Anyone Tried Currant Tomatoes?

Abigail · March 4, 2015

This is my first year growing a currant tomato (Sweet Pea), supposed to be super tiny and sweet, so I am very excited for them. I have never seen them at my local farmers market either, so I thought I'd see if anyone here has grown them and get your thoughts!

Blueaussi · March 4, 2015

I grow them every year. Not Sweet Pea, but plain old red and yellow current tomatoes. Most years I get a few yellow current tomatoes popping up around the yard, too.

I think they have a wonderful, true tomato taste, not that overwhelming sweetness so many cherry tomatoes have. I pick a couple of handfuls when I'm outside and wander around popping them into my mouth.

Abigail · March 4, 2015

That sounds great! I am very excited about this tomato and I'm glad to hear that they aren't too sweet. Now I just need all this snow to melt....

heirloomtomaguy · March 4, 2015

I have grown sweet pea and let me tell you they are incredibly productive and had a nice sweet taste. The only thing bad i can say is that it is a real pain in the rear having to harvest thousands of tiny pea size fruits. I eventually let it go and pulled it.

**carolyn137** · March 4, 2015

Here's a list of currant varieties from Tania's superb website and I've grown many on that list. There are some she lists that I don't think, or know are not currants, and one of them is Matt's Wild, originally listed by JOhnny's Seeds and they made it quite clear it was not a current.

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/C...rrant_Tomatoes

One on that list that I really like a lot is Sara's Galapagos, but there are others that also worked out well for me well.

I don't pick individual fruits, I let ones ripen up in a truss ( individual cluster) and then harvest the whole cluster.And then just snack on them pulling them off one by one.

Carolyn

barefootgardener · March 4, 2015

I love the currant tomatoes. Like Blue states, they are not overly sweet , but have a nice distinctive, slightlly sweet tomato taste. They are very produtive and I love to snack on them while out in the garden. I am currently growing the white currant, a favorite of my grandson. He gobbles them right up.

Ginny

Worth1 · March 4, 2015

Every tomato is a currant tomato.
It is the current tomato you are eating.
And if you put a copper wire in one side and a nickel wire on the other you will get a current.

Worth

LindyAdele · March 4, 2015

I grew Tess's Landrace Currant last year, if gave me hundreds of cute little red tomatoes. I eat a lot of mixed cherry tomato salads and it was a nice contrast to the other sizes. I just loved them dehdrated, they became like little toato raisins!

Tracydr · March 4, 2015

Matt's Wild cherry. Sweet and productive, plus more heat and cold tolerant.

walt456 · March 4, 2015

I grew my first currant tomato last year by accident. I ordered the heirloom seed mix from sample seeds and didn't know what I was getting until they fruited. They were the yellow ones and as others have said they pack an amazing amount of flavor. I loved them, and am growing several varieties this year. Even my son who refuses to eat raw tomatoes ate a few.

Wi-sunflower · March 5, 2015

The reason you don't see then at farmers markets is because of all the labor to pick them. You can't charge enough to make it worthwhile.

I do usually have a few varieties of Currants as plants in the spring for home growers and they usually sell well.

Carol

Blueaussi · March 5, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tracydr

Matt's Wild cherry. Sweet and productive, plus more heat and cold tolerant.

Pedant warning: You are warned!

Technically, _S. pimpinellifolium_ are the currant tomatoes, and I believe Matt's Wild is _Solanum lycopersicum_.

/pedant

**carolyn137** · March 5, 2015

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7932-ma...ld-cherry.aspx

Above the link to Johnny's and look at the lower right where you see the cerasiforme after the name, and that's the important part since it indicates that it's NOT a currant tomato, rather, a cherry tomato.

it used to be thought that all S. pimpinellifoliums, currant tomatoes, had exerted stigmas, meaning that they are above the pollen bearing anthers and thus were more likely to account for a higher rate of X pollination. But it's now been shown that perhaps only half of them do and one very savvy tomato person I know, Keith Mueller, who has that fabulous website, says he's more concerned in the other direction, that of his pimps X pollinating his normal S.lycopersicon ones.

Carolyn

Garf · March 11, 2015

I have grown Florida Everglades, and they are as you describe. Some plants give red, some yellow. Next season, I will grow Sara Galapagos and Florida Everglades.

