Almost ripe! My first tomatoes

[dreamshark]

No they are not large or red, but they aren’t supposed to be; they are yellow grape tomatoes. We could never grow tomatoes before we took out that giant tree, so this is a big adventure. Now it’s a race between us and the squirrels!

Comments

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

My first to ripen were the 'Chocolate Sprinkles' cherry tomatoes, by a large margin. The yellow pears have green fruit, along with most of the others by now.

Re: Yes ...

[dreamshark]

Chocolate sprinkles! Wow. Do they actually taste chocolatey? Or do they just have brown spots, which sounds distinctly less appealing?

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

There's a whole range of tomatoes that are partially or wholly purple to brown. I've even found a few with patches of true black, but that's rarer. They all have a "dark" flavor in some way. Often it's a meaty, savory taste. Some are sweeter, with a more fruity darkness. Others are almost smoky.

Think about chocolate, and not just the modern candy versions. Have you ever tasted cocoa powder or cacao nibs, eaten mole sauce, or tried Aztec hot chocolate? There are bitter, tangy, and savory notes in non-candy chocolate that do resonate with many tomatoes in the purple to brown group. So 'Chocolate Sprinkles' doesn't taste like chocolate candy, but there are notes in its flavor that rhyme with notes in some chocolate.

Some folks like that for snacking, which is what we've generally done with these. But it's also great for cooking if you want rich, savory flavors. My favorite for making some spaghetti sauce or sloppy joe recipes is 'Black Krim' which is another purple/brown tomato about racquetball size and oval in shape. That one is really meaty.

In color, 'Chocolate Sprinkles' is streaked or speckled with different shades of red, green, bronze, and brown.

If you have access to a farmer's market or a store that sells different colors of tomatoes, it's worth exploring the purple/brown ones to see if you like that kind of darker flavor.

[minnehaha]

You might recall that, when I grew tomatoes, I picked them before the squirrels got involved and let them finish ripening indoors. It's a good technique.

K.

[dreamshark]

We just picked the first two and ate them. They were very sweet and juicy, but the skins were a little chewy.

[maruad]

Have you tried putting out water for the squirrels? I seem to lose fewer tomatoes when there is water available, especially when it is so hot.