Multi-Colored Tomatoes
Part of The Zebra Collection
Yellow Zebra, Green Zebra, Black Zebra, Valhalla, Blood Gulch and more Yellow Zebras.
Photograph courtesy of Krystal Elser.
Berkeley Tie Dye
($6.95) 80 days. This rare and wild
exotic fruit with big bold luscious flavors looks just like its name implies
-- with spectacular streaks and swirls of green and yellow and red and orange
and green dappling inside and out. From 8 to 12 ounces, Berkeley Tie Dye is
another fabulous variety from tomato breeder Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms here
in California.
A portion of the proceeds of Berkeley Tie Dye will be donated to TACA, Talk About Curing Autism in the names of two very winsome young fellows, Caleb & Ethan.
New
for 2012!
Big White Pink Stripe
($5.50)
Here's my new favorite white tomato!
Ripening to a pale creamy peach shade it's brimming with summer's
passionate promise of warm-from-the-sun homegrown tomato delight.
Black Zebra
($5.50)
80 days. This stunning,
perfectly round 1½" to 2" fruits with tender, deep dark red to caramel colored skin beneath vertical
dark green and mahogany streaks is the favorite tomato of Amazing Terry.
Black Zebra has opulent, rich flavor with hints of smoke and sweetness, a big favorite around here which somehow disappear mysteriously from the plants as soon as they ripen.
Blood Gulch ($6.95)
85
to 90 days.
It arose about 5 years ago in the garden of Maria & Darrell Elser of Elser's Country Farm in Yucaipa, California and they have been selling it to adoring customers at their Southern California heirloom tomato farm stands for several years. The flavor is tantalizing--tart and sweet, a perfect combination of tang to sweetness with plenty of juice and a rapturous brown and green color. When Amazing Terry and I first tasted it in August, our eyes got wide, we grinned and stared at each other with the 'Oh-my-God-this-is-incredible' look. I could barely believe my mouth.
Elser's Brown Derby has become a much sought after favorite at Maria and Darrell's Farmer's Market stands where customers arrive early to get their hands on one of these treasures. I had to scramble to get this one. True story. I picked it up, another customer implored me, but I did not budge, wouldn't give it up. I wanted it for the photograph because it was so beautiful. Then we ate it.
(This fruit is not related to Tom Wagner's Brown Derby line, arose independently from that line and was named without knowledge of it.)
Back
Chocolate Stripes
($5.50) I'm sorry!
After removing it from the list in 2009, I was bombarded by horrified customers who could not live without it and were freaked out by not seeing it for 2010 or 2011, so I grew it as a special order for several customers. I've been hearing more and more from folks who really want it back --so, it's ba-ack!
Among the largest of the black tomatoes, this one was among the top 3 winners of TomatoFest 2007. Reaching 4 inches and ripening to mahogany brown with dark olive green stripes, these fruits have enormous old-time tomato flavor and an appearance similar to Black Zebra, but huge! A plentiful harvest, stunning beauty and out-of-this-world taste make Chocolate Stripes a rare treat in your garden.
Green Zebra ($5.50)
(E)
Dagma's
Perfection ($5.50)
(E)
72 days. As
described by Gary Ibsen, renowned tomato expert, gourmet, author, connoisseur,
and owner of Carmel TomatoFest, who named this extraordinary tomato for his lady
love. "This
vigorous and abundant plant offers a
bountiful harvest of medium-sized, 3" 12 oz., light yellow beefsteak fruits with
beautifully delicate red striping. Deliciously flavorful with lingering sweet overtones of
tropical fruit and subtle hints of lime, it is firm, juicy and elegant in the
mouth. An enchanting tomato...delightful and jewel-like, just
marvelous. "
Dagma's Perfection is a best seller.
Flammée (
Flah MAY) AKA
(E) 70 days. Very
prolific and stunningly beautiful, Flammé is an unforgettable tomato. Intensely orange with a reddish blush on the blossom end, these flame-colored 2 ounce globes
have a rich, tangy
and exciting flavor that literally bursts in your mouth. Cut open to reveal a
deep red interior, this fruit reminds me of a blood orange with its spectacular
contrasting colors. Fruits of Flammé appear to glow on the vine against a backdrop
of deep green foliage. Just marvelous.
Northern
Lights
($5.50)
(VE)
60
days. An absolutely striking tomato. This big,
heavy 4-5", 10 oz. gorgeous yellow-orange beefsteak, with
a red blush on the blossom end and spectacular red patterning in the center, is reminiscent of the Aurora Borealis,
or Northern Lights, for which it is named.
The flavor is sweet, intense, tangy and luscious. This marvelous tomato, only about 60
to 65 days from plant out until ripe fruit, bears beautiful tomatoes right through the cold
weather up until the first frost.
Oaxacan Jewel
(Wah - hah - kun) ($5.50)
85
days.
Wonderfully rich, sweet flavors make this stunning jewel-like tomato a huge
favorite at tasting parties and in fine restaurants. These beautiful 1 to
2 lb. brilliant yellow beefsteak tomatoes with red streaks throughout the flesh
make this one a
Pineapple
($5.50) 80 days. This huge, sumptuous 2
lb. bi-color yellow and pink fruit has a spectacular interior. Cut open,
it reveals a stunning red starburst in the center. Sweet, fruity, tropical
and complex flavors make Pineapple a top seller. Shown here with my friend Dagma
Lacey (of Dagma's Perfection fame, another fabulous tomato), it is a heavy
producer of big, beautiful tomatoes on a large unruly plant.
Photos by Gary Ibsen.
Valhalla ($6.95)
Go Back: See available varieties