{"title":"Victorian Tomato","description":"Beefsteak, Cherokee Purple, Kelloge Breakfast, Brandywine, Mr. Stripey, Willard Wynn, Vincent Watts, German Pink, and more to come!","products":[{"product_id":"beefsteak","title":"Beefsteak","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBeefsteak \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eis a best of the best, tomato, by far with a unique flavor, texture, and red color. The beefsteak masterfully resembles a cartoonish archetypical tomato. History says this is a Victorian hold over with a name and look as far back as 1882. It’s a tough plant to grow, splitting into a giant dual-leader dominate tree like profile in the intensity of Summer. It needs a lot of room and nutrients to fill out. The fruits have a blood red interior, dappled lightly with seeds beneath a blood translucent compartmentalized gel cell network. The bite is a balanced flesh to juice ratio that makes it perfect for sandwiches, preparation, and grilling. Finding true beefsteak seeds became a priority after years of buying seeds or starts that were evidently crossed to acidic-water tasting tomatoes. Mislabeled seeds and hybrids are common amongst seed sellers, but not ours! So, after many thousands of ‘beefsteak’ types, selections began with finding boat shape, and round rippled examples that are historically accurate depictions of ‘beefsteak’. The distinctive ridges on the fruit shoulders set it apart from a smooth skin hybrid, so fruit are best set on their bottom for maximum shelf life. Seeds were selected specifically from intact fruits to minimize cracking tendencies. You can grill this tomato and it holds shape, slice in large slices but won’t soak your bread. The flavor is not just acidic, it has a resonating herbal, more salty than sweet flavor like that of savory, tomato soup.\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Apple-tab-span\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eCultivating Beefsteak is very similar to Kellogg Breakfast and Brandywine, as their growth rate, plant profile, size and shape are more like a dual leader tree, than a vigorous sprawling bush of vines. These are true beefsteak tomato seeds, presenting a perfect red triangular shape tomato that has a bulging rump on one end, and points to the other. Suckering early, rather than hard pruning later, is a preference I was taught to do. These tomatoes are novelty gargantuan in size, with a great firm skin and excellent shelf life. Little to no cracking, odd shapes, nor low yields. The vine and fruit clusters do need multiple stiff and tall supports. These plants need more than 18 square feet to branch out. Lean vines against wooden or bamboo stakes rather than crammed together twisted in twine, tangling and suffocating vines. Set this tomato on your windowsill to watch the many tints of red, scarlet, and crimson bleed out, just as the flavor does soon after cutting through to that wooden block, into a raw weeks-old, beefsteak.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Garden Farmer","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44391842185432,"sku":"","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0685\/6563\/1192\/files\/IMG_5798.jpg?v=1707697477"},{"product_id":"brandywine","title":"Brandywine","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBrandywine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e emerges sometime after 1876 as a Victorian era tomato hybrid cultivar. Large, one-pound fruits achieve peak ripeness between 80 to 100 days. Smooth glossy pink skin, are true to the Brandywines, but types that blush orange undertones on their shoulders near the stem and base, are the real heritage keepers. Early starts, and warm summer sun contribute to a resonate flavor, impressive size, noticeable disease resistance, and early fruit clusters that this cultivar is known for. Fruit shapes appear quickly as large, symmetrical, flat, round, oblong, and triangle shapes! Our Brandywine cultivar was selected out of 300 distinct plants from a variety of American seed stores over the years. Honing in on the heritage and cultural memory, seed selections came only from fruits matching seed catalogue historical descriptions.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Apple-tab-span\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eFirst to market as late as 1876 as ‘Turner’s Hybrid’ or ‘Mikado’ because of the dominate, distinctive potato shape leaf; Johnson \u0026amp; Stokes’, W. Atlee Burpee, and a man named Pete Henderson all have contrived history on this spectrum of heirloom Tomato. By 1889, the Brandywine tomato was sold as a ‘new’ variety by W. Atlee Burpee. This Victorian era Pink fruited, potato-leaved tomato was called Brandywine, possibly by the historical significance of the Brandywine Creek of Chester County Pennsylvania, or the Battle of Brandywine during the Revolutionary War, all weave contributions to tomato heritage.\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eIt came to market, disappeared for a time, reappearing as hybrids in red, black, orange, yellow, then surviving to this day through various seeds savers who maintain the distinctive potato shaped leaves and pinkish orange, nearly seedless flesh, for over a century.\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePlant habit is tree like, with very little foliage. Act determinate with a need for heavy pruning. Vines are durable and responsive to culture, requiring strong supports like bamboo or wooden sticks during fruiting. Avoid cages, do not plant close together, and allow the plant to fill 15 to 30 square feet of space, each, throughout the growing season. Minimal leaf and sucker trimming is required. Potent organic based soil is necessary for an extended seasonal production. Established plants tend to give out after their first few fruit sets without adequate moisture, and stable warm night time temperatures that fluctuate during the Summer to Fall transition.