Wayahead Tomato: Hanna’s Tomato Tastings 2008

Part of Hanna’s Tomato Tastings 2008

This was a freebie tomato seed packet that came with the tomato seeds I actually wanted. As you may have guessed, Wayahead is a clever play on the fact that these tomatoes are an early developer and they are ready “way ahead” of all the others in the garden.

Unfortunately, we gardeners think we are all cleverly cute and there is more than one variety of tomato called Wayahead. So for the record, this is the Jung’s Wayahead, not the Henderson Wayahead or whoever else’s Wayahead you may find. According to the seed packet, this tomato was instrumental in the scuccess of the Jung Seed Company

The description from the company I got it from reads:

“Way ahead” when it comes to early ripening. Fruits are good size, bright red, almost round and very smooth. The flesh is solid with true tomato flavor. One of the finest for juice. Our strain of this tomato has all been grown from single plant selections. Determinate growth habit.

The Beauty Pageant:

Size: Medium. Smaller than a grocery tomato but bigger than a golf ball. (forgot the quarter)

Shape: Mostly round but just a tad flatish. Very, very slightly rolled shoulders.

The inside: Very few seeds. A thick core but thin walls.  A sloppy, juicy gel.

Texture: Silky and soft. Mostly due to the fact that it is so juicy.

Tasting:

Off the Vine Tasting: This tomato has a “clean” flavor at first. Tomato flavor but unmuddled and refreshing. After the initial taste, it becomes slightly sour around the skin, but not unpleasantly so.

Sliced and Salted Tasting: Salt just really intensifies this flavor.

Cooking Thoughts: I can see why the description from the company says this would be a good juice tomato. It is a refreshing flavor. I want to say like tomato water, but that would imply that it was bland and this is not the case. It is well flavored, just refreshing. I am not sure though that the flavor could hold its own against other flavors. The taste would get lost in sauces and salsas.

Growing Notes:
The plant is healthy and bushy. It did produce tomatoes early and they did ripen early around the same time the white current tomatoes did. So why are you only seeing them now? Because this tomato suffered from blossom end rot early on and the early tomatoes were worthless. None of the other tomatoes in the bed had this problem, so I am leaning towards thinking that this is a deficiency of the plant itself.

Will Hanna grow this one again:
Probably not. This is another girl next door tomato. No surprises, no pizzazz. It is an ok tomato if you are looking for good reliable tomato flavor but just did not wow me.