Big Heirlooms:

Stump of the World
Omar's Lebanese
Green Giant
Grapefruit
Dester
Waladock's Polish Giant
Giant Belgium
Great White
Chapman

Of the ones listed, I have experience with Omar's Lebanese which did very well in terms of size and flavor.

smithmal

Better than Mr. Stripey? is easy - almost any other tomato. :) Honestly it is seldom noted as a really good tomato.

Hard to beat Mortgage Lifter as a great one. What happened with yours?

Taste/flavor as we always say here is purely personal and subjective - totally dependent on your own taste buds (and growing conditions). What tastes sweet to one is acidic to another and vice versa.so it is pointless to make lists of sweets and acidics as others will always disagree no matter what is listed.

As a very general guideline I find that the pink varieties tend to taste sweeter.

Frequently mentioned beefsteak heirloom-types in all the many previous discussions of this question (check the search for 'favorites' and 'best') include:

Brandywines (any)
Coustralee
Zogola
Dester
Omar's Lebanese
Large Pink Bulgarian
Red Barn
Tidwell German
Giant Belgium (aka Belgian)
1884
Amana Orange
WES
NAR
Pineapple
Kellog's Breakfast
Mortgage Lifter
Stump of the World

to name just a few of the 100's available.

Dave

I was not impressed with Mortgage Lifters I had grown from plants purchased locally before but I really like the Estler's Mortgage Lifter I have been growing from seed. Have you tried any Heart varieties? Linnie's Oxheart was large and tasty. I Love Kellogg's Breakfast, also large and one of my favorites for taste.

Italian Heirloom, hands down!!

Steve

Wes did well for me but I am in zone 6. I like Pale Perfect Purple but it is medium sized. Wes is a nice big one.

Stump of the world and Marianna's Peace were the standouts in last years' garden. Not much on production, but hoo those tomatoes tasted great.

This year I'm trying Wes, Chapman, NAR, Omar's Lebanese, Red Penna, KBX (yeah, I know it isn't red), Rebel Yell (a cross between Stump of the world and Bear Claw, I think) for the big ones. Hopefully I'll find a few that work well in this climate.

Where do you live? It's very helpful if you include your state with your zone number. I have not been impressed with Mortgage Lifter here in the Deep South at all. For flavor, I love Aunt Ruby Green. It is, in my opinion, a perfect blend of sweet and tangy. Black Krim is my second choice.

Last year I grew Sunsets Red Horizon which I thought was terrific in taste, size and production. If I can only find where I put the seeds I saved. Getting old is not fun.

LAR

Virginia Sweets (or maybe just "Sweet") is a big one. It's also beautiful......bicolor. I grew one last year that was 2 pounds and 3 ounces.

Lucky Cross is similar - huge, beautiful, and bicolor.

Both taste great too.

I'm growing them both again this year.

I am in a tough climate - zone 8 across the street from the Atlantic Ocean so we get hot, humid and droughty - all at once.
These big uns have done well for me in past years (unless a windy, rainy, twisty summer event comes and shreds the plants)

Soldacki - wife will love but balanced not flat sweet

Andrew Rahart's Jumbo Red - awesome production of big full flavored beefsteaks

Chesapeake - full flavored but less sweet

My faves are Black Krim, Black from Tula,purple Cherokee and green zebra i love them all except The bland yellow one.

I suggest pondarossa brandy wine, Rutgers, Beefstake

Here is a link that might be useful: TheItalian Garden

For hamburgers (probably BLTs, too), my favorite tomato is Pruden's Purple. It grows large, purple tomatoes (some people think they're red, but they look purple to me). However, some of them are more acidic than others. It's not the most acidic tomato, but it still tastes great on hamburgers.

