Blind taste test on first crop

[gardenjefe]

My early crop of tomatoes yielded a good variety, so I did a blind taste test of the toms shown on the image my wife put together. They are unidentified pink, Cherokee Purple, Kellogs Breakfast, Porkchop, Indigo Rose, and Nyagous. To my surprise Nyagous definitively won. It was sweet, complex, juicy and meaty enough. The clear 2 once again a shock was indigo rose. Good flavor, something different. Cherokee Purple, my favorite tomato, finished last! What's interesting is the top 2 are being grown in 30 gallon containers, pro-mix bx potting medium. The rest are in my raised beds. I'm thinking all the rain made the in ground toms more mealy/juicy with less flavor. If Nyagous is always this good though, why didn't anybody tell me???

[cythaenopsis]

Great selection there. I do wonder if tomato flavoring can vary much from one growing season to the next. But is there also something about changing up the flavors from one familiar variety to the next new one that makes them more appealing? In any case, I'm intrigued about Nyagous and Indigo Rose now.

Have you ever tried Black Krim or Lemon Boy? If so, what did you like/dislike about them?

Next year I'm going to try Sarah's Galapagos and Russian Orange Oxheart, which I've heard really good things about from a couple of established growers.

[gardenjefe]

I like Black Krim as it was one of the most flavorful varieties last year. This year the bugs got to my first ones so I'm a week away from tasting. I've never tried lemon boy. I think the indigo rose did benefit from being new to me, but Nyagous was far and away the tastiest tomato, it stood on its own. The one that never seems that good to me no matter the year is Kellogs breakfast. This may be the last year I grow that variety.

[ddsack]

The one that never seems that good to me no matter the year is Kellogs breakfast. This may be the last year I grow that variety.

I agree and suggest you give Aunt Gertie's Gold a try. It was all the rage a few years ago, but seems to have dropped off grow lists. I much prefer it to KB or KBX that were both too mild for me.

[TightenUp]

Originally Posted by ddsack

I agree and suggest you give Aunt Gertie's Gold a try. It was all the rage a few years ago, but seems to have dropped off grow lists. I much prefer it to KB or KBX that were both too mild for me.

kelloggs breakfast was my fav tomato last season. i thought it was very complex for a milder tomato with just the right sweetness. it was the only yellow grown last season but i sampled it next to lemon boy and some unknown varieties from farmers markets. also had mr stripey and did not like that at all

this season i have kelloggs breakfast, kbx, amana orange, barnes mountan yellow.

[remy]

Too much water will definitely alter the flavor to bland and mealy. I often give tomatoes gorwn in a bad year a second chance. Kellogg's Breakfast never had much flavor in my garden either way though. Now, I did taste one from Gary Millwood in KY, and it was great so you never know. Orange Minsk does much better for me here.
Taste buds are funny too. I didn't care for Nyagous. That's why there are so many varieties. I always say there is a flavor for everyone!
Remy

[gardenjefe]

Remy, most of these plants are your seeds, so great job on the good ones, and I blame you for any that taste bad. hahaha.

[remy]

Remy

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by remy

Too much water will definitely alter the flavor to bland and mealy. I often give tomatoes gorwn in a bad year a second chance. Kellogg's Breakfast never had much flavor in my garden either way though. Now, I did taste one from Gary Millwood in KY, and it was great so you never know. Orange Minsk does much better for me here.
Taste buds are funny too. I didn't care for Nyagous. That's why there are so many varieties. I always say there is a flavor for everyone!
Remy

You know there are areas tomatoes just taste better right? Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey, a few other parts of the country have just the right combination of soil and climate to make certain varieties flavor pop year in, year out.

I remember when I was very young my Grandmother used to always proclaim Indiana tomatoes were the best in the world. Even better than New Jersey tomatoes. (which are spectacular) I never really 100% believed her. I kinda figured she was being biased due to state pride. I found out though, having lived in and gardened in 6 or 8 places since. There really is a difference. You can get close, but not quite. I also found out what grows best in one place doesn't automatically make it good for another.

So even if everyone's palate was the same, there still would be varieties better suited for flavor different places.

[KathyDC]

Originally Posted by Redbaron

You know there are areas tomatoes just taste better right? Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey, a few other parts of the country have just the right combination of soil and climate to make certain varieties flavor pop year in, year out.

I remember when I was very young my Grandmother used to always proclaim Indiana tomatoes were the best in the world. Even better than New Jersey tomatoes. (which are spectacular) I never really 100% believed her. I found out though, having lived in and gardened in 6 or 8 places since. There really is a difference. You can get close, but not quite. I also found out what grows best in one place doesn't automatically make it good for another.

So even if everyone's palate was the same, there still would be varieties better suited for flavor different places.

I never really thought about it that way, but it makes sense. Different soil has different properties. Soil and other local conditions are part of what makes wine grown in one region from the same grape taste different than in another region, and that's well-accepted. So I don't see why it wouldn't apply to potentially anything, tomatoes included!

Kathy

[remy]

Originally Posted by Redbaron

You know there are areas tomatoes just taste better right? Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey, a few other parts of the country have just the right combination of soil and climate to make certain varieties flavor pop year in, year out.

I remember when I was very young my Grandmother used to always proclaim Indiana tomatoes were the best in the world. Even better than New Jersey tomatoes. (which are spectacular) I never really 100% believed her. I kinda figured she was being biased due to state pride. I found out though, having lived in and gardened in 6 or 8 places since. There really is a difference. You can get close, but not quite. I also found out what grows best in one place doesn't automatically make it good for another.

So even if everyone's palate was the same, there still would be varieties better suited for flavor different places.

Not including WNY is fighting words . Where I live is in the little strip of zone 6 if you look at the USDA zone map along the shore line from Lake Erie the Niagara River to Lake Ontario. Summer days days are normally 80 during the day and low 60's at night and there is about an inch of rain a week. So we do normally have perfect weather to grow tomatoes, and as a result they are pretty darn tasty.
But you are correct what grow well in one place does not in another. And if it is a bad water logged year, it doesn't matter where you are, most tomatoes will come out bland and mealy.
Remy

[cythaenopsis]

^ Wow, 80's during the day and 60's at night... ah! Superb for tomatoes. I'm in northern NJ and we've not gone below about 72 at night for almost a month now. Although we've had generally hot weather, we've been lucky not to have more than a couple of above 90's days strung together. I erected some shade to help abate the heat a little and it seemed to help--I didn't have as much blossom drop as I was expecting. Still, when a couple of flowers get fertilized on one part of a truss, the all of the blossoms and buds on the rest of the truss end up dying off (probably an intentional abort by the plant to divert resources to fruit growing). I'm probably needing to up the fertilizer levels.

As for optimal tomato regions, Eastern Long Island has some terrific spots too. I've eaten a few terrifically delicious beefsteak tomatoes out there.