Tomato time is a favorite time for many gardeners. In spring, the anticipation of slicing into a juicy, meaty ball of perfection has many planting more than they should. By midsummer, plumping tomatoes on fragrant vines motivate gardeners. And in late summer, when the payoff arrives, it’s a reminder why they’re the most popular backyard vegetable.
Five Tomato Superstars
Every year, gardeners grow at least one new-to-them variety in hopes of discovering the next best thing, but in the end, many keep returning to the same five superstars. These include Bull’s Hearts, Rutgers, Big Boys, Sungold Cherry Tomatoes, and Brandywines.
Bull’s Hearts, or Oxehearts, are staples in many raised beds. They produce large, meaty, fragrant, and tasty heart-shaped fruit with few seeds. They make great salads, sandwiches, and, because of their low water content, tomato paste and sauce, too.
Rutgers is a new favorite in many gardens. Technically hybrids bred by Rutgers University and the Campbell Soup Company, their seeds can be saved for replanting as with heirlooms because they have been open-pollinated. Sometimes called Jersey tomatoes, the round, bright red, flavorful, 4- to 6-ounce ‘slicer’ tomatoes are nice and meaty, making them great for sandwiches and salads.
Big Boys may look like perfectly round, boring supermarket tomatoes, but just one bite will put an end to the comparison. Among the tastiest of the hybrids, the beefsteak was introduced by the Burpee Seed Company in 1949. Plants are highly productive, pumping out a steady stream of (at least) 10- to 12-ounce, aromatic tomatoes starting about 78 days after planting.
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes have a somewhat cult following among tomato growers. Since they’re prone to splitting, they aren’t typically found in grocery stores, so unless you’re lucky enough to stumble upon them at the farmers’ market, you’ll have to grow these babies yourself if you want to taste what all the fuss is about. Plants produce clusters of candy-sweet, low-acid, orange tomatoes, each approximately an inch wide.
Brandywines are large, juicy heirloom beefsteaks that date to the late 1800s. The plant has potato-type foliage and produces 6-to 7-inch pinkish-red fruits that weigh up to a pound apiece and make perfectly sized sandwich slices. Pink-fruited varieties are available, as well.
Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.
