1987 SSE Yearbook, from which I ordered some of the tomatoes below. Yes, I did have a phone chat with Kent Whealy way back then (hence the phone number, which was the general SSE phone number)

I’m finding some nice momentum on my blogging, aided by having two running series - this one, and posting of all articles from “Off The Vine”. These will post on Sundays, the other on Tuesdays.

Let’s resume the tour!

Tomato 21 - Bellstar, seed obtained in 1986 from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. The description - a super productive determinate paste with larger fruit - is what enticed me, and I am still in my pre-heirloom, mostly red tomato phase. I only grew Bellstar this one time. It was certainly prolific and the paste tomatoes were larger than Roma. But….fresh eating a determinate paste tomato was, and still isn’t, a very memorable thing to do. I am glad I grew it, made lots of sauce from it, and put it in my rear view mirror.

Tomato 22 - saved seed from Bellstar (Tomato 21) which I never did grow further. At age 36, it is very doubtful this seed would germinate.

Tomato 23 - Better Bush F1 hybrid, obtained from Parks Seeds in 1986. It is interesting to realize that I actually grew a dwarf tomato this early on. It didn’t impress, however. The compact plant was a shy yielder, if I remember correctly, with medium sized tomatoes of no flavor distinction. I didn’t save seeds and never did grow it again. Why did I choose to grow it? I suppose that the catalog description of having a more compact growth habit provide a high yield was of interest, and clearly I was just picking a bit of this and that to try out.

Tomato 24 - Burpee VF F1 hybrid - The Fred DuBose tomato book raved about this older, less fancy, certainly more ordinarily named hybrid. I purchased the seed from Burpee in 1986, and grew it in my 1986 garden as one more scarlet red tomato. The Burpee seed catalog had a very glowing description (I think the wording was a variation of “a favorite of Burpee employees”). It was a good tomato, not a great tomato, producing a decent yield of medium sized scarlet tomatoes. I didn’t think that they were as good as my go-to hybrids of those days, Better Boy or Whopper. I didn’t save seeds and didn’t grow it again. By the way, the “VF” designation was for bred-in tolerance to Verticillium and Fusarium wilts.

1987 SSE Yearbook page showing Persimmon and the various members that made it available

Tomato 25 - Persimmon - now we’re talking; a return to colorful heirlooms and resumption of the varieties that I grew in my 1987-1989 heirloom vs hybrid “contest”. Though I first read about the variety in the Seeds Blum seed catalog, I ended up acquiring it from SSE member NY ET J in 1987 (the SSE code means that the SSE member, a New York gardener, had a first name that started with “J”, and a last name with the first two letters “Et”. - her name is Josephine Ettlinger of Deer Park). When I was a Pennsylvania SSE member, my code was PA LE C - here in NC, my code is NC LE C. You can see the listing in the 1987 SSE Yearbook, above. Persimmon was one of the stars of my 1987 garden. The indeterminate plant was quite enormous. A relatively late ripener, coming in at 86 days, the total plant yield was 33 lbs, with average fruit weight of 13.5 ounces. Many fruits were well over one pound. The pale orange tomatoes were very meaty and solid with a relatively low quantity of seeds. The flavor was on the mild and sweet side but very pleasant. I saved seeds, and Persimmon has graced my gardens several times, being grown, in addition to 1987, in 1991, 1994 and 2001. It’s pretty shocking to me that I’ve not grown it in 21 years, and probably should find a place in my garden soon. I chose to acquire and grow Persimmon to add an orange tomato to my early heirloom explorations, and can still recall the excitement of watching this, and other differently colored, tomatoes ripen in my garden. As far as its history, one reference lists it as dating to the 1880s, but orange tomatoes were not present in seed catalogs in that date range. It is most likely a variety that emerged in someone’s garden through a mutation or cross, and was traded locally, eventually finding its way into an heirloom seed catalog and a SSE listing. A Russian variety that was collected by the SSE in the early 1990s, Russian Persimmon, is not related to Persimmon. Russian Persimmon is determinate and a smaller, smoother deeper orange tomato.

Tomato 26 - Mortgage Lifter - acquired from SSE member Jim Halladay of Pennsylvania (see the pic below with the very interesting historical hint - a tomato grown by the Halladay family, when living in Kentucky, for three generations. How does this link to the two known Mortgage Lifters, Ester’s from Barboursville WV in the late 1920s, and the Radiator Charlie/M C Byles version from Logan WV in the early 1940s?). I didn’t grow this tomato until 1991, my last in Pennsylvania - and I really enjoyed the sweet full flavor of the very large pink fruit. Aside from 1992, Halladay’s Mortgage Lifter was also in my 1996, 2002, 2013 and 2014 gardens. It seems like a perfect time to return to it. I didn’t actually request this particular Mortgage Lifter; it was included in my request for Pineapple and Tiger Tom, 2 varieties not yet discussed. The plants for this variety are truly monstrous and challenging to keep pruned and under control. Quite a few locally named Mortgage Lifters showed up in the 1987 SSE yearbook, as shown below.