I'm not sure how much you'll like them on a BLT (I haven't tried these), but you might also consider these tomatoes:

* White Tomesol (reported to make some of the best BLTs; not sure if it's as big as you're hoping, though)

* Yoder's German Yellow (said to be good for BLTs)

* Aussie

* Pineapple

* Ananas Noire (Black Pineapple)

* Napa Giant (it's pretty much Mortgage Lifter, selected for large size)

* Omar's Lebanese

* Indian Zebra from Diane Seeds (supposed to be the same as Indian Stripe, but bigger, although the history regarding it has turned out to be untrue)

* Mexican Yellow

* Black Giant

* Black

* Mexico

* Marianna's Peace

* Sweet Ozark Orange

* Great White

* Cuostralee

* Syrian Giant

* Amazon Chocolate

* Vorlon

* Creole

* Malinovoe Chudo (Raspberry Miracle)

* Mule Team (maybe not the largest, but very productive and worth looking into)

* Taos (also maybe not the largest, but very worth looking into for a variety of reasons)

* Cherokee Green

* Golden Cherokee

* Mortgage Lifter Bicolor

* Japanese Black Trifele (not really big, but cutting length-wise might give bigger slices, since it's a pear tomato)

* True Black Brandywine

* KBX

If you like acidic tomatoes, I recommend looking for good canning tomatoes.

Anyone have any experience growing Great White? I've read that it is large and a good producer, but being a white tomato, the taste is not all that (as whites usually are) and people that grow do it more for aesthetics than taste.

Just about everything I've read about the taste of Great White said it was awesome. Where did you read about it? Here's one of the main places I read: http://www.rareseeds.com/great-white/ People say it's fruity. One person says it's not very tomatoey, but is fruity. Some people think tomatoes should taste like tomatoes; so, they might rate it poorly because of that, and not because it doesn't taste good.

Can't remember where I read it but as whites go they generally have the lowest flavor ratings of all colors (other than blues). The article indicated that GW was a robust good producer but that the flavor was just OK. It was on my bucket list but then I took. It off from that article which is why I'm asking.

Huh. From the reviews of the many white tomatoes I've read, it sounds like people generally like them more than most tomatoes (not less). They might have been grouping white tomatoes with yellow, since white tomatoes sometimes turn yellowish. Yellow tomatoes do have a reputation for not tasting as good (whether or not that reputation is deserved; it really depends on the variety, and probably opinion; I mean, people seem to prefer Yellow Brandywine over the regular Brandywine a lot, and people love Sungold). Most blue tomato varieties are often criticized for their flavor (but not all). It's my observation that people tend to love the flavor of purple, brown, white, green and orange tomatoes. People sometimes group orange with yellow, too, since yellow tomatoes often turn orangish. The same might occur with green-when-ripe tomatoes, since many green varieties turn yellowish when completely ripe and/or overripe. I would take that article with a grain of salt. It might have just been one person's opinion. You'll hardly ever find a tomato that everyone enjoys.

I won't waste my time with white tomatoes but I love Lemon Boys and yellow pears. Just my opinion. I grew black matters one year and was totally disappointed. Different tastes for different folks.

pruden's purple -great production great taste

gregory's altai same good production and taste

but the winner for me is brimmer huge tomatoes great production and the only tomato that taste better is limbaugh's potato top.limbaugh's just dont produce very much

Omar's Lebanese was the biggest tomato I ever grew. Taste was pretty good too. I'll echo several posters, Pruden's Purple is a large sweetish slicer and one of my favorites, as is Brandy Boy but that one is a hybrid. I'm with Dave, I don't care for Mr. Stripey but if you are in to that "acid" flavor, I've found that many of the striped (not to be confused with bicolor) varieties such as Tigerella and any of those lines are the same in that type of flavor. Rutgers and Silvery Fir Tree (beautiful plant) were acid to me as well. Your wife would love Earl's Faux, my personal favorite tomato. They didn't get huge for me but good size and so delicious. Black Krim and Carbon both get pretty big and both have preformed great for me with huge amounts of fruit. Kellogg's Breakfast is good and gets pretty big, it is an orange variety. Again, most of my favorites are sweet unless noted so you may not appreciate them but your wife might. Lori

There are so many good ones out there that I cannot possibly try them to grow.

From the ones I have grown :

--- Pineapple : Like the size, color , taste ... But it was a late season here.

