seen before. Carol O’Meara, Boulder County Extension Agent, donated samples of several varieties bred for resistance to Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV). Ollin Farms donated several new varieties, and Aspen Moon Farms donated the renowned heirloom Costoluto Genovese, which we had not seen much of in previous tastings. Some of the ‘old favorites’, like Brandywine, Pineapple, Aunt Ruby’s German Green and Kellogg’s Breakfast were missing from this year’s tasting. Every year is so different; this year many gardeners said their tomatoes were quite late to ripen because of the cool weather, some had significant disease problems, and many were very glad that they had started their tomato plants early in Solar Caps, enabling them to get earlier and bigger harvests.
When you view the results, bear in mind that each participant got to vote for only their top 5 favorites, and that samples of some varieties were in short supply, limiting the number of participants who got to taste them. And some samples arrived either very early or very late in the event, again limiting their exposure. Some samples may not have been fully ripe, and their full flavor and sugars not fully developed. Of course everyone has their own palate, too. In view of all these factors, even if a variety received only one vote, it was still among somebody’s top 5, and that’s pretty good. I personally found at least 8 favorites this year, and had to think hard about which ones to leave out.
Every spring, Harlequin’s Gardens nursery grows and sells organic starts for more than 60 different varieties of tomato. Many of them are varieties that ranked high at Taste of Tomato events. Check the Harlequin’s Gardens website for our list of vegetable starts each year at https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/plants/edibles/vegetables/
Big thanks to all of you who shared tomatoes, and to all the volunteers – you make it all possible! Please join us again next year for an even bigger and better 5th Annual Taste of Tomato!
2014 TASTE of TOMATO VOTING RESULTS |
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# of Votes |
Variety | Category | Seed Type | Grower’s Comments |
0 |
Cherry Berry (Brown Berry) | cherry | open pollinated | |
0 |
Endless Summer | salad | ||
0 |
Indigo Rose | salad | hybrid | |
0 |
Prima Roja | salad | ||
1 |
Big Boy | beefsteak | hybrid | |
1 |
Black Cherry | cherry | open pollinated | |
1 |
Black Ethiopian | salad | heirloom | |
1 |
Blondekopfchen | cherry | heirloom | mild flavor, prolific |
1 |
Bonnie Best | small salad | heirloom | |
1 |
Creamy White Cherry | cherry | heirloom | |
1 |
Fourth of July | salad | hybrid | very early |
1 |
Hillbilly | beefsteak | heirloom | huge |
1 |
Isis Candy | cherry | open pollinated | |
1 |
Italian Roma | paste | heirloom | |
1 |
La Roma II | paste | ||
1 |
Northern Light | salad | open pollinated | early, productive |
1 |
Pink Bumblebee | cherry | open pollinated | |
1 |
Primo Red | salad | hybrid | TSWV-resistant |
1 |
Red Gold | salad | ||
1 |
Rutgers Indet. | salad | heirloom | |
1 |
Stupice | salad | heirloom | |
2 |
BHN 968 | cherry | hybrid | TSWV-resistant |
2 |
Early Girl | salad | hybrid | |
2 |
Mountain Merit | salad | hybrid | |
2 |
PS01522935 | salad | hybrid | TSWV-resistant, vigorous |
2 |
Sunlight | beefsteak | ||
3 |
Big Beef | beefsteak | hybrid | |
3 |
Costoluto Genovese | salad | heirloom | Early, prolific, delicious |
3 |
Green Doctors Frosted | cherry | open pollinated | |
3 |
Red Zebra | salad | heirloom | |
4 |
Carmello | salad | hybrid | fabulous flavor, no disease |
4 |
Cherokee Chocolate | salad | open pollinated | |
4 |
Iowa Cherry | cherry | heirloom | |
4 |
Lemon Boy | salad | hybrid | |
4 |
Pink BerkeleyTie Dye | beefsteak | open pollinated | |
4 |
Thessaloniki | salad | open pollinated | growers favorite |
5 |
Bella Rosa | salad | hybrid | TSWV-resistant |
5 |
Black Krim | beefsteak | heirloom | |
6 |
Amana Orange | beefsteak | heirloom | Meaty, delicious |
6 |
Amish Paste | paste | heirloom | |
7 |
Cherokee Purple | beefsteak | heirloom | |
7 |
Jaune Flamme | salad | heirloom | very productive |
8 |
Indigo Kumquat | cherry | hybrid | |
8 |
Mighty Mato | salad | hybrid | Sweet |
9 |
Cosmonaut Volkov | salad | heirloom | sweet, low acid |
9 |
Green Zebra | salad | open pollinated | |
9 |
Yellow Pear | cherry | heirloom | |
10 |
Black from Tula | salad | heirloom | Early, prolific, delicious |
10 |
Punta Banda | cherry/paste | heirloom | Productive, drought-resistant, flavorful |
11 |
San Marzano | paste | heirloom | blossom end rot |
11 |
Siberian Pink Honey | beefsteak | heirloom | Good flavor, low yield |
12 |
Chocolate Cherry | cherry | heirloom | |
12 |
Chocolate Stripes | beefsteak | heirloom | Beautiful, delicious |
13 |
Roma, unnamed variety | paste | ||
14 |
Super Sweet 100 | cherry | hybrid | Very prolific, early, easy, disease-free |
14 |
Sweet Million | cherry | hybrid | |
17 |
Black Sea Man | beefsteak | heirloom | Meaty, complex |
19 |
Anasazi’ | salad | heirloom | |
19 |
Glacier | salad | open pollinated | best flavored very early, prolific, compact |
20 |
Paul Robeson | salad | heirloom | Meaty, complex |
27 |
Sungold | cherry | hybrid | Early, easy, prolific,very sweet |