Just tasted the first one. Holy smokes. Not like any tomato I've ever tasted. It's an old variety, not very disease resistant, so the leaves look like the plant's struggling a bit, while the Better Boy variety next to it is doing just fine. But the taste - totally outrageous.
Put it on your list for next year.
Aren't they beautiful, as well? So meaty. Few finer. Welcome to the world of *great* tasting tomatoes.
Hybrids cannot come close to the taste of the heirlooms, IMNSHO.
Next year, plant more of them, if you have the space. Some years are better than others. Last year, the Old Germans, (great taste at the other end of the spectrum) produced few. This year, I am nearly tired of eating them.....great breakfast tomato, though. Sausage, eggs, toast and maters'.....heaven.
Care Charlie
I'm gonna go nuts with them next year. This year was discouraging until two days ago, when I finally put up a wire fence to stop the deer. It's ugly as hell, but I don't care. It works. Stepped outside around midmight last night and there were 5 of the bastards standing there with a "What happened?" look on their faces. The fence is 10 feet high.
Heh.
Hmmmm.....ugly/brandywine.....no-ugly/no-brandywine...easy choice.
Hey.......here's an idea for your deer problem. Elder Son brought by a movie for us to watch......"300".......not a particularly great movie, IMO, but those Spartans were good with a spear thrust. Hide amongst the 'maters and thrust a spear through their hearts. Back to basics, man against beast at the primal level.......
Friggin' deer .......and rabbits, in my case. Shot a couple more recently.
Enjoy the brandywines Charlie
This is one of our mandatory 'matoes; the others are Black Krim, Sungold (cherry) and Green Zebra. For us, the heirlooms have been good producers this year. We only have one hybrid this year and it's not doing that well (Early Girl). CareWren--drying tomatoes and making sauce today :)
Krims are our favorite black tomato.
The heirlooms are doing well here as well, northern Missouri. Last year was disappointing. Go figure.
Elder Son planted an Early Girl, as his only hybrid, and it hasn't produced much other than a few small fruits.
I've been meaning to try Green Zebra. Aunt Ruby's Green has been a great "green" tomato for us.
Hey, I have a dehydrator going now, full of Cherry Romas. We eat them like raisins. Have been tossing Rutgers in the freezer by the bags full, to sauce this fall.
Care Charlie
I think of "300" as a prelude to attacking Iran. How often do we see beauty associated with Iran ? Faceless enemy comes to mind. Which is great book that I can't find now. However a Amazon search for "Faceless enemy" yields all sort of pro war books. Go Figure.
Anyway the book I know deals with wwII and how movies and media in general always showed American faces while the enemy either had a mask on or a snarling face. In "300" the Immortals all wore masks,
Bill who saw 300 and preferred the early version with people about
1955. I just gave it to my dad hours ago. Synchronicity.
Reminds me of a Far Side cartoon. Huge mammoth, dead on the ground, spear sticking out. One cave guy's looking at where the spear hit, saying "We should write that spot down". :-)
I stumbled across Brandywine by pure chance. I was too busy to start many of my own seeds this year, and I figured it would be easy to find plenty of varieties at the nurseries. I happened to be at Home Despot, where I normally won't buy plants. But, some employee must've accidentally taken great care of the tomato plants. The Brandywines were in great shape.
The employee's probably been lobotomized and fired by now, so he/she won't attempt to teach other employees how to take care of plants.
They are the best. But I'll echo the recommendation for Green Zebras.
C
Subtitle: Seed starting project takes over entire basement.
I started mine from seed this year. Some of the fruit is downright homely but I got a 1lb 4 1/4 oz beauty last weekend. Best tomato I've ever eaten! I have the seeds from it fermenting on the sink for next year!
Seahag
Ever read Mike McGrath about seed starting?
C
I've had some better foliage and tomatoes when I sprayed the foliage using skim milk in water. I used a half cup powdered milk to the gallon and used this regularly. It cuts way down on mildew and other problems. You can use skim milk out of the carton as well. Then, I mix a cup with a gallon of water and put it in my pump up sprayer. This method is useless in a hose end sprayer.
Yes, there is nothing like a Brandywine.
No. What's it about? Removing your furnace to make more room for seed trays? :-)
I heard the same thing about a baking soda & water mixture. Throws the pH in a direction that nasties aren't comfortable with. I've only tried it with cucumbers. Seems to work.
Darn close! Check out back issues of Green Prints (one of the two and only two gardening mags I still subscribe to).
Cheryl
Sounds like Henry Mitchell. Have you read either of his books? "The Essential Earthman" "One Man's Garden"
Cheryl Isaak expounded:
What's the other one? :o)
I have every book HM wrote. And reread them too. MMcG is much lighter and fluffier but great shorts. Too much is like too much sweet tea..
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