North Dakota Earliana Tomato: Hanna’s Tomato Tastings 2011

Part of Hanna’s Tomato Tastings 2011

I don’t have too much to say initially about this one, other than to say I was not really all that impressed with how “early” it produced. Yes, it was among the first to ripen, but was not the first and there were several other plants in the garden that were also producing. I’m hoping its taste makes up for its marginal on-timeness.

The description from the company I bought this tomato from reads:

Brilliant red, 6-9 ounce slicing type fruits are produced even in the face of cold wet, springs or hot, dry summers. Reselected from the original Earliana in the early part of the 20th century by famed breeder Albert F. Yeager, working at North Dakota State University. Yeager was working to develop early maturing tomato varieties that would be reliable in North Dakota

The Beauty Pageant:

Size: Pretty uniformly about the size of a baseball.

Shape: Roundish on the bottom, flatish on the top.

Color: Orange-ish red with orange shoulders. It does occasionally get a dark red stippling on a few spots on the skin.

The inside:Somewhat firm gel with seeds that are on the small side. The walls are a bit thin but the core a pretty wide and makes up for that. It is multi-chambered, which is pretty standard for a slicing tomato.

Texture: Firm meat and the gel falls apart well while you chew it, which mean that you get the impression of a juicy tomato without the mess. The skin is thin enough that it is not really noticeable while you chew it.

Tasting:

Off the Vine Tasting: Strong sour tomato flavor. Not complex, but nice. The gel is more sour than the meat.

Sliced and Salted Tasting: Salt just gives it a hint of sweetness and not much more. It is still pleasantly sour.

Cooking Thoughts: This is a great tomato for sandwiches. It gives a great mouth feel of being juicy without the mess. Perfect for a tomato sandwich or on a burger.

Growing Notes:

As I said, I was not terribly impressed with this being an “early” tomato. Conditions here have to be better than in North Dakota, right? So you think that would have played into its favor on being early.

That being said, the plant has grown well and is healthy. Looks to be producing well, too.

Will Hanna grow this one again:

No, but not because it is a bad tomato. It a nice tomato, but I like a little more complexity in my tomato flavor.