It's January 2024, and it's our first full summer growing in the greenhouses that we received from a Vic Ag grant back in 2022. We excitedly planted eight varieties of tomatoes inside, as well as eggplant, cucumber, zucchini, basil, beans and more. When the seedlings in our outdoor fields were ruined by unseasonably late and severe storms, we were relieved that the greenhouse crops were not affected.
Since then, our summer has been unusually wet and humid here in South Gippsland, so in the week between Christmas and New Year we found ourselves frantically saving the precious tomatoes from blight. We stripped the plants of damaged fruit and leaves, applied an organic copper spray to combat fungal growth, and aerated the greenhouses as much as possible. Thankfully we saved them early enough, and the tomatoes have gone on to thrive, but it was a stressful couple of weeks nursing them through!
Now to the fun bit. With all the varieties ripening nicely, it's time for a taste test.
Variety: Aunty Ruby's Green
Appearance: Large and bright green all over when ripe
Our review: Winner! A balanced mix of sweet and tangy with a beautiful texture
Variety: Cherokee Purple
Appearance: Large, deep reddish colour underneath becoming green on top
Our review: A close second! Rich, sweet and earthy, high acid
Variety: Brandywine
Appearance: Large and chunky, reddish-brown in colour
Our review: In the top three! Like both of the above, this has a rich and balanced sweet and tarty flavour
Variety: Super Sioux
Appearance: Mid-size, a deep red colour - ours are orange-red in the picture below
Our review: Right up there. A lovely sweet-acidic flavour mix. Would be very versatile
Variety: Yellow Cherry Honey Bee
Appearance: Relatively small, bright yellow when ripe
Our review: Low acid and very sweet in flavour
Variety: Florentine Beauty
Appearance: Usually large (smallest in our picture though), bright red in colour but can be other colours
Our review: Standard tomato flavour similar to supermarket varieties, would be good for sauces
Variety: Grosse Lisse
Appearance: Mid-size and bright red
Our review: A perfectly average, versatile, supermarket variety
Variety: Lionheart
Appearance: Mid-size, bright red
Our review: As above, a decent yet unremarkable tomato best suited for sauces
All of the tomatoes are perfectly tasty, but our top picks are definitely stand-outs, especially if you're eating them fresh, sliced in sandwiches for example. These also happen to be the heirloom varieties. You may have your own preference on flavour and texture, especially if you're sensitive to high acid fruits, but hopefully this might be a useful guide if you're buying our tomatoes this season.
Smallest to largest: Florentine Beauty, Yellow Cherry Honey Bee, Grosse Lisse, Lionheart, Super Sioux, Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, Aunty Ruby’s Green