Heritage Tomato Tasting - Trying 13 Unique Varieties!

You can't beat a home-grown tomato, and heritage tomatoes have a unique flavour that modern bred supermarket tomatoes simply lack. The truth is, commercial growers have bred tomatoes to be more productive, disease resistant, with fruits that have a longer shelf life. The downside to this is that the original 'proper' tomato flavour has been lost from this breeding of hybrid varieties, to create the standard tomato most people know today.. which don't taste of much at all compared to these!
Today we're tasting 13 heritage tomato varieties grown at the allotment! We may have had a disaster with blight, but we've somehow managed to get a decent crop of tomatoes!
I had actually planned to taste many more varieties than this (20+) but we lost many to blight and others haven't even ripened yet. The summer in the UK has been very bad this year and that's to blame.
Nevertheless, we have some really nice ones to try here!

[@bobsiddoway]

Amazing selection!!! I’m growing several of these this year!

[@downtoearthwithjim]

There's some lovely ones! Especially Alice's Dream that's delicious. I'm trying not to go too overboard this year but I'm finding it difficult to resist the temptation, I've already acquired several new varieties haha

[@jeil5676]

Theres a youtuber who grew tomatoes in conditioned bales of straw this year and he said he had no disease. He figured it was due to no soil borne pathogens cuz no soil. Perhaps you could try a couple bales next year. I know at least one of the fancy breeders also grows that way. His channel is Millennial Gardener.

[@downtoearthwithjim]

I've heard of this method as well, and was actually considering doing it this year. The trouble is blight travels through the air on our allotment site from one plot to the next so I don't think it would make much difference for me anyway

[@ivahihopeful]

Thank you for the video. I love these types.

[@downtoearthwithjim]

There's some really lovely varieties out there, some you wouldn't even think were tomatoes!

[@lesleyedwards8822]

Thank you folks. A little suggestion.If you have 3 tasters it would helpful if the third person had some comments. Lose the gladiolus and flowers. Also you sit in the middle and have the tomatoes already cut and let the tasters pick up a piece themselves.

[@downtoearthwithjim]

Thank you for the suggestions 😊 there likely won't be a tomato tasting this year as we had most of them destroyed by aminopyralid herbicide. Next year hopefully we will!

[@myrustygarden]

Wow excellent choices my tomato list just got bigger 🤦🏼‍♀️. Lovely to see mom and sis ❤. Have a fabulous weekend Jim, happy gardening 👩‍🌾, Ali 🌞🇨🇦

[@downtoearthwithjim]

There are definitely some lovely ones here! Alices Dream and Queen Of The Night are ones I'll definitely be growing again next year!

[@Stephen474]

Some lovely colours Jim, I grew a variety called Brads Atomic Grape last year, I got the seeds from Tony C Smith, I couldn't tell when they were ready to pick, I have grown them this year, leave them a bit longer hopefully the they will taste better, thanks for sharing.... Steve

[@downtoearthwithjim]

I also grow Brad's Atomic Grape. Lovely tomato, although I also struggled to tell when they were ripe 😂

[@martinklawinski2933]

We grow Mar Azul here in spain and love it. It's beautyfull, tasty and a good producer. One of our favorits.

[@downtoearthwithjim]

Delicious tomato! One I'll be growing again next year I think!

[@deangrisham2858]

I had an amazing decrease in blight problems by placing a couple uncoated plain aspirins in each hole as I planted. Then about twice a week I sprayed with a powdered aspirin mixed in with a gallon of water and a tablespoon of Captain Jack’s Fungicide. It was really a night and day difference! Next year I plan to add in some baking soda to the spray mix to change the ph of the leaves and inhibit fungal growth. Good luck!

[@downtoearthwithjim]

That's really interesting! Thanks for the tip, I think I'll try this next year. What does the aspirin do in the soil? Blight has always been a massive issue so I need a remedy!

[@user-kb9dm1ui1i]

Where did u get all the purple tomatos from

[@downtoearthwithjim]

Which varieties are you referring to? Most heritage varieties I've purchased off Etsy or done numerous swaps with people from heritage tomato Facebook groups. There are loads of Facebook groups out there for swaps. I sell a few varieties from my saved seed on Etsy if you're interested?

[@klbbeeswillow]

I grew sart roloise last year and was so disappointed with the flavor being nonexistent . Took photos of them because they are gorgeous but yeah never growing that variety again

[@downtoearthwithjim]

I agree tbh. In my opinion the flavor is alright just nothing to write home about. Looks better than it tastes for sure

[@the_game]

if you'd hand me a piece of tomato like that I'd never eat it, find it kinda disrespectful and repulsive, as opposed to letting me pick it off the tray myself

[@downtoearthwithjim]

Well, it's a good job you weren't here to do the tasting then isn't it 🙂

[@MsShaz06]

Just as well we are related james 😊

[@downtoearthwithjim]

@@MsShaz06 isn't it just 😯

[@seanleith5312]

What a fine family. i gussing the girl is the sister. very gracious. very fine people.

[@downtoearthwithjim]

Thank-you, yes she is my sister

[@jeil5676]

Is she a famous writer? She looks familiar.@@downtoearthwithjim