The Black Tomatoes

 

 

 Black Cherry Black Cherry ($4.95) (Ch) (VE) 65 days. A perfectly round cherry tomato with classic black tomato flavor, sweet, yet rich, smoky and complex. Fruit picks easily from the stem and is produced in abundance on vigorous, tall plants. These cherries are irresistibly delicious: look like a  black cherry, taste like a sweet cherry-- a unique addition to the color and flavor spectrum of cherry tomatoes for your garden, along with , Sungold, Green Grape, Snow White and Reisentraube, it makes an arresting display for any table. Just outstanding. 

 

 

 

 Black Ethiopian Black Ethiopian ($4.95) 80 days. This spectacular tomato has an exquisite flavor-- just knocks me out.  Be prepared for extremely heavy production of deep reddish brown-bronze 5 oz. luscious plum shaped tomatoes, sweet, rich and tangy--just ambrosial. Black Ethiopian's exceptional production and splendid flavor have made it highly prized in the tomato world.  We are proud to be offering it for the first time.

 

 

 

Black from Tula  Black From Tula ($4.95) (E)    70 days. Big, splendid, 10 to 12 oz. fruits with a beguiling color: deep dusky reddish-mahogany, with slightly green shoulders, and a sweet, lingering, ambrosial flavor. As a bonus, this Ukrainian variety offers a bountiful production. Pictured on the cover of  '100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden', by Carolyn Male. 

 

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    Black Krim ($4.95) 75 days (E) This much sought after Russian variety is unique and unforgettable, originally from Krim on the Black Sea in the former Soviet Union, Black Krim has a superb smoky sweetness with a delicate lingering touch of tang in a 4-6" slightly flattened, mahogany-colored fruit with lovely, deep green shoulders. Setting fruit at higher temperatures, it is superb and very easy to grow. (It is not the same variety as Noir de Crimeé).  

 

 

 

Black Plum Black Plum ($4.95) 75 days. (E)  (P-S) This marvelous plant offers a very heavy production of rich, sweet, fruity, elongated, mahogany plum-shaped 3" fruits that fall into your hands by the dozens as you pick them. This one is outstanding eaten fresh, or sliced in a salad, with a rich smoky sweetness and a delicate touch of tartness to its creamy flesh, it makes a fabulous and perfectly balanced sauce or paste and is becoming a great favorite for canning. I like it fresh off the vine for straight-up garden snackin'. First place winner at the TomatoMania tasting of 2002.

 

 

 

Black Prince Black Prince ($4.95)    (E)  (SM) 70 days. One of the most intensely 'tomatoey' flavored heirlooms, rich and juicy, a smaller plant, very prolific, easy to grow, it loads up in only 70 days with clusters of gorgeous 6-8 oz. deep, dark mahogany-red fruits the color of rubies at midnight.

 

 

 

  Black Ruffles ($4.95)   85 days. In dazzling jewel-like shades of deepest dark purple, with the sweet smoky flavor of the finest black tomatoes, Black Ruffles is a cross of Black Krim and Zapotec Pleated. The depth of color in this luscious fruit is unequaled in the tomato world. Reaching up to 3-4" across and up to 12 ounces, it's amazingly prolific and produces like crazy right up until frost--its unique coloring and magnificent flavor make it real show-stopper.

Seeds of this exquisite black pleated tomato were sent to me by my sweet friend Lisa Von Saunder, owner of Amishland Heirloom Seeds in Pennsylvania. Lisa has graciously let me use her photograph.

 

 

 Black Zebra ($4.95)   85 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.

 

 

New for 2008!   Blue Fruit ( $4.95) 76 days. Astonishing color and sublime flavor make this 2”- 3” round, purplish- gray, almost blue tomato a rare and wonderful surprise for your garden. Averaging about 8 ounces, with all the enticing flavor of the legendary black tomatoes, its unmatched color makes it a real delight. Growing on a potato-leafed plant, Blue Fruit is rich and smoky, easy to grow and very prolific.

 

 

New for 2008! Carbon ($4.95) 78 days. Carbon is a big hearty plant and produces a prolific harvest of gorgeous 10 to 14 oz, beautiful deep purple/brown tomatoes, many darker than than the photograph here, making carbon among the darkest of the black tomatoes with delicious, rich, complex flavor. Because of its high production and outstanding award-winning flavor--it placed first in a Cornell University tasting--it is in great demand in the tomato loving community and among market gardeners whose customers are in search of black tomatoes.

 

 

Cherokee Purple Cherokee Purple ($4.95) (HG) (E) 70 days. A legendary and beautiful tomato, at least 100 years old and said to have been grown by the Cherokee People. 12 oz. deep dark dusky rose-purple, deep red inside, with sweet, rich and smoky, luscious flavor. Cherokee Purple is a garden staple, in everyone's favorite list for a good reason, disease resistant, reliable and easy to grow, and great one for your heirloom or heritage garden. 

