I see a green fruit and I want to paint it.... pink!

Well when I began this endeavor I was all pumped about growing all the strange and wonderful heirloom tomatoes. I've got nearly twenty of these plants growing like weeds, fruiting, and really just doing exactly what I had expected. I figure by the 4th of July I will have 10 pounds of ripe, organic homegrown heirloom tomatoes sitting on my counter just begging to be devoured. Orange ones, purple ones, red ones, yellow ones, big ones, smalls ones, long ones, round ones... ahem, you get the point.

That hasn't changed.


However, the store bought varieties are not to be thrown out. I have read lots of blogs and posts on forums about 'tasteless hybrids' that people got at the store. The two plants I have may not be hybrids, but generally the ones that are available at the big stores are or at least are considered that by true heirloom-start-from-seed-growers. The plants I bought at the mega store are a Golden Jubilee and a German Queen. They were larger than the seedlings I put out and I put them in the ground about a week and a half earlier than the seedlings.

They began producing fruit in abundance, and still are putting more out today. They are now ripening as well. I have harvested ten or so all told from the two plants. The G.J. produces smaller fruits for the most part, smaller than a baseball, with a couple nice exceptions. They are good eating, but nothing that special, aside from their pretty color. I will likely grow them again in the future.

The German Queen was planted over other store favorites like Better Boy and Big Beef this or that, because it is a Pink variety. My dad, a 50+ year veteran of tomato gardening said to try the pink ones. He said they always tasted the best. Well so far, I commend that advice for being absolutely spot on. I cut one with some cottage cheese and toast and was amazed. It was juicy of course, full colored, and had great flavor and texture, with more about a 80-20 flesh to seed ratio. Tonight we are having them with bacon. Maybe I'll get a photo up.

The Heirlooms have large shoes to fill...