German Red Strawberry Tomato: Hanna’s Tomato Tastings 2008
Part of Hanna’s Tomato Tastings 2008
This just looked like a fun tomato. A giant strawberry is the basic description. Who could argue with that?
This tomato is touted as a “red†tomato, but has hung on the vine for 3 days firmly a pink color. The squeeze test indicates that the tomato is ripe and the pull from the vine test did as well. A quick look at online images also mostly shows a “pink†fruit, not a red. I am going to hope that I am right in picking it now.
The description from the company I got it from reads:
German heirloom. Red fruits averaging 10 ounces, look like very large strawberries. They are very meaty with few seeds and little juice yet big taste. Fantastic for saucing or slicing. Indeterminate. 80 days
The Beauty Pageant:
Size: Rather large. Fist size.
Shape: It is, as the description promises, strawberry shaped. All the fruit on the plant are shape like large hearts.
The inside: Very few seeds due to thick walls and a thick core. If there are 30 seeds in there, I will be surprised. Almost no gel, what so ever.
Texture: Very soft and a little mealy. It is not an unpleasant texture, but is not as silken as other varieties I have tried.
Tasting:
Off the Vine Tasting: Delicate and on the sweeter side. I am fairly certain this is a ripe tomato, because of the soft texture. It loses its punch if you keep it in your mouth too long, but the initial flavor is nice.
Sliced and Salted Tasting: Salt pulls the flavor way up and out. The flavor is more intense and leaves an after-taste.
Cooking Thoughts: Due to having little gel, this is a great slicing tomato. Due to have very few seeds, it is a great sauce tomato. I would say that it does not have enough complexity to stand on its own, as a side dish, but would be great on sandwich as an accompaniment.
Growing Notes:
Healthy plant that has not branched too much. There are a few fruit on the plant, but it does not seem to be producing a lot of tomatoes.
Will Hanna grow this one again:
Probably not. I just like a complex tomato and I don’t think this fits the bill. Good flavor, certainly, but just straight tomato flavor and not much else.
I’m growing this one, too. Mine aren’t ripe yet, but I’ll see soon enough if they are as you described. They certainly are shaped like large strawberries, or small hearts.
I grew these last season, and they were a favorite of mine mainly because they were one of the first three heirlooms I ever had LOL!
But the one thing I wanted to say is , I am glad you see them as a pink tomato, as I thought I was losing it when all of the descriptions said this was a red variety. And no matter how long I waited with it , the color was firmly Pink!
I really have appreciated your tomato testings the last few years. I grew GRS from seed this year, and the seedlings died from damping off. So hearing your mixed review (as I also like a complex tomato) was somewhat satisfying.
Holy Confused-Fruit, Batman!
Can’t try them on principle. I’m incredibly closed minded when it comes to flavors – kind of like that person who says that they picked up a grape as a child, only to pop it in his mouth and discover the deep flavor of a kalamata olive? (Yes, I dated him. He has sworn off olives for life.)
I love the pictures, but I would be very afraid my taste buds might not forgive me if I sampled a strawberry-looking tomato.
Just teasing. Sort of. Thanks for the pictures… And the warning!
I would love trying new tomatoes that will grow here in Texas. It ain’t easy here. It gets really hot early and when it gets really hot the tomatoes won’t set fruit. I picked up some odd ones this year that were great. The stake is still out there and I need to write it down for next year. We planted some new plants the first part of July to have this fall. Our spring ones had gone all brown and had done their thing….and it had gotten above 100 for several weeks.
We haven’t really gotten into the heirloom tomatoes that much, but if I can find them easily then maybe so. Veg garden is sort of limited, so we tend to stick with Early Girl, Better Boy, Sweet 100 and this year I planted a yellow pear tomato. They are somewhat milder than red tomatoes.
Thanks for this review of this tomato variety. Very informative. It is always a treat to visit your lovely and lively blog.
Jon at Mississipi Garden blog on 8-4-08
Thanks for the information. I bought a starter plant at a garage sale for a buck and thought….this could be a fun variety. I’m actually a flower nut…but mixed in some veggie plants with my perennials this year. My plant just holds one tomato on it…but I’m anxious to see it ripen…for the big taste test. I stumbled across your website for other reasons…but found this to be some great information. God Bless You Always!
Not a fan of this Strawberry tomato. I grew one this summer in Atlanta. The shape is definitely “cute” but not much taste, a little on the mushy side and not a heavy producer. I pulled it out in July and replanted an old favorite.
Love your site! I should have listened to it before I bought that tomato this spring. Garden space in precious.
Thanks, Kay