Nature Notes Brandywine Tomatoes

Visit Michelle at the intelligent Nature Notes Thursday to learn something new.

Ryan asked what was wrong with my tomatoes that I don’t have any yet. I picked a Brandywine tomato this year and so it sounds like it might be August before I can start eating them.

And then watch out.



Here’s what the google machine said: “The original Brandywine is a large, meaty, pink tomato with coarse, heavy potato-like foliage. Individual fruit weight is up to a pound. A single slice is large enough to cover a hamburger bun. The growth form is indeterminate with plants taking on a rangy appearance as the summer wears on. They are late-producing with the first fruit not appearing for 90 to 100 days, about 30 days later than many cultivars.

You will probably not find Brandywine in local stores, but it’s a natural for the farmer’s market trade in August. Although the best known of all heirloom vegetables, it does have some flaws. It's low-yielding, tends to ripen unevenly, have green shoulders, catface and to crack badly if rainfall catches the ripening fruit at the wrong time.”

I hope these are as yummy as they sound. I don't know what catface is, but it does not sound appetizing.