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hudson___wy

First Ripe Tomato - 2015 (Photos Please)

11 years ago

Please post a photo of your first ripe tomato in 2015 - the tomato variety - and the date - just for conversation and interest sake - and maybe pick up some ideas on early-to-ripe Toms!

We got our first ripe tomato today - it could have ripened a couple of more days - but hey - who can wait on the first ripe one when it is that close to ripe?! Sweet 100 comes through every year for our first ripe - we like to plant it early with our other early planting - knowing it will ripen first and we love the production and taste of this cherry tomato!


Comments (88)

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    jon2412, I suggest you to post the Brandywine picture AND the comment in the Is it worth getting Brandywine?

    jon2412 wrote: > Brandy wine. First time growing. Will forever be part of my garden

    hudson wrote: > my taste buds may not be as sharp as yours but this Brandywine Red tastes as good as a Brandy Boy - simply awesome !!!!

    For me Brandywine tastes THE BEST OF THE BEST, while Brandy Boy's taste is EXCELLENT !

    JMO.

  • 11 years ago

    Keep your photos coming Please - it is awesome to see all the varieties and how well the fruit looks that everyone is growing!!!

    Sungold

    Black Cherry


  • 11 years ago

    Love Sungold !
    Not very productive in my garden, but very good taste.


  • 11 years ago

    My first ripe tomato - the squirrel got to it first :-/



    Since then...


  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Daniel, I like how you explain the difference in taste between BB and BW. I grew Brandywine once before but the tomatoes didn't ripen. I didn't grow it this year because of that experience. But I'll have to try in the future because of your recommendation.

    Winorchids, nice! Those are your early girls? All these pictures of munched tomatoes is making me paranoid about my evil squirrels.

    Jenn

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Jenn, you can try the BW in some food street markets, in your area.

    Sometimes Whole Foods Market store, here in Manhattan (New York City), sells Heirlooms - BW included - at around $ 5 / lb.

    Expect little and late production for the BW.

    But, for me it is worth the wait.

    The taste, well... yes, the taste is... AWESOME ! (imho.)

    I like them soft and warm - fresh picked-up at the end of a hot day.

    They simply melt in the mouth. YUMMY !

    Some Brandywine pictures.

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Daniel, do you think the Brandywines sold in stores like Whole Foods taste the same, though? I have tried those supermarket heirlooms, grown in greenhouses in Mexico, and they often are completely flavorless. Although I did try a couple organic ones from our co-op and they seemed better. Not great, but a bit of flavor. One of them could have been a BW and that is why I selected it. But it was just ok.

    I will look for them at the farmers market when September comes, but I don't think they are a common market variety here. Maybe if somebody has a high tunnel.

    When I grew them before, the plant produced four giant tomatoes (which I now understand is typical). I think I may have used them for fried green tomatoes. I cannot remember what I did with them now! I wish I had tried to ripen them on the counter, but I think I wasn't that sophisticated.

    Daniel, do you grow the Sudduth strain? I hear the OTV strain grows better here but of course is not "the original."

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    > Daniel,
    do you think the Brandywines sold in stores like Whole Foods taste the same,
    though?

    The same
    as those in my garden… NO, but taste waaaay better than ANY regular tomatoes sold
    on the market.

    > I
    have tried those supermarket heirlooms, grown in greenhouses in Mexico, and
    they often are completely flavorless.

    Whole
    Foods Market stores are NOT just "another" supermarkets. The company is a very respected entity,
    which cares about its reputation.
    Says Whole Foods: > Currently,
    we offer more than 25,000 certified organic products and about 8,500 Non-GMO
    Project Verified products in our stores.

    You will
    NOT find similar statements in “regular” supermarkets.

    Yes, I
    also bought at the supermarket across the street those heirlooms grown in
    Mexico, and yes, they were flavorless. NOT the case with Whole Foods tomatoes.

    > Although
    I did try a couple organic ones from our co-op and they seemed better. Not
    great, but a bit of flavor.

    The
    tomatoes I bought from farmers in Manhattan at Union Square Greenmarket were
    simply awesome. The price: $ 3-5 / lb. Most of the farmers that sell in Manhattan grow ORGANIC. One day I asked a farmer if he uses Daconil. He replied: What's Daconil ?

    > When
    I grew them before, the plant produced four giant tomatoes (which I now
    understand is typical).

    A few
    years ago, one of my BW produced only… TWO huge tomatoes.

    In other
    years I had around 6 tomatoes. Some in the forum had more than 10. It all
    depends how you prune the plant: 1-2-3… stems, suckers management,…I grew Sudduth strain. Unfortunatelly I don’t remember and I didn’t take notes about it, last
    year. But I think, the most I liked Pink Brandywine.

