African Queen (indeterminate) A large and attractive late-cropping American heirloom of excellent quality. The trusses, when heavy with fruit can benefit from support. Best grown under glass. Superb in salads of course but a great cooker too.
AMISH PASTE (indeterminate) a famous American heirloom. The name says it all! Great as a culinary tomato for making soups and passata especially. best grown under cover. Highly recommended.
Bear Claw (indeterminate) A delicious American heritage tomato. Prolific crops of large fruit that are as good in a salad as they are in a sandwich. Great cooked too. Does well outside in a sheltered and sunny place but only grow to four trusses.
BOLIVIAN ORANGE CHERRY (Indeterminate)
This superb cherry tomato is maintained by Pro Specie Rara in Switzerland. It yields heavy crops of the most delicious, sweet and tasty fruit early in the season. One of the first to crop. Meter-long trusses, that continue to ripen into late autumn. This is one of my favourite varieties. I have been growing it for many years and it is well adapted to my climate, able to flourish outside although for best results grow in a greenhouse.
Burmese Sour Tomato (indeterminate) I discovered this remarkable tomato in a market in Yangon. There is nothing sour about its flavour however. The name refers to its use in sour cuisine. I love it sliced, sprinkled with salt and a dash of olive oil on bread. Grow under glass.
Cherokee Purple (Semi-indeterminate). My favourite salad tomato. Heavy crops of large fruit and delicious sweet fruit. A wonderful US heirloom. Perfect with mozzarella and basil. Crops over a long season.
Corneu des Andes (Indeterminate). A wonderful tomato for passata and cooking generally. Terrific also dried and bottled. Firm flesh and thin skinned. Given to me by a fellow seed-saver in Denmark. Yummy.
DAMORT TO TAMORT
An Albanian landrace from the Korçë region of SE Albania. A heavy cropper of wonderfully tasty beefsteak tomatoes. Really great all-rounder and happy to grow outside too.
DOMATE TË BASHTËS TIME (tomatoes of my garden). A landrace tomato from the village of Miras near Korçë in SE Albania. Grown by a woman in the village and given to me by her son; the local headmaster. Medium sized plum-shaped fruit. Terrific all-rounder and does well outside.
ELI AND ZORBA’S OXHEART
Whilst travelling in the Korçë region of SE Albania I met Eli and Zorba who, through careful selection bred this truly wonderful giant oxheart. With fruits often over 700 gms and most over 400 gms this is the most delicious, sweet and yummy oxheart I have ever eaten. If you like big tomatoes you will love this one.
GERMAN OXHEART (Indeterminate) This heritage variety is typical of many Oxhearts that are synonymous with regions and countries. Grows well outside in the UK in a sunny and sheltered spot. Good cropper, yielding fruits up to 450gms which are excellent in a variety of dishes; soups, stews, as well as good bottled as passata. Nice fried on toast for breakfast.
GIGANTESQUE (indeterminate) A Ukrainian heritage variety that grows well outside in a sunny and sheltered spot. Heavy trusses of irregular-shaped fruit. Pink-fleshed and juicy. Terrific all-rounder but especially good as a salad tomato and to make soup.
GORICË E VOGEL (indeterminate) a landrace or farmers’ variety from the village of Goricë near lake Prespa in southeast Albania. Huge fruits of over 1lb in weight that need support. Great cooker but also equally delicious in a salad or with a slice of bread and cheese.
GRAHAM’S TOM THUMB
I was given seed by Graham Chedzey from Cardiff who has been growing these wonderfully sweet, thin-skinned cherry tomato for over 40 years. He was given seed by his neighbour who had been growing them for many years before. Extremely well adapted to grow in my neck of the woods with fruits from July to November from long trusses
You can now buy seed from The Wales Seed Hub
Hoy (indeterminate) A fine American heirloom beefsteak originally from West Virginia. Large, meaty and rich fruits with good balance of acidity and sweetness, makes this variety ideal sliced in sandwiches, salads and for cooking. Highly recommended.
Nello’s Plum (indeterminate) I was given this Tuscan heirloom by the cousin of a chef I was making a TV series about. My favourite cooking tomato it makes the best passata and is great bottled. Best grown under glass.
Piel de Melocoton (peach-skinned storing tomato – indeterminate) A very useful storing tomato from Catalonia that is excellent sliced with a dash of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Multi-purpose so great for cooking and excellent grilled for breakfast. Slow to ripen so best sown in late spring and harvested in October when trusses can be hung in a cool and airy shed or garage until late winter.
PINK PRINCESS (Indeterminate) The result of plant breeding as part of the Open Source Seed Initiative(OSSI) in the US to find a rival to one of the best F1 varieties Sungold. Pink-skinned and unimpeachably sweet small fruit. A bit special and now grows well in the UK outdoors too.
POLISH BIG PLUM (indeterminate) A traditional landrace or farmers’ variety that exists in many guises. Large, irregular fruit. Fleshy and sweet which makes it great for sauces and preserving
Radio (indeterminate) This sensational tomato is a mystery addition to my library. Seed was given to me by a stranger at a talk I gave. Apparently it was grown in the UK during WWII as part of the Dig for Victory campaign. It is believed to have originated in Germany and the name refers to a brand of razor! Perhaps the name is wrong but I grow it regularly. Best grown under glass but does well outside in a sunny and sheltered spot.
UKRAINIAN OXHEART (indeterminate) introduced into the US by TomatoFest, this large heirloom has deep red fruit and a classic well-balanced flavour making it good for slicing and cooking. Does well in a sunny and sheltered spot outside.