Bruno Rosso - is it....Kumato? If not, something new?

**nctomatoman** · July 23, 2006

I was at the local Fresh Market yesterday - and found something unusual for 3.99 / lb! In a basket was a flat layer of round uniform smooth chocolate colored globes with the label Rosso Bruno (product of Canada). It was the color of Cherokee Chocolate or Black Prince. I suspect it is green house grown, could be a PVP variety - is it an F1, I wonder?

Well, today it will be eaten, photographed, and I will save some seed. Anyone seen these yet?

feldon30 · July 23, 2006

Yep. Seen them here in Houston a few months back. I tried a few and thought they were so-so. Nothing in comparison with the fantastic Campari boxed tomatoes.

http://www.dulcinea.com/rosso_bruno.html
http://www.dulcinea.com/rosso_bruno_faq.html

How much you want to bet the "Legend" of Rosso Bruno tomatoes is a bit of a stretch.

Dulcinea is a company that is trying to produce better produce to be available everywhere. They are the ones who are producing those 4-6lb Pureheart Seedless Personal Watermelons and Tuscan Style Canteloupes (very ribbed with green outlining of the ribs).

On another tack, the really sad thing is, when we do have heirloom tomatoes at the market/grocery here in Houston, it's stuff like Costoluto Genovese and Copia. I'm sure people get a bad idea of what heirloom tomatoes are all about when they buy those for $7/lb and they are tough and virtually tasteless.

**nctomatoman** · July 23, 2006

Very interesting (if depressing) reading....another marketing ploy to rake in the bucks! Well, I will taste it, post my impressions, save some seed and if I have a bit of room, maybe try a few plants or share some around to see what comes from it.

Story is a nice example of pure BS!

feldon30 · July 23, 2006

They make it clear that Rosso Bruno is a hybrid, so it should be interesting to see what grows out. Would the color changing -- greenish-brown to brown to brownish-red -- be considered unusual?

**nctomatoman** · July 23, 2006

original post from piegirl - moved here because it was the same topic -

just returned the grocery and saw something called bruno russo (russo bruno) a black tomato about 2/3 the size of a tennis ball. They were of course all perfect, and perfectly solid, and a rather odd unnatural black color w/ green shoulders. Commercial answer to a black tomato? $4.95 a pound! Piegirl

**carolyn137** · July 23, 2006

There's a recent thread on this at GW which you can find with a search where I gave a link and showed that this variety is the same as Kumato.

Syngentea is just introducing it to the US now whereas before this it was just in Australia and Europe.

Same BS as for Kumato as I see it, and I don't mean a college degree.
Sigh
Carolyn

**nctomatoman** · July 23, 2006

Well, it ended up in a tomato sauce. I haven't downloaded the pic yet - it had thick walls, quite firm - flavor better than the picked-green-and-gassed grocery store tomato, but mostly hype. Yawn...ho hum. I did save seeds!

BVGardener · July 24, 2006

Hey Folks,

That was me with the thread at GW on this tomato. Like Feldon, I found the flavor so-so. I really do like the color of the tomato though....I'll be growing F2 seed in the fall garden this year.
Jay

**nctomatoman** · July 24, 2006

...and here is the one I bought -

Next to a red variety, Witty

And sliced -

It is quite different from Cherokee chocolate in having brownish walls, and no green gel around the seeds.

kimpossible · July 24, 2006

Ho Hum, yet Handsome!

bully · July 24, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by nctomatoman

Well, it ended up in a tomato sauce. I haven't downloaded the pic yet - it had thick walls, quite firm - flavor better than the picked-green-and-gassed grocery store tomato, but mostly hype. Yawn...ho hum. I did save seeds!

grow it in the middle of two little lucky plants and see if Ms. Bee can improve upon the flavor...then send me seeds

michael johnson · July 26, 2006

I cant help wondering- if the Bruno Rosso tomato is realy Kumato under a different name, why did they go to all the bother to change the name!!.

Although I have to admitt- Bruno Rosso, does sound a bit more proffesional than Kumato and much more suitable name for it.

But it will indeed be interesting to see the results of F2 test growing etc.

**carolyn137** · July 26, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by michael johnson

I cant help wondering- if the Bruno Rosso tomato is realy Kumato under a different name, why did they go to all the bother to change the name!!.

Michael, just go to GW and enter Bruno Rosso in the search and you'll find the thread where I posted the info connecting Syngentea with Kumato and Bruno Rosso and those two varieties being the same.

Why change the name?

We here interact with folks in Europe and Australia and thus know about Kumato, but the general population of the US does not.

Thus it's pure marketing PR for Syngentea to change the name for the US introduction to represent something new and different.

And I can't help thinking that they MUST have gotten some feedback on the stupid claims they made for Kumato in the first place.