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    My early variety has been producing since early June, but the large indeterminates just started ripening the middle of this week. Last night our supper was a big plate of ripe tomatoes! So far we have CP, Dester, Lillians Yellow Heirloom, Dwarf Summertime Gold, Casino Chip and our early. Picked 14 lbs. this morning of blushing tomatoes as we are supposed to get rain and I don't want them to split. Including Green Giant! So excited to try this one, we love green when ripes. Still waiting on the other dwarfs and Brandyboy. All of which got a later start.

  • 11 years ago

    mmm... nice...


  • 11 years ago

    Wow - nice harvest Jennie!!

  • 11 years ago

    Hudson, I bet your countertops are overflowing! Have you started canning yet?

  • 11 years ago

    Jennie, I'm jealous. Still waiting on most to ripen here.


  • 11 years ago


    Sun Gold. 7/5/15

    Plant purchased from the nursery and planted in the container in early June.

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Jennie - We are starting to increase our ripening counter inventory - haha - we have been BLT and Tomato sandwich deprived for so long that for a while there - they were disappearing off the counter almost as fast as they appeared. My wife has been freezing most of the Better Boy and Jersey Boys to make her first batch of her awesome tomato soup - as soon as she gets 16 lbs. The Brandy Boys are coming on strong now - it won't be long.

  • 11 years ago

    Well this is our best tomato season ever in Orange County Calif, (near Disneyland)

    Thanks to Seysonn we bought an Annas Noire and it is a "tomato production machine"!

    My Nar's are doing great too with tons of huge red maters, most of them perfect shape.

    The Cherokee Purple has produced well too, albeit smaller maters but still very tasty!

    Kelloggs Breakfast has also produced many tomatoes, and most everybody really loves them.

    The Black Krim turned out to be a "bummer" again this year, the leaves folded up and never opened even after several months, so it got yanked.

    The giant Belgium has produced some nice tomatoes, but the plant is not as healthy as the


    others, (Hoping it will pick up).

    Still waiting on the Brandy Boy, but it has some nice looking maters on it and looks healthy.

    Here's a couple pictures.


    Gary

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    First full size ripe tomato. Juliet( small ) has been giving me ripe tomatoes for several weeks... flawed but I'm glad for these. Bull's heart and red zebra

  • 11 years ago

    Such a great thread! Often I take pics of my daily harvests and then think "....hmmm... who am I going to share this with!?"

    I'm north of Seattle and planted (to me) my toms very early this year (late March I believe). Nothing is ripe or blushing yet, but soon!!!

    Indigo Rose

    San Marzano

    "Seattle's Best Of All"


  • 11 years ago

    Welcome neighbor, pilar hari !
    I am also in Seattle area (Redmond, Samm.)
    Your Indigo Rose is a bit ahead of mine.

    I wanted to grow "Seattle's Best Of All" but ran out of real estate. Please review it later.


    Sey

  • 11 years ago

    Skagit Valley here!

    I shall review it -soon I'm guessing, if these warm days keep up!

    Thanks for the warm welcome!

    -P

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Welcome Pilar, from Tacoma! I also saw the Seattle's Best tomato, but was also out of room. We will be anxious to see what you think of it. They look really nice!

    Here's my first ripe slicer - a Cherokee Purple which I just ate for breakfast. Photo inspired by Hudson.

    ETA: YUMMMMMMMM

  • 11 years ago

    Wormgirl - I miss the Cherokee Purple this year - We ran out of room - even though I bought the seeds to plant and gave our seedlings to neighbors. Beware of the green gel though - haha !!! Cherokee Purple does have great flavor!!!


  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Nitsua: ROTFL!!!

    Also, Daniel - Regarding our earlier conversation - I will try the Whole Foods Brandywines. We just had one open here 2 months ago, beause we just hosted the US Open. I guess our whole town is not enough to build a grocery for, but a 1-week golf tournament tips it over the edge? Anyway, I'm pretty excited about it.

    Also, Hudson, how does your tomato look so juicy? I am going to have to learn to capture that juice. Although, mine may not have been as juicy.

    I just ate a Jaune Flamme and it had green gel, but I took it out to ferment it!

    Below: Black Krim (left), Cherokee Purple before slicing, Jaune Flamme, Suncherry

    I ate all of them today. Suncherry SURPRISINGLY good, actual "tomato" flavor, not just sweet (I probably ate them on the early side). More flavor than Jaune Flamme and Black Krim. Black Krim sweet, Jaune Flamme tart, but not much flavor. But, it's the first, tiny fruit.


    Kellogg's Breakfast, pulled this morning, ripening...