1987 SSE Yearbook listing for various Mortgage Lifters

Tomato 27 - Mortgage Lifter, Pesta Strain - I was sent this variety by Missouri SSE tomato collector Edmund Brown in 1987 and 1988. He received it from West Virginia gardener George Pesta. I grew it in 1989, and again in 1993. I really can’t believe that it has been nearly 30 years since I hast grew it. I know nothing of its history, and wonder if it was a color sport from Mortgage Lifter as grown by Mr. Pesta. It was included in the third and final year of my heirloom X hybrid contest. I was surprised to read that first fruit ripened in 75 days; it must have been a warm summer, since this type of tomato is typically a later ripening variety. I harvested 17 tomatoes from the very tall, vigorous indeterminate plant, but they averaged 22 ounces each, so the plant yield was a bit over 23 lbs. The fruits were oblate, smooth, and colored varying swirls of yellow and red - just like Ruby Gold, and ones I will discuss below, Yellow Brimmer and Pineapple. My feeling is that this is a general “type” of tomato that popped up in gardens throughout the country over the years. I would love to know the genetics of these types to see how many actually distinct varieties there are.

Tomato 28 - Yellow Brimmer - I acquired this tomato from SSE member Charles Estep in 1987. He acquired it from a North Carolina gardener, and I would have to do a bit of digging to see if I can find out who it was (the code, NC DE F, is not in the 1987 yearbook). I first grew it in 1988, then again in 1991 and 1998. Since there is a large pink tomato variety called Brimmer that was introduced by the Woods Company of Virginia in 1907, one possibility is that Yellow Brimmer is a bicolored mutation of Brimmer. In my 1988 garden it was very late, with first fruit at 101 days. I harvested only 8 tomatoes which averaged 16 ounces, giving a plant yield of 8 lbs. Everything written about Ruby Gold and Mortgage Lifter, Pesta Strain holds true for Yellow Brimmer. The size, color and flavor are essentially the same - meaty, juicy, mild, and sweet with a flavor and texture reminiscent of peaches. I really went pretty big for the big yellow red bicolors early on in my heirloom adventures, that’s for sure!

Tomato 29-1 - Sun Gold F1 hybrid (this number was later reassigned once the Sun Gold seed ran out) - My record keeping fails me, as it lists my first purchase as Johnny’s Selected Seeds in 1993. My memory tells me that I purchased this the same year as sister tomato Sun Cherry F1 (already described as tomato #3 in my collection). So, I was tempted to grow Sun Gold in 1991, and it made an amazing impression, finding a place in pretty much every garden I’ve grown since. Johnny’s called the flavor “unique, tropical in nature”. Sue and I call it remarkable. The one thing to keep in mind is to pick them as soon as they reach a medium orange color, as watering or rain will make them quickly crack. I won’t write much more about it, because I suspect most tomato lovers have tried it. Sadly, being a hybrid, we don’t know which parents were used to breed it. Saved seeds are fun to play with, but as far as I know, no one has achieved an open pollinated selection with the unique excellence of the hybrid.

Tomato 29-2 - Brandywine - This is it - this is the one! Obtained from SSE member Roger Wentling of PA in 1987, this tomato, grown often throughout my gardening endeavors, is at the very pinnacle of tomato flavor. I’ve grown at least 50 plants in my gardens that lead back to this acquisition. Oddly, the first year I grew it, 1988, the plant struggled with disease. With the first ripe fruit coming in at 89 days, I picked 16 tomatoes at an average weight of 11 ounces, but the flavor was excellent. Future grow outs met much more success, and Brandywine (from this seed source) is often the best flavored tomato in my garden. It is far superior to the “strain” purchased from The Tomato Seed Company (described as Tomato #10). The potato leaf plants are tall and vigorous, and fruit typically range from 12-16 ounces with a complete flavor - intense, perfectly balanced, and memorable. Roger Wentling got the seeds directly from Ben Quisenberry; Ben got it from Dorris Sudduth. Every gardener, every tomato lover, needs to try this tomato at least once.

Tomato 30 - Pineapple - This variety was also sent to me by SSE member Jim Halladay of Pennsylvania in 1987. History indicates that it was offered by the Gleckler Seed Company in the 1950s. I’ve grown it off and on over the years. I grew it in 1987, the same garden that was my first real dip into heirlooms, alongside another bicolor, Ruby Gold. A late tomato, coming in at 85 days, I harvested 23 tomatoes that averaged 14.6 ounces each, giving a plant yield of 22.3 pounds. Ruby Gold was a bit larger and a bit heavier yielding. It was big, oblate, and swirled yellow and red, with that characteristic mild, sweet peachy flavor. I can’t way I will ever love this type of tomato, but it is gorgeous and does find its uses in the kitchen. You can see a picture showing the listing of Pineapple in the 1987 SSE Yearbook, below.