**nctomatoman** · July 26, 2006

well, I have about 25 saved seeds - don't know if I want to give up space next year to try it, but may offer a few to those intrepid curious souls who may wish to....will decide this fall when things quiet down!

michael johnson · July 27, 2006

thats realy interesting folks- I didnt know Carolyn had done a thread on it awhile back on GW, but I think the name Bruno Rosso sound a much better name for it, its got a rich deep sound and ring to it-it will be very interesting to see the results of the various experiments on it, it might even be worthwhile to try various outcrosses to other varieties to create new forms.

July 23, 2006	#1
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	Bruno Rosso - is it....Kumato? If not, something new? I was at the local Fresh Market yesterday - and found something unusual for 3.99 / lb! In a basket was a flat layer of round uniform smooth chocolate colored globes with the label Rosso Bruno (product of Canada). It was the color of Cherokee Chocolate or Black Prince. I suspect it is green house grown, could be a PVP variety - is it an F1, I wonder? Well, today it will be eaten, photographed, and I will save some seed. Anyone seen these yet? __________________ Craig

July 23, 2006	#2
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	Yep. Seen them here in Houston a few months back. I tried a few and thought they were so-so. Nothing in comparison with the fantastic Campari boxed tomatoes. http://www.dulcinea.com/rosso_bruno.html http://www.dulcinea.com/rosso_bruno_faq.html How much you want to bet the "Legend" of Rosso Bruno tomatoes is a bit of a stretch. Dulcinea is a company that is trying to produce better produce to be available everywhere. They are the ones who are producing those 4-6lb Pureheart Seedless Personal Watermelons and Tuscan Style Canteloupes (very ribbed with green outlining of the ribs). On another tack, the really sad thing is, when we do have heirloom tomatoes at the market/grocery here in Houston, it's stuff like Costoluto Genovese and Copia. I'm sure people get a bad idea of what heirloom tomatoes are all about when they buy those for $7/lb and they are tough and virtually tasteless. __________________ [SIZE="3"]I've relaunched my gardening website -- [B]TheUnconventionalTomato.com[/B][/SIZE] * [I][SIZE="1"]*I'm not allowed to post weblinks so you'll have to copy-paste it manually.[/SIZE][/I]

July 23, 2006	#3
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	Very interesting (if depressing) reading....another marketing ploy to rake in the bucks! Well, I will taste it, post my impressions, save some seed and if I have a bit of room, maybe try a few plants or share some around to see what comes from it. Story is a nice example of pure BS! __________________ Craig

July 23, 2006	#4
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	They make it clear that Rosso Bruno is a hybrid, so it should be interesting to see what grows out. Would the color changing -- greenish-brown to brown to brownish-red -- be considered unusual? __________________ [SIZE="3"]I've relaunched my gardening website -- [B]TheUnconventionalTomato.com[/B][/SIZE] * [I][SIZE="1"]*I'm not allowed to post weblinks so you'll have to copy-paste it manually.[/SIZE][/I]

July 23, 2006	#5
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	original post from piegirl - moved here because it was the same topic - just returned the grocery and saw something called bruno russo (russo bruno) a black tomato about 2/3 the size of a tennis ball. They were of course all perfect, and perfectly solid, and a rather odd unnatural black color w/ green shoulders. Commercial answer to a black tomato? $4.95 a pound! Piegirl __________________ Craig

July 23, 2006	#6
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	There's a recent thread on this at GW which you can find with a search where I gave a link and showed that this variety is the same as Kumato. Syngentea is just introducing it to the US now whereas before this it was just in Australia and Europe. Same BS as for Kumato as I see it, and I don't mean a college degree. Sigh Carolyn __________________ Carolyn

July 24, 2006	#8
BVGardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 542	Rosso Bruno Hey Folks, That was me with the thread at GW on this tomato. Like Feldon, I found the flavor so-so. I really do like the color of the tomato though....I'll be growing F2 seed in the fall garden this year. Jay

July 24, 2006	#9
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	...and here is the one I bought - Next to a red variety, Witty And sliced - It is quite different from Cherokee chocolate in having brownish walls, and no green gel around the seeds. __________________ Craig

July 24, 2006	#10
kimpossible Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Z5b SW Ont Canada Posts: 767	Ho Hum, yet Handsome! __________________ *So Many Tomatoes ... So Little Time*

July 26, 2006	#12
michael johnson Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: UK. Posts: 960	I cant help wondering- if the Bruno Rosso tomato is realy Kumato under a different name, why did they go to all the bother to change the name!!. Although I have to admitt- Bruno Rosso, does sound a bit more proffesional than Kumato and much more suitable name for it. But it will indeed be interesting to see the results of F2 test growing etc.

July 27, 2006	#15
michael johnson Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: UK. Posts: 960	thats realy interesting folks- I didnt know Carolyn had done a thread on it awhile back on GW, but I think the name Bruno Rosso sound a much better name for it, its got a rich deep sound and ring to it-it will be very interesting to see the results of the various experiments on it, it might even be worthwhile to try various outcrosses to other varieties to create new forms.