--- Mortgage Lifter: I think I had a BAD strain. Won't grow it again.

--- Ananas Noire : My fave. Mid-late season, excellent taste,.. up to 20oz. But have to eat them quick. Short shelf life.

But for all intent and purposes, any tomato in 10 oz to 15 oz range is a good slicer for me. But then there is also "show off " factor. hehe

Sey

Big Rainbow.......enough said

Sey-- Mortgage Lifters do very well for me they just come on in late July. If you want I could send you a few seeds that I have saved

I don't like huge tomatoes, but I loved the taste of Pruden's Purple and Rose. Then there's Brandywine, of course, but it doesn't grow well for me.

Linda

I also had a crappy Mortgage Lifter strain when I grew it two seasons ago... lartomato, where did you get your seeds from?

My bigs that I'm growing this year are:

• Marianna's Peace
• Omar's Lebanese
• Brandywine, Cowlick's
• Aunt Ruby's German Green (new)
• Neves Azorean Red
• JD's Special C-Tex (new)
• Gold Medal
• Shuntukski Velikan

stevinm33 - Big rainbow is one of the few bicolors I haven't grown yet. Where did you get your seeds from and/or would you be interested in a trade?

Malcolm-- three years ago I got Mortgage Lifters from Totally Tomatoes and they did so well here that I saved the seeds. I plant eight seeds from them each year and then I plant eight seeds that I send for. This years is from Burpee. I always have a lot more plants from all variety that I give them away.

I've had the impression from things I've read in the past that Mortgage Lifter does better in hot, dry, arid areas than cool, wet, temperate, humid areas. There might be nothing wrong with your strain, per se. But there might be. One strain that looks particularly good is Napa Giant, which you can get with free shipping at store.wildboarfarms.com. I got it and plan to grow it this year.

We are far from being hot and arid up here in the mountains. I only had to water once after last June but then again who nows what this year will bring

Malcolm

These are from Ferry Morse. these have been my #1 tomato for the past 3 yrs.

I'm very interested in the Neves Azorean Red since my family is from St. Michaels Island, Acores. let me know if a trade is possible

Lar , ..Thanks much on the ML seed offer. I am already fully booked. Actually over booked. haha. Maybe next season. My seeds are germinating now. 50% are up after 4 days.

Sey

OK Sey-- nice to here that your seeds are doing ok. So far I'm running a 90% germination

Just say what you want. Somebody will have them

stevinm33 please send me a PM to discuss a trade.

@lartomato That's great to know about your area. Are there many fungal pathogens there? Do you still get proportionately cool nights like deserts do?

Suule--fungal pathogens-- no

Cool nights like the desert-- we are up in the mountains and yes it is cold here in the winter. We had our share of snow this year but we still could get more before the end of april. Our nites now are in the low 20's. We may see 60 degree today. Our season is short so if you grow tomatoes you have to use season extenders or you don't have time to harvest.

Black Krim and Cherokee Purple do well for me in north Georgia (zone 7b).

But then again, so does Mortgage Lifter. That's one I grow and enjoy every year.

I also grow Brandywine (both pink and yellow) almost every year.

malcolm, i can't figure out how to send a pm.

stevinm33

malcolm, i can't figure out how to send a pm. ******

In order to be able to send a pm to someone , he/she/recipient has to enable that feature in his/her profile.

Assuming that it is enabled, when you click on his/her user name , it will take you to his profile and you will see the word "message". then click on it ...

Sey

UPDATE :
I just checked, neither Malcolm, nor you can receive pm. You have to edit your profile.

"I just checked, neither Malcolm, nor you can receive pm. You have to edit your profile."

Just FYI to anyone who wants to enable messages on their profile.

You have to go to Edit profile->Account->Advanced settings, and scroll down to almost the bottom. Look for "Who can message me" and you have three choices, "Do not allow users to message me" (the default), "Allow users I follow to message me", and "Allow anyone to message me."

Just updated my settings. Thanks for the 411.

Thank you!