Heather, the real name is Monkey A$$, not bum and it was initially sold off e-bay several years ago.

it had no history at all and it sold b'c of the shall we say cosmetic imperfection that it had and folks buying it thought that they'd see the same imperfection but no one has as related to the picture that was posted at e-bay. And of course the name lured folks in as well. Sigh.

I refuse to go to e-bay and have since it dtarted. And with few exceptions as vendors I can't understand why some folks buy tomato seeds off -ebay. But there was someone here at GW for many years who just loved to link to odd/ridiculous/interesting tomato seed being sold and that's how I saw the picture of Monkey A$$.

At the same time there were seeds being offered on e-bay from pictures that showed, shall we say, some obvious protuberances, and again, folks buying those seeds thought they'd get fruits the same, which of course is not true b'c the MA one and the various protuberance ones were NOT genetically determined.

I know of just a few folks who grew MA and I don't remember anything really positive being said about it.

If you like MA and it works for you, then that's fine, but significant blossom scars are found on many large fruited varieties . ( smile)

Carolyn

The Monkey "ASS" tomato is derived from a very old Italian heirloom tomato, that is still grown in some parts of Italy today, the original seed for it was brought over by an Italian Immigrant a few years ago who was returning from a vacation of visiting his ancient parents over there-the tomato itself is a very strong growing plant and can reach seven foot tall or more, is a bit of a late season setter- but when it does it is a good producer of large fruit up to a pound or more, in some climates-some of the fruit show the unusual shape and form that describes the tomato name, but not all of them-most are globe shaped and often a bit on the pointy side at the base,in hotter and warmer climates they develop smoother globe shaped fruits, but in cooler climates the fruit tend to have lots of folds and wrinkles, creases and bumps etc, quite a nice tasting tomato- I am growing several plants of them this season. :)

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate all the great information!

I have to say, it has done well for me and my husband is a fan, so I have saved some seeds. However, although it is a good tomato, there are many others that do rank higher in terms of taste in my book. But, as with everything, to each his own!

Also, the name for me is such a turn-off! ;) I call it Monkey's "Bum" because I cannot really in good conscience hear myself say something like, "Hey, hon, did you see any more good ones on the Monkey's A$$ when you were out back this afternoon?" Ha! So, that takes it down a couple of notches for me...

Carolyn, would love to have seen those eBay pictures! I couldn't find any images in my internet searches. So far, have not had any with the infamous "protuberances." LOL! I think the vendor/grower couldn't bear to call it by it's true name either, because it was labeled "Monkey's Butt" at Tomatomania! I, of course, am now further confusing the issue with my own euphemism...

Micky Finn, my experience has been that the growth habits are just as you described and *most* of my fruits are the globular, though slightly pointy shape you mention, as well. Some of the earlier ones (that set in the cooler times we had at the beginning of the summer) were more creased and even lobed. I have to say, your story is more poetic! I think that's the one I'll tell to dinner guests! :) Glad to hear there are other fans out there! Best of luck with all of your plants!

Hi,
I'm growing MA. I would describe it as a large heart. I got seeds last year after attending the CHOPTAG party. My husband just loved the taste. He seems to like heart shaped tomatoes much more than I do. I took a pic of my first ripe one last night, but have not uploaded it yet.
Remy

That *is* a good description! A large heart shape seems the best way to describe it. It is a unique tomato. I have been using it as a slicing tomato in sandwiches, which it is great for. Also used it in a fresh (uncooked) tomato sauce. Really good in that, too! It is meaty enough to hold it's own when exposed to heat, unlike most slicers, which in my experience turn to watery mush. Glad to hear your hubby likes it, too! I will try to upload some pics of mine, as well. They are quite a pretty tomato!

Monkey A$$ seeds were being sold on EBay early this year. It was an attention grabber auction with the Seller's creative writing, but I watched it for awhile with no one buying.

Don't know anything about them, but I'll stick with the provens or my own seeds. ;>)

I met the guy back 10+ years ago at Gary Ibsen’s TomatoFest selling Monkey A$$ tomato seeds, seemed a bit of a scammer.