Wolffrunn511 · March 11, 2015

I had a type named 'Spoon'. It was very good in stirfrys. I think I'll look for that one... I think it came from Tomatobob

March 4, 2015	#1
Abigail Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Virginia Posts: 6	Anyone Tried Currant Tomatoes? This is my first year growing a currant tomato (Sweet Pea), supposed to be super tiny and sweet, so I am very excited for them. I have never seen them at my local farmers market either, so I thought I'd see if anyone here has grown them and get your thoughts!

March 4, 2015	#4
heirloomtomaguy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: glendora ca Posts: 2,560	I have grown sweet pea and let me tell you they are incredibly productive and had a nice sweet taste. The only thing bad i can say is that it is a real pain in the rear having to harvest thousands of tiny pea size fruits. I eventually let it go and pulled it. __________________ “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

March 4, 2015	#5
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	Here's a list of currant varieties from Tania's superb website and I've grown many on that list. There are some she lists that I don't think, or know are not currants, and one of them is Matt's Wild, originally listed by JOhnny's Seeds and they made it quite clear it was not a current. http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/C...rrant_Tomatoes One on that list that I really like a lot is Sara's Galapagos, but there are others that also worked out well for me well. I don't pick individual fruits, I let ones ripen up in a truss ( individual cluster) and then harvest the whole cluster.And then just snack on them pulling them off one by one. Carolyn __________________ Carolyn

March 5, 2015	#13
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7932-ma...ld-cherry.aspx Above the link to Johnny's and look at the lower right where you see the cerasiforme after the name, and that's the important part since it indicates that it's NOT a currant tomato, rather, a cherry tomato. it used to be thought that all S. pimpinellifoliums, currant tomatoes, had exerted stigmas, meaning that they are above the pollen bearing anthers and thus were more likely to account for a higher rate of X pollination. But it's now been shown that perhaps only half of them do and one very savvy tomato person I know, Keith Mueller, who has that fabulous website, says he's more concerned in the other direction, that of his pimps X pollinating his normal S.lycopersicon ones. Carolyn __________________ Carolyn

March 4, 2015	#2
Blueaussi Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: South Carolina Zone 8a Posts: 1,205	I grow them every year. Not Sweet Pea, but plain old red and yellow current tomatoes. Most years I get a few yellow current tomatoes popping up around the yard, too. I think they have a wonderful, true tomato taste, not that overwhelming sweetness so many cherry tomatoes have. I pick a couple of handfuls when I'm outside and wander around popping them into my mouth.

March 4, 2015	#6
barefootgardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Michigan Zone 4b Posts: 1,291	I love the currant tomatoes. Like Blue states, they are not overly sweet , but have a nice distinctive, slightlly sweet tomato taste. They are very produtive and I love to snack on them while out in the garden. I am currently growing the white currant, a favorite of my grandson. He gobbles them right up. Ginny

March 4, 2015	#7
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Every tomato is a currant tomato. It is the current tomato you are eating. And if you put a copper wire in one side and a nickel wire on the other you will get a current. Worth

March 4, 2015	#8
LindyAdele Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 323	I grew Tess's Landrace Currant last year, if gave me hundreds of cute little red tomatoes. I eat a lot of mixed cherry tomato salads and it was a nice contrast to the other sizes. I just loved them dehdrated, they became like little toato raisins!

March 4, 2015	#9
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	Matt's Wild cherry. Sweet and productive, plus more heat and cold tolerant.

March 4, 2015	#10
walt456 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: VA Posts: 235	I grew my first currant tomato last year by accident. I ordered the heirloom seed mix from sample seeds and didn't know what I was getting until they fruited. They were the yellow ones and as others have said they pack an amazing amount of flavor. I loved them, and am growing several varieties this year. Even my son who refuses to eat raw tomatoes ate a few.

March 5, 2015	#11
Wi-sunflower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 2,591	The reason you don't see then at farmers markets is because of all the labor to pick them. You can't charge enough to make it worthwhile. I do usually have a few varieties of Currants as plants in the spring for home growers and they usually sell well. Carol

March 11, 2015	#14
Garf Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Miami, FL. Posts: 442	I have grown Florida Everglades, and they are as you describe. Some plants give red, some yellow. Next season, I will grow Sara Galapagos and Florida Everglades.

March 11, 2015	#15
Wolffrunn511 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: ohio Posts: 26	I had a type named 'Spoon'. It was very good in stirfrys. I think I'll look for that one... I think it came from Tomatobob