 

 

 

New for 2008!  Cherokee Chocolate ($4.95) 75 days. This gorgeous tomato is sweet, rich and luscious, with a very distinctive dark chocolate mahogany hue, and brownish-black shoulders. 12 ounces and plentiful on the vine; this  stunning beauty which arose as spontaneous 'rogue' tomato in Craig LeHoullier's garden several years ago.  Craig stabilized it and now this 4-inch beefsteak variety has developed a great following among celebrity chefs because of its exceptionally rich color and flavor.

 

 

New for 2008!  Chocolate Stripes (5.25) 78 days.     This big beautiful yummy 4" fruit was among the top 3 favorites at TomatoFest 2007.  A stunning mahogany with swirls of olive-green inside and out, and a flavor similar to Black Zebra that stands up to the best of the blacks.  Smokey, rich, earthy and sweet, with a silken texture, Chocolate Stripes is taking the tomato world by storm. Growing on a really big plant and standing up to cooler weather, it continues to produce well into fall.

Japanese Black Trifele ($5.25)     (SM) 80 days. Japanese Black Trifele, which translates to truffle, is a big juicy 8-10 ounce pear-shaped, deep purple-black tomato with pretty green shoulders. In Russia the Trifele varieties of tomatoes--of which there are several colors--are highly prized and command high prices. Growing on a short potato-leafed plant, it's the size and shape of a Bartlett pear and among the darkest hued and finest flavored of the black tomatoes. The skin is smooth and crack resistant and production is huge. Flavor is deep, chocolaty, smoky and rich, just wonderful.

 

  Mr. Brown ($4.95) 80 days. I love Mr. Brown, an enchanting, deep-chocolate hued, lightly fluted, 8 oz. medium size fruit. The flavor of this much sought after tomato is rich, smoky, sweet and lingering. This is a new favorite of mine and judging from all the interest in it, rapidly growing in popularity among heirloom aficionados worldwide. Created by Jeff Dawson, it is unusual, beautiful, and unforgettable. Mr. Brown; the talk of the town.

 

   Paul Robeson SOLD OUT FOR 2008 ($4.95) (VE)   (HG)       65-70 days. This is my all-time favorite tomato and our top seller. It is a gorgeous, dark and dusky-hued fruit with intensely sweet earthy taste with a hint of tanginess, a luscious velvety smooth texture, beautiful skin, rich with juice. The seed was made available by Marina Danilenko, a Moscow seedswoman. 

This luxurious tomato is named for Paul Robeson (1898-1976), the elegant, renowned and charismatic operatic singer, law school graduate, champion athlete, film star, stage actor, and boundlessly brave champion of civil and personal rights throughout the world. This marvelous plant will give you its perfect 3"- 4" fruit in only 65 days from planting. Incredible; a symphony. I do believe this is the finest tomato in existence. 

 

Purple Calabash ($4.95) (E) (HG)  75 days. A small, fascinating, deep purple to mahogany brown tomato, extremely fluted, almost ruffled, its astounding appearance make it a garden-to-table conversation piece. When picked at the peak of ripeness, which takes some practice, it has a fine lingering winey flavor, reminiscent of a rich Cabernet. This tomato has remained unchanged since it was first documented in the 17th century where a Purple Calabash tomato was depicted on the table in a portrait. Many customers who've tried it have called to tell me how much they love it. Calabash is derived from the Spanish calabaza or 'melon' referring to its fluted shape.

 

 

 

    Purple Haze ($8.95) (E) 70 days.  It's back for '08! This is our rarest plant. The seeds for this exquisite deep purple fruit were given to me by Kansas City heirloom tomato grower and developer Keith Mueller. Keith developed a perfectly round 2" tomato with rapturous flavor, a seductive shape and sensuous color. Its name was inspired by its beguiling color and parental lineage which combines Brandywine, Cherokee Purple and Black Cherry.

The flavor, for the lucky few who have eaten one, is lively and sparkling with a fine tanginess, passionate with intense earthy nuances and a lingering sweetness. Early ripening, growing in great abundance on a huge plant in clusters of 5-7 fruits, it ripens in only 70 days from plant-out.

 

Adding to its extraordinary attributes, it has a subdued yet seductive saltiness-- challenging to describe. Whatever it is, this tomato put a spell on me. 

Exceedingly rare, its ravishing beauty and flavor are unequaled in the tomato world. This is a rare opportunity for you to join the Purple Haze Experience. A fine gift for a tomato or music lover; a complete description with photograph and provenance on parchment is sent with each gift order of Purple Haze. Please order early.   

 

Sara Black AKA Schwarze Sarah ($4.95) (E) 78 days. A fabulous New Jersey heirloom tomato! Flavor is out-of-this-world. The fruits are luscious: 3-inch pink-purple fruit with dark green shoulders and beautiful, unusual deep slate-purple streaks throughout the fruit. Marvelous. The photograph was taken by my tomato buddy Ruby 'Boo' Gangloff. and used here with her kind permission. 

 

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