Thorburn's Terra-Cotta Tomato

[carolyn137]

And I''ll put up a link to True Black Brandywine,which Will Weaver said he introduced.

This link will let you know more about Will than you ever knew before, but PLEASE read at least post #9

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=7749

Yes, I knew him personally for I had been invited by Organic Gardening to give some talks about heirloom tomatoes,this was at the place where they grew the varieties,not at the office, and he showed up there and that's how we first met as you can also read in the above link and how Craig L and I said we would help him with his heirloom book and what happened to that.

Craig and I both tried to get Jere to remove the wrong info from his website; it didn't happen.

All for now,

Carolyn

[coronabarb]

I haven't been here since Carolyn passed. I had too much going on at my farm over the last few years. Anyway, I got a packet of Thorburn's Terra-Cotta seeds as a freebie and thought I'd see what others had to say about it. Hoping it is worth a spot in the garden. I will see. Meanwhile, I finally got seeds for Paul Robeson and hope it does a LOT better here in So Oregon than it did for me in So Cal. Best tasting tomato I've ever eaten. <3

[hl2601]

Welcome back @coronabarb! New growing environments can be so rewarding! Hope you love your Paul Robeson! I too got those free Thorburn's Terracotta seeds. Evidently there are 2 strains floating about. One with a more pink middle and the other more green/terracotta. Just thought I would mention. Not sure what the free seeds will be!

[coronabarb]

I will report back on the color. I finally have time to work in my garden again. I've been working more than full time baking and selling at the farmers market for several years. No time for anything else. I stopped that when covid hit. Last summer, I had two gardens with 7 tomato plants. Hope to have much more this year, esp since I now have sheep and lovely year old compost from the barn cleanings.

[DK2021]

I also received a freebie packet of "Thorburn's Terra Cotta" from Baker Creek. I wasn't planning to include it in this year's garden (I am already trying to trim my shortlist) but would be interested in hearing from others who do grow it. On one hand it would be ideal to have clear and clean provenance of a variety, on the other hand it would be nice to know if it's a good tomato that's worth growing. I looked at the reviews on the Baker Creek site and it's mixed.

[MrsJustice]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

I was curious to see what it looked like so googled a bit and here is the page from Baker Creek.

http://www.rareseeds.com/thorburn-s-terra-cotta-tomato/

Not what I expected to see and at the bottom of the description it said money back to Dr. Weaver for his project, I didn't know he had that title,yes I know him very well and have met him, so I looked around a bit more and found this at the bottom of page 2

http://www.rareseeds.com/store/veget...s-weaver/?pg=2

It isn't clear to me if this is one that he found in his grandfather's collection, but if you look in the Legacy Forum for a thread titled True Black Brandywine, I think that's the title, for old varieties he revived I have to wonder if it was indeed WWW who sent the Terra Cotta seeds to Baker Creek.

I do like looking into origins of this and that and my curiousity worked out well in finding out where the variety Budai Torpe came from, and that thread is in the Wanted Seed Forum.

Carolyn

I cannot believe I am still learning from Dr. Carolyn while she is in Heaven, Amen!!

I will try Thorburn's Terra Cotta Heirloom Tomatoes this year!! To my Dr. Carolyn who is in Heaven, Amen!!!

[asmx91]

I had had Thorburn's Terra Cotta 2019 and 2020 in cultivation:









It was a very good tomato. Taste was sweet, with a little bit acid and velvety.

[MrsJustice]

Thanks for the pictures, but the first one looks deep red with a little orange color on the bottom. Is that one fully ripened? It took me years to learn to keep the Hawaiian Pineapple Tomato on the plant to get that sweet-looking bicolor picture fully ripen, Amen; for a good picture.

[asmx91]

My seeds were from "Vertiloom" .
I had one seedbag and I got 2 different tomatoes from it and I don't know if my Thorburn's Terra Cotta is the right one.
The tomato was ripe.

[MrsJustice]

Your last picture looks like 2 Thorburns Terra Cotta Tomatoes are true and 1 is a cross. Cross Tomatoes are for eating not "saving" seeds.

But, I wish I know what Beautiful Tomato Name is in your first picture because I am having a Tropical Tomato Display for my Market this year.

[MrsJustice]

Here is my Hawaiian Pineapple Pictures that is Fully Ripen, trying for years to get a picture that is similar to pictures files. It is so sweet I had to protect it from nature, Amen!! I sell it together with the Hillbilly because of the Tropical Taste. As a Native Hawaiin gave me these seeds that are the same as the Hillbilly Heirloom Tomatoes.
https://www.angelfieldfarms.com/stor...ato_Seeds.html


I am going to keep you updated to see if Thorburn's Terra Cotta Heirloom Tomato will get a Redish Corol like your first picture if I keep it on the Tomato plant as long as possible. Like the Hawaiian Pineapple Tomato as I work hard to protect it from Nature for my research and joyful eating. Amen!!!

[nancyruhl]

Originally Posted by jmsieglaff

We are our first Thorburns Terra-Cotta tonight. Another is ripe and 4 more are turning. You've seen the first cluster and after that set it didn't set many more. Now that the first cluster is ripening it is flowering a bunch again and settling fruit. The plant is very healthy. Tomatoes go from light green, to orange to orangish-brownish. Constant size in the 5-7.5 oz range.

The flavor was a very pleasant surprise. It was a delicious fruit, I'd describe the flavor as intense. Nice rich tomato flavor, a bold burst of acid tang and pleasant sweetness. I'd put this at 8-8.5. I'm excited to try more and hope the rest are as good As the first. I also think is a nice looking tomato. The skin is definitely not fuzzy it is smooth like most any other tomato.

I grew this variety last season and had the same reaction as quoted above. They looked the same, as well. It was my first tomato to ripen which gives it another reason to be back again. Glad it is getting distributed more widely.

[MrsJustice]

I received my seeds fast, Amen!!!

They are planted and I am ready for the first bit; hopefully before May 2022!!!!!!!

[jmsieglaff]

Originally Posted by nancyruhl

I grew this variety last season and had the same reaction as quoted above. They looked the same, as well. It was my first tomato to ripen which gives it another reason to be back again. Glad it is getting distributed more widely.

Was your experience also similar on the shelf life/prime eating window? Below is my quote on that aspect of this tomato.

Just an update related to this variety, for my tastes when you eat this tomato has significant implications in the experience. For me, it is by far best when it still has green shoulders, if allowed to ripen to that orange-ish green-ish, brown-ish all the way up I did not like the tomato as much.

With the green shoulders, it is consistently in the 8-8.5 range. It is an intense burst of tang, with a good amount of supporting sweetness. At this stage it is an intensely flavored tomato. The texture is spot on, good amount of juice alongside while still meaty and not mushy.

If allowed to ripen all the way, the tomato looses that nice burst tang and the texture quickly goes too soft and a bit mushy, falling down to a 6.5. The tomatoes ripen fairly quickly on the counter, in my kitchen that's probably 2-3 days of prime eating.

[nancyruhl]

Sorry. Been travelling and didn't see that question. I really can't comment on that. Earliest tomatoes get consumed quickly and the rest get into the mix. I did not note that but dark tomatoes don't seem to fair so well on shelf life. in general.