  • 11 years ago

    This morning's harvest includes the first Stupice. It's at the bottom. Not much to write home about. But, I didn't give it the same advantage by starting it early, so not a fair test of its "earlyness."

    Also shown, the red cherries in this photo are my first Sweet Baby Girls. Excited to finally be getting some reds!


  • 11 years ago

    Hi everyone! Just wanted to share mine. Almost ready to pick, I don't know what they are because the sticks are missing.

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Thanks for sharing Cynthia!! Your tomatoes look great - whatever they are!!

    Nice assortment of varieties and colors - Wormgirl !!

    Here is our first ripe - Big Pink

  • 11 years ago

    Hudson, Big Pink too? I am not sure I have ever seen your complete grow list. It's longer than I thought!

    Here's that KB sliced. Note the juice :)


  • 11 years ago

    Wormgirl - KB is juicy! They look delicious!! I taste pineapple looking at them!

    Our grow list isn't that long with the GH size restrictions:

    Brandy Boy, Better Boy, Jersey Boy, Red Rose, Brandywine Red, Celebrity (planted outside), New Big Dwarf, Sweet 100, Sun Gold and Black Cherry - oh, and a cherry tomato a neighbor promised would be delightful but she has no idea what it is (saved seeds).


  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    First ripe New Big Dwarf - 10 0z !

    I am as impressed with the taste as I am with the size of the NBD!!

  • 11 years ago

    mortgage lifter, sungolds and sweet 100's made an awesome first Caprese of the year?


  • 11 years ago

    First ripe Rose...



    This is the heirloom, sometimes called Amish Rose.


  • 11 years ago

    My Anna Russians and Black Krims


  • 11 years ago


    Sweet Tangerine and Sun Gold

  • 11 years ago



    Royal hillbilly

  • 11 years ago

    I have picked few cherry size before. But this is my first , what you
    call a beefsteak type. I picked it at color break to beat the beasts.
    hehe

    Big Beef : 126 gr ~=4.5 oz

    I have to wait for it to get ripe.

    Sey

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    And so it begins. None of the big kids are ready yet...but the little guys are going gangbusters! Sweet Million and Sun Gold.

  • 11 years ago

    Tomatoes started to come in good quantities. These tomatoes are from the last two pickings. Time for salsa.

  • 11 years ago

    The danger in bragging that these Big Beef in the pic below from April 5 are somehow special is that in mid-July I have zero ripe tomatoes. Have some green cherries and they're the size of shelled peas. Two seasons per year, both short, and I'll re-post in October.


  • 11 years ago

    First ripe Persimmon. I love the color and the taste. I wish they were a little more productive.



  • 11 years ago

    The tomatoes are starting to pour in. Picking at first blush. Golden Rave are the Roma and Sungold I can't keep up with at this point. Jet Star and Sweet Tangerine finally coming in in good quantities.

  • 11 years ago

    Red Rose

  • 11 years ago

    In the picture is


    CP picked yesterday. First ripe by end of June was an "Early Treat". First ripe for CP and Big Beef were in first week of July.

  • 11 years ago

    Wow, hp ... that s one big fat CAT(faced). I like the taste of CP. Mine are nowhere near ripening.

    My only (other than cherry/grape) has been Big Beef and Fourth O' July. But I see the light Maybe Black from Tula shortly. We shall see.


    Sey

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Thanks Sey. It's my first year growing CP. Very impressed by its size, earliness, productivety, disease resistance, and taste. Its productivity is comparable to big beef. I grow 5 CP plants and have picked around 10 fruits/per CP plant since July: the smallest is one half pound and the largest one is in the picture. Notice that I put its taste last -- my "other" tomatoes all have great taste because I don't water and fertilize after the plants went into the holes. But CP has thin skin and soft meat and more watery than other types.

    I have been thinking, sey, that cutting back fertilizer and water may help you get early ripe fruits.

  • 11 years ago

    My first Brandywine

  • 11 years ago

    I have picked some here and there for about one month and now they are really producing. Here is a plate of 16 I picked today. No really big ones but these are my Big Beef and Carmello. Both taste pretty good

  • 11 years ago

    This is not the first fruit of Japanese Truffle Pink. But close enough. They are productive, but late and slowly ripening variety.




  • 11 years ago

    Big Pink is a productive plant - it is also an attractive and up to it's name - deep pink color with good taste. They average 8 oz. I'm not sure we will find room for them in our GH next year - but if you haven't tried Big Pink - it is a variety that you may consider - IMO.

  • 11 years ago

    Not all of them are first ripe, but the yellow one, Azoychka, is.

    The other ones in the order of size are:

    Brandy Boy, Big Beef, Pink Passion,(2), Siletz , Rio Grande and the rest are Mini Romas.

    Sey

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