Member discussion regarding the methods, varieties and merits of growing tomatoes.
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December 10, 2011 | #1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 602
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Tempted by Dester???
Anyone else here tempted to grow the Dester tomato, which won the 2011 SSE tomato tasting? Unless it's listed in the 2012 SSE Yearbook(I didn't see it listed in the 2011 Yearbook), I think I'd have to purchase the six tomato varieties, in the Tomato Collection, from the SSE Public Catalog, to obtain Dester.
Have any of you tasted Dester, by chance? |
December 10, 2011 | #2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: American Fork, Utah
Posts: 160
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Dester, Amish Dester, Amish Destor's - which is it?
Yes, I'm very tempted, but I already have four of the other five varieties. I'm always on the lookout for varieties that place high in public taste test events! Dester sounds very new to me. As far as I can tell, it's not listed in the 2012 SSE, at least not in the online version. So if you (or someone else) decides to take the bait and buy Dester seeds, consider me standing in line to split the cost/swap by PM. |
December 10, 2011 | #3 | |
Moderator Emeritus
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Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a
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Quote:
Your same question was asked elsewhere and someone responded that there was another source, so let me see if I can go fetch that. http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=19814 It turns out that it was also discussed here a couple of months ago and that's what the above link is about. The link in post 5 is to the person who I guess gave the seed to SSE and is apparently selling the seed so check it out. But I'm seeing it spelled Dester as well as Destor. Larry got the seeds from an Amish lady and received them as Destor although SSE is selling them spelled as Dester, unfortunately. And yes, Larry Pierce is selling seeds for Destor via his website which was linked to in post 5 of the above link.
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Carolyn |
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December 10, 2011 | #4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E
Posts: 5,041
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Yes, Larry is selling them at $3.75 a pack. I just ordered some via PayPal. Ami
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December 10, 2011 | #5 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: American Fork, Utah
Posts: 160
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I just had a very nice phone conversation with Larry. "Dester" is the correct spelling, despite what is listed on his website. And he is indeed the source of the seeds from which the winner of the 2011 SSE tomato tasting event were grown. I also placed an order. He has more packets available, but not a huge number.
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December 10, 2011 | #6 | |
Moderator Emeritus
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Quote:
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Carolyn |
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December 10, 2011 | #7 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Lilburn GA
Posts: 278
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How do we contact Larry Pierce for seed
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Bill |
December 10, 2011 | #8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: NW Indiana
Posts: 1,150
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December 10, 2011 | #9 |
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IN post three of this thread I linked to another thread about Dester here at Tville and in that link when you open it go to post 5 and the link at the end of the message is to Larry's site.
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Carolyn |
December 10, 2011 | #10 | |
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Quote:
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Carolyn |
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August 17, 2012 | #11 |
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Just an update.
Two men came to my home yesterday, and the one came to interview me. And Dennis surprised me when he said he'd been an SSE member for 30 years. But I'm posting b'c he brought me two huge Dester tomatoes, one that was fully ripe that I took a large bite from and set up a fermentation with the rest of the fruit and I'll let the other one ripen up to eat, but I might need to process that one as well. What I'm saying is that I thought Dester was delicious and the flesh is very dense with very few seeds yet enough juice to enhance the taste. I think Dennis said that he did get his seeds from Larry Pierce. Since this summer will be the first time that folks are growing it it will be interesting to me and I'm sure others to see the feedback. I'll have enough seeds to send to Craig who raises my plants for me, and some to send to either Shoe or Lee or Neil for seed production in 2013 but not enough seeds to share with others, that I know, with the exception of a couple of long time friends who know how to deal with just a few seeds and are very experienced in terms of seed germination.
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Carolyn |
August 18, 2012 | #12 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: southeastern PA
Posts: 760
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Carolyn, I'm really glad you got a nice treat! I grew Dester's this year and
thought it was the best tasting variety in my '12 garden. We had given a box of toms to friends-got a call from them saying that a tomato with "DA" written on it was absolutely wonderful! Darlene |
August 18, 2012 | #13 | |
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Quote:
SSE refers to it just as Dester and last night I went to Larry's website and he has it as Dester.....Amish Beefsteak, so it seems to me he's just decribing an Amish origin and a fruit shape and Amish is not part of the variety name. If he had written Dester Amish Beefsteak without the ....... part between Dester and Amish I would have concluded differently I think. Which to me, anyway, suggests the name should be just Dester. Opinions anyone? Larry, are you out there, we need your help.
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Carolyn |
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August 18, 2012 | #14 |
Tomatovillian™
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Location: southeastern PA
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Carolyn, I think you're correct. The little packet I got from Mrs. Pierce is
labeled "Destors". Since then, he's corrected the spelling on his website. I think in the original SSE article it was referred to as Amish Destor's and it may have been Destor's Amish originally on Larry's site--I think he may have added the .... Amish beefsteak later. I might write them a quick note to tell them how great it was (and I'll ask what the final name is!). Darlene |
August 18, 2012 | #15 | |
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In the blurb for any variety one usually writes the history, in this case the Amish origin, etc. I had three varieties from Portugal from the same source so really had to express them with the type of fruits, and those were: Kukla's Portuguese Beefsteak Kukla's Portuguese Heart Kukla's Portuguese Paste ....... as offered in my Jan 2012 seed offer here as well as SSE listed, but I doubt I'll list them either place for 2013. I know you'll let us know when you know what the name should really be, and hopefully the word will get out before folks start calling this variety by different names which will just cause yet more confusion.
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Carolyn |
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