TOMATOES

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.

 

BLACK CHERRY (indeterminate) produces large trusses of deep purple – almost black – skins.  very sweet and yummy and one of the few of its type that I think worth growing.

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.

 

 

Coyote (Indeterminate).  A lovely, heavy-cropping American heritage variety.  Can be grown outside in a wrm, sunny and sheltered spot.  Does best under cover.

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.

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.

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.

Raf (indeterminate) I came across this Marmande type growing as a winter crop in Almeria, southern Spain.  First bred in Spain sixty years ago it thrives in saline conditions. Great for growing as a late crop its name means resistance to the fusarium fungus.  Now replaced by modern hybrids, it has great flavour and superb balance of sweetness and acidity grows well into the autumn in my garden. Adding a little salt when watering enhances the flavour and increases vigour. Does well grown outside in the UK.

Raskoje  Naslazhdenie (indeterminate).

The name means ” An escape to heaven” which apparently is fully deserved,from the taste. ln Russia it is called “Paradise Delight”.

This tomato is included in the State 1997 Register of Achievements for the Russian Federation. It is a unique variety with fruits of an unusual shape,a large harvest and is almost immune to disease.It can be grown outdoors and reaches six feet.The variety is good for eating,with a bright red skin, not prone to cracking.It was bred by Transnistria growers which is now a breakaway state of Moldovia and borders Ukraine.

CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK

Speckled Roman (indeterminate) A favourite cooking tomato, one that I regularly grow to bottle and for passata, this American-bred heritage variety is as pretty as it is flavoursome; so named for it lovely golden speckled skin.  A classic Italian-type plum tomato

CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK

TRUE BLACK (semi-indeterminate). An American heritage variety bred in the late 1920’s, it is a cross between Brown Brandywine and Fejee.  Large, deep red fruits and a great all-rounder.  Does best under cover.  Excellent flavour

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.

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