Keeper Tomatoe Review

As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.


As I noted, I was moved to try a Keeping Variety of tomatoes which was called Red In Yellow Out or something like that. No one ever writes about specifics in crops it seems, and although Cornell University manages a wonderful gardener site in which growers can actually post their thoughts and experiences on individual vegetables, nothing is ever written about niche vegetables like the Keepers.

I suspect that they are horrid things, compared to summer tomatoes and people are too lazy to deal with them, and it is easier to just buy those tasteless things in the market than to grow them.

Tomatoes of this genus, are designed to keep for months, possibly from an October harvest into February. I can not speak to all of this genus, but only to the one I have grown, as I had no idea what to do with this variety as they behave on their own traits.

This tomatoe produced well in a bad tomatoe growing year. It produces globe shaped fruit, like a Sioux or canning type tomatoe. It seemed green for the longest time, as all tomatoes did, but  as it set fruit, it kept the green color and I assumed, that is what I would be picking was green tomatoes which somehow turn yellow skinned with red interiors in storage.

In checking some blue tomatoes which TL had been growing this year, I noticed some of these keepers had fallen off.   That means the fruit will not hold on the plant when it is ripe. June my turkey helped with one in picking it, as she likes going out and drilling holes in the biggest tomatoes in the garden and then walking off.

What I found in these tomatoes is pictured above, in when they are ripe, they have the most pretty beige red blush on that nondescript off tan and slightly green background. They are a pretty fruit.

At this writing a taste test was not attempted, as while this is the best tasting tomatoe of the keepers or the best of this genus, it is said to be tart. It is best to try a fruit when you do not have good fruit around to judge the other fruit.
I did note in the June picked fruit, that these tomatoes seem to be drier than wet. That would explain their keeping quality, as water is home to bacteria, and dry fruit do not grow mold.

As I write this at the end of September,  I still have to load the photos off my other tower for this article, and by then I will probably have done a taste test. The main point in this is, these are very late tomatoes, and I am growing them so I will have some type of garden fruit in January when everything else is tits up.

I have found I get most wanton around December, after being deluged all autumn with too much fruit, and that is what these tomatoes are for.  A sort of treat as on two plants I should have around 20 fruit for us here.

I had thought I would pick the vines and simply leave the tomatoes attached as in the grocery in those greenhouse fruits, but that is not going to work with these apparently falling off the stems.

It is all exciting, as I know if they were good tasting tomatoes, lazy people would just grow them. So this is going to be a situation of how much I can tolerate them.

OK in order to serve you my greedy children for information and I hate half assed reviews, I went out, cut out the turkey saliva and dirt pecks, and then took a slice off this tomatoes.

I was expecting dire results of sour, but instead this is a fresh, slightly tomatoe, a bit pithy, but wet enough fruit that I would say is better than those things in the market, but it is not a summer garden tomatoe.

The flavor of it is a musty like Brandywine, but there was absolutely no aftertaste.

The seeds are in quite large gell divisions, which will make it easy enough to collect them.

The skin is perfect for keeping. I would not say it is tough nor like a plastic wrap, but it is something which is resilient when you are chewing it.

I am excited about this variety enough to definitely grow it next year. The key point now is keeping them in storage to February. That is what is important and why I am growing them. They pass that test as I learn how to store them best, and I see possibilities for them. As they adjust to my area, they should respond better in my natural selection.

This wraps up the review and it is a pleasant surprise as the fruit was better than I thought it would be. It is not spectacular, but not bad either.

The key points being, the fruit will ripen to a beige pink blush and fall of the vine in a season's growth. I will assume that the green fruits I will pick before frost will also ripen, and hopefully not be as obnoxious as those pithy window ripened tomatoes from summer.

That all requires time though and the experience will answer the questions.


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