Recently came across this forum and have spent some enjoyable time reading past posts. Carolyn seems much loved.
Anyhow, when discussing brandywines I haven't seen my favorite mentioned, the landis valley strain. I find it to be a little earlier, a little more prolific, and a little more accepted (less blemished) when I try to give them away.
Seems to have good old brandywine taste to me.

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Larry, the Landis Valley is another name for Red Brandywine,, not Brandywine, and it's brought up in terms of folks choosing that one at TGS where there are two listings for Red Brandywine, a PL and an RL, and neither one is RB.

When you say it's a little earlier and more prolific may I ask what you're comparing it to? I ask b'c it's Red Brandywine and so can't be compared to Brandywine which is a totally different variety. ( smile)

The person who originally got Red Brandywine out of the SSE Yearbook was Tom Hauch of Heirloom Seeds in PA and he still lists it as his signature tomato at the website.

Tom sent seeds of it to Steve Miller at the Landis Museum in PA and it was Steve Miller who got the little info we know about it and passed along that info.

So, there is one TRUE Red Brandywine, no strains are known, and landis Valley is just another name for it even tho Linda at TGS called it a strain; it isn't a strain.

Does that help?

There are some wrong RB's out there b'c a wholesale supplier from CA distributed them so it's good to know which places carry the TRUE RB.

Carolyn

The landis valley strain is RED Brandywine.

A true Red Brandywine I might add.

Brandywine is a larger PINK fruited variety with potato leaf foliage.

Two seperate varieties.

Good morning Carolyn, you hit the submit button a minute before I did...:)

Will the RED Brandywine with Landis Valley in its description at Tomato Growers Supply be the same as
the RED Brandywine at Heirloom Seed?

John

Will the RED Brandywine with Landis Valley in its description at Tomato Growers Supply be the same as
the RED Brandywine at Heirloom Seed?

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Yes John, it should be if the Landis Museum was maintaining it correctly from seeds sent to them by Tom Hauch of Heirloom Seeds, who has maintained it correctly and a few years ago I compared Tom's RB with my RB obtained from an SSE friend back in the early 90's and they were identical.

Linda at TGS got her seeds from the Landis Museum.

Carolyn

John, I forgot to mention a few things for you and for others who might be reading this thread.

Glenn at Sandhill has the correct RB.

Gary at Tomatofest was selling RB seeds on sale but they were the wrong PL ones. I don't know what the status of those are right now.

Mike at Victory Seeds was also initially selling the wrong PL RB but as I recall that situation was remedied and the blurb there might note that.

Off hand I can't remember the authenticity of RB from other sources.

Carolyn

It's funny that you people should mention that red BW landis valley is the same as Red BW etc, because I have grown both and fiound them completely different in type and size etc,
I prefer the RB Landis for flavor, but this year I grew R.B. potato leafed variety-which turned out exactly the same in size and shape as the Pink BW but the skin was bright red instead-some of which were over a pound in weight, and from my experiance of the Landis valley strain none of them ever got to be as large as that and were on average around 8 to 12 ounces each, and quite a bit more prolific in production- although i did find that the Red BW potato leaf variety was slightly better production that the pink version.
Overall the red Landis valley was the superior flavor every time,so in conclision- I dont really know what I have got in the Red BW potato leafed variety- but is certainly not the same as the Landis version.

I dont really know what I have got in the Red BW potato leafed variety- but is certainly not the same as the Landis version.

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That's correct. RB is RL and Red Brandywine PL are not the same.

Of the two RB's listed at TGS that aren't RB, one PL and one RL, no one knows what they are except they aren't RB. Both are from Seeds by Design in CA, a wholesale place that has distributed several wrong varieties and they don't know what they are either.

Linda ontinues to list them b'c many folks like them. She got the Landis RB so that she'd at least be offering true RB.

Carolyn

Carolyn,

Thanks for all the help with RB.

I plan to grow two next year and will use two sourses.
Probably Sand Hill and Heirloom Seed.

John

Carolyn,
I was comparing Landis to brandywine and several other brandywine listings at TGS. I only have room for one repeat pink/red variety ( Kellog's breakfast, Cherokee Purple and a never-ending list of aspiring candidates demand room too). And while I haven't done a side by side taste comparison, I found Landis taste close enough that other factors could be given some weight.
Thanks for the info though.
I have a copy of your book on hold at my local library.

Larry

my library doesn't...Searched all 11 branches...nada......Bummer........T