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Garden Farmer","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44391867285720,"sku":"","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0685\/6563\/1192\/files\/IMG_5512.jpg?v=1707697876"},{"product_id":"vincent-watts-50-seeds","title":"Vincent Watts 50 Seeds","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eVincent Watts\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e is a unique and spectacular pink fruit from Lee County Virginia, given to him in 1956, and subsequently saved for over 50 years. I retained these seeds from Berea, Kentucky seed saving family Bill and Michael Best of Sustainable Mountain Agriculture. The fruit is so similar to the Brandywine, but with subtle differences that give this tomato its own character. Vincent Watts is a large fruit that is the same shades of pink and crimson. Unlike Brandywine, with that distinctive blush of orange; greens and yellow streak the base and shoulders near the stem. Common rose fruit shapes are very large one-to-two-pound, round or heart shape with small seed cavities. Plants bare early, in around 85 days with no noticeable delay from temperature, or disease pressure. The growth structure is a typical vine pattern, the habit is very much like an indeterminate type, that produces stems, foliage and suckers throughout Spring to Autumn. Unlike the tree structure, strong stiff stems of a Brandywine plant, Vincent has many leaves and suckers, and would do better with twirling in a vertical space, or hedge rows where vines can take over and recover with fruit sites. Leaves are not potato shape, and have a dainty profile, leading me to believe Watts’ pink heirloom selections would do well in a greenhouse (they do), as well as field production. This allows the plant to grow under cooler, cloudy days of March and April, perspiring less water with the reduced foliage. Early plantings are forgiven. Hot humid conditions of a rainy July are rewarding! This American heirloom represents the roaring nineteen twenties through to the atomic age. Maintain and grow Brandywine and Vincent Watts differently, but eat them both just the same.\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Garden Farmer","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44391884325080,"sku":"","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0685\/6563\/1192\/files\/IMG_5467.jpg?v=1707698150"},{"product_id":"mr-stripey-50-seeds","title":"Mr. Stripey 50 seeds","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMr. Stripey\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e or Mister Stripey\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eis a huge, novelty size, low yielding giant mid-Atlantic heirloom tomato discovered in Georgia in the 1990’s by Wayne Hilton. More golden red than yellow, or light orange transparent skin that burst with juicy caverns of succulently sweet red marble spots. Fruits require a bit more than 110 days, resemble Pineapple, Big Rainbow, and Gold Medal. Mr. Stripey has unique bulbous, out of control shapes, rarely round, but are bridge and oblong, with smooth rumple shoulders. Consider this tomato a red tomato, with orange golden stripes, rather like an inverted color pattern of the traditional bi-color yellow Germans. Can split in rain, crack because of the thin smooth skin, is fragile, and doesn’t do well stacked, or without proper cushion, but retains a very long shelf life as a late season tomato. The base is round with no deformity, very little core, and many seeds suspended in a watery gel. Mr. Stripey is more fruit in flavor than tomato, and textures akin to plum or stone fruit. Flesh is golden honey yellow with red marbling. Salads, canning, salsa, and juices are the perfect options for a culinary experience. Plants are gargantuan with low yields of large, highly attractive fruits. Cultivate this tomato as you would any other type, but lean toward bamboo and tobacco sticks to allow the tree like determinate structure to fill out and produce fruit. Managing the structure of the plant is similar to how Brandywine, and Kellogg Breakfast grow, supporting the heavy burdening fruit clusters. This plant would do well to sucker heavy, support fruit clusters, and plant multiple plantings to just reap the flush of large fruits in the lower rungs, from subsequent planting intervals. This tomato tends to be one of the later yielding tomatoes, surviving the torrential rains that proceed hot July and August summers, and produce wonderful Autumn tomatoes with setting red spectrums of the later day sun. Seeds were originally gathered by an old timey local farmer, that consistently brings these tomatoes to market no earlier than September. You could say this tomato is more refined in texture, appearance and growth habit when compared to Pineapple and Big Rainbow. The flavor and expressions are similar to Willard Wynn and Pineapple, but fruit shape and textures are expressed as Big Rainbow.\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Garden Farmer","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44391923482840,"sku":"","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0685\/6563\/1192\/files\/IMG_5851.jpg?v=1707698739"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0685\/6563\/1192\/collections\/IMG_5788.jpg?v=1707682691","url":"https:\/\/2fc296.myshopify.com\/collections\/victorian-tomato.oembed","provider":"Garden Farmer ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}