I had a few thoughts & a few surprises this year with varieties that I thought I would share. See if folks had the same or different experience...?

Pork Chop - a friend sent me this seed and I actually kept it for a few years before I decided to try it. OMG it was a wonderful little/big tomato! It was much larger than I thought it would be with dark and light yellow stripes. VERY light yellow flesh. It was a little dream. Tasted wonderful - very nice addition to the garden.

Brandywine Sudduths - picked this up knowing that it was a low producer. I got one tomato (not disappointed). One big giant tomato. But was not overly impressed with the taste. I know years fluctuate, but not sure I'd plant this one again. Had the family sit down and we all tried it together and we all kinda shrugged and thought it was unremarkable.

Red and Black Boar - this I wasn't going to plant - but did and SO happy I did!! Very prolific, cute little brick red interiors with green stripes on outside and it was very tasty! Kids loved them, I loved them and it's a definite repeat. Brought the little buggers to work and people snapped them up like candy. Really nice tomato!

Large Barred Boar-liked it! very good taste, but not prolific in my garden. But going to try again just based off the taste alone. A really nice tomato!

White Queen - ENORMOUS white tomatoes with an good taste. PROLIFIC! Between Pork Chop and this beauty I'm changing my mind about yellow/white tomatoes. This love apple was tasty and impressive. People were asking if I'd bring more into work. it was a HIT - at home and work. NICE TOMATO!

Golden Cherokee - Liked it. nothing to write home about, but a perfectly acceptable addition to my garden. Very pretty cut in slices. I'm not a huge fan of bi-colors because they're late and well, rot on me before I seem to know when they're ripe - this tomato was neither late nor rotten before I picked it. It will be added to the line up.

Brads Black Heart - I grew this two years ago and was impressed with it. I've changed my mind... I'm WILDLY impressed with it now. I grew ONE plant this year from seed I saved and OMG it was very prolific (late for my garden) and the fruit were just enormous. some almost lost their heart shape because they were so big. Tasty, prolific, large fruit. it's a permanent addition. I'm still getting BIG tomatoes off this plant. Very nice variety.

Indian Stripe - continues to be a staple - don't know what I did without it.

Prolific Mystery Red - I grew a few plants from a pack of Russian 117's that I bought from a commercial source. Definitely NOT Russian 117. It was a big plant - not ferny leaf (should have known from the get go that it wasn't 117) Reg leaf. But that plant was LOADED with lovely red tomatoes! LOADED!! with an excellent taste! Ruffled beefsteak. They were so close together that it almost became difficult to pick because you might damage a tomato next to it. I'm going to grow this one from the seed I saved as well as from the purchased pack to see if it was an aberration, a mix up on my end or the seed pack. I'm thinking it is one of the later two b/c I grew TWO plants both were NOT Russian 117 but this prolific yummy surprise. And I swear, I made a case of sauce from these two tomato plants alone. It was a nice screw up.

Earls Faux - I thought I'd TRY this one. wasn't thinking it was going to be a keeper BUT whatever Earl did he did it right! LOVE THIS ONE! It was VERY late - later than Brandywine for me. but it made up for it for giving me a ton, I mean a ton of fruit. I was making sauce and went to clean out the garden of all the ripe tomatoes and I literally picked 10 off the plant that were in the 1 +/- lb range, at once! Beautiful.. handsome.. tasty tomatoes. A definite repeat.

Romeo - Big plant and it grew one big giant tomato. Not sure about what to do with it next year I'm really an Opalka fan and this tomato is not going to ever come close to what Opalka does in my garden.

Ananas Noir - big beautiful beefsteak with odd coloring (don't even know HOW to explain the color - red, pink, green, black ? blotchy colors??)? I bought seed commercially and sorry I did. 2 years ago I had a little globe 'Ananas Noir' that was fantabulous :) thankfully I saved seed from that fruit - but this big beefsteak is a definite leave it for me. Sorry! Want to see if I can get the little globe going in my garden because that little guy was remarkable.

I had a few 'leave its' this year: the above mentioned BEEFSTEAK Ananas Noir, Nicky Craine, Dagestanskiy, Wes, OSD Blue (although EVERYONE remarked on the color and was pretty prolific in my garden), Mexican Cocktail, VB Russia, Black Cherry (I don't know why, but I'm really not a fan. It just hasn't impressed me).

Neighborhood farm (that I recently stumbled on this year) grows Heirloom tomatoes - PICK YOUR OWN! and they grew some I had and some I had not tried. Impressed with Sun Cherry, Rose, German Giant (I think)? embarrassed to say I can't remember the others.

Anyway, thought I'd share. And I'm jealous of those folks that live in a zone that are thinking about a second crop. I've taken pictures if anyone is interested & I've saved seed from most of these and am looking forward to next year. oh and looking forward to the tomato porn that will be hitting my mailbox in a few weeks!!! Cheers!