Green-When-Ripe Tomatoes

 

Aunt Ruby's German Green ($4.95)  (B) (E) 75-78 days. You're going to love this beautiful Tennessee tomato. Big, sweet beefsteaks, bursting with a fragrant, complex, spicy-sweetness with a touch of tang. A gorgeous green-when-ripe color, this much sought after variety is a real treat to have in your garden, and is said to be the very best tasting green. Reaching an average of 1 lb, Aunt Ruby's German Green grows in clusters of 2 or 3.

With its intricate, earthy, unforgettable flavor, this one will broaden your tomato horizons. Very adaptable, and easy to grow with good disease resistance. From Ruby Arnold of Greeneville, Tennessee who passed away in 1997.

 

New for 2010! Cherokee Green ($5.25) Another marvelous tomato from Craig LeHoullier. As Craig was growing our Cherokee Chocolate, one plant gave him ripe fruit which remained green! Growing on a big leafy plant, Cherokee Green fruits reach to 12" to 16" ounces and deliver the classic knock-out flavor and probably in the top 3 of the green varieties. Amber green with a yellow hue when ripe, they deliver a tangy rich sweet taste with meaty juicy texture.

 

 

Green Giant ($4.95) (E) (B) 60-70 days. Occasionally a tomato comes along which deserves very special attention. This big, up to 2 lb., green when ripe tomato resoundingly stole the show August 27th at Cincinnati's famous CHOPTAG Tomato Taste Fest last year taking Best Of Show. We had the immense pleasure of tasting it at TomatoFest in Carmel, California where it captured the hearts of tasters and garnered a great deal of attention. I have not been this impressed by a tomato since discovering Goose Creek in the summer of 2004. On a flavor scale of 1 to 100, Green Giant is a resounding 100. Incredible. Unforgettable. 

It arose originally in the garden of Reinhard Kraft of Germany in 2000 when he planted 30 seeds called 'Green Giant' from a friend in Canada. 29 of them grew out regular leafed except for one which had big potato leafed foliage. Reinhard cultivated that one, selecting the best fruit for several seasons, and continued to save seeds. Yay, Reinhard. Seeds are not available commercially but I have managed to secure some for the 2006 season from my buddy Cynthia Geske, owner of Love Apple Farm in Ben Lomond, CA. Cynthia grew the magnificent Green Giant fruits we tasted at TomatoFest and graciously let me use her photograph here. 

 

 

 

Green Grape ($5.25) 60 days. These 1" by 1 ½" ripe fruits are yellow-green with an amber blush on the blossom end, and lovely translucent pale-green on the inside growing on a small yet very prolific plant. After tasting it again at TomatoFest this year I decided to include it on the list for 2008.  You will love it.

This compact plant was developed by Tom Wagner who crossed Yellow Pear with Evergreen. Its fruit has become wildly popular in restaurants and markets because of its unique and very elaborate flavor, a certain tanginess balanced with just the perfect touch of sweetness, stunning beauty and marvelous flavor--Green Grape really stands out as great choice for the discerning tomato maniac. 

 

  

 

Green Sausage ($4.95) (D) (VE) (SM) 65 days. Look at this gorgeous fruit! Easy to grow and early ripening, its resplendent shape, sparkling green and amber color and tantalizing taste have made Green Sausage one of the most sought after tomatoes this season and a huge favorite at Farmer's Markets. Very prolific, Green Sausage is a small plant and produces an early, abundant harvest of 4" long fruits in clusters of 6 or 7 fruits. With flavor similar to Green Zebra but with a meatier flesh, it is tangy, rich, and juicy and sweet--just out of this world. This photograph was taken by my friend Cynthia Geske, grower extraordinaire and owner of Love Apple Farm in Ben Lomond, California. www.loveapplefarm.biz 

 

 

 

    Green Zebra ($4.95) (E) 72 days. Visually enchanting, abundantly productive, this 2-inch round fruit ripens to a beautiful amber gold with dark green zebra-like stripes over the amber background. Inside, the flesh is beautiful, sparkling green. Another wonderful variety from Tom Wagner, it is gorgeous to behold, tangy and deeply sweet with lingering flavors, like fine wine.  This exquisite tomato was chosen by chef extraordinaire, Alice Waters, for her restaurant, Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California. In my top 5.  

 

 Lime Green Salad ($4.95) (VSM) (D)   (E)   52 days. This tomato has become one of my passions. I grew only one Lime Green Salad plant the first season and wish I'd grown 10.

This petite plant, about 18 to 20" tall--great for small containers like 2 to 5 gallons, or in your main garden, produces early abundant harvests of luscious tangy-sweet 3 to 4 oz. round lime-green tomatoes which literally burst with intricate, sweet refreshing citrusy flavors when you bite into them. The flesh inside is a gorgeous chartreuse, juicy...the flavor lingers. Unforgettable.

 

 

Go Back: See available varieties