In 1519 Cortez saw tomatoes for the first time in Mexico. He sent sample seeds of the "tomatl" back to Spain where it spread to Morocco and Italy. It was known as pomo d'oro or golden apple, suggesting that the first tomatoes were indeed yellow. I am on a mission to let everyone know how wonderful, sweet and rich striped tomatoes can be. When sliced on a plate the marbled colors are like modern art. Some yellow varieties are so sweet a rich preserve and also wine can be made from them. Be sure to have a look at the Belarusian/Ukrainian/Russian Tomato page as well for more striped/yellow/orange selections.
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HAHNSTOWN YELLOW TOMATO - Local Lancaster County Mennonite Heirloom-BACK AGAIN FOR 2010!-"Hahn" translates from Pennsylvania German (PA Dutch) as hen, so Hahnstown means Hentown. It is tiny village near me that is settled by mostly old order (horse and buggy) Mennonites. I got my original tomatoes that I got the seeds from at a farm there. The Mennonite lady who sold it only could tell me that they "had always grown these" these clear lemon yellow tomatoes. She was about 80 years old. She couldn't give me any more information, no name or anything. Nice sweet, fruity taste. They are perfect medium sized fruits. They grow on a nearly determinate (bush) vine and do throw out most of their fruit in midseason. To the best of my knowledge I am the only commercial source of this heirloom tomato. It is not like any other yellow tomatoes I have grown.
10 fresh organically raised seeds.
NEW FOR 2009 AMISH YELLOWISH ORANGE OXHEART TOMATO Very Limited Quantity -Order Early !
When I wrote the article on "Saving Amish and Mennonite Seeds" for Farm & Ranch Living magazine in 2007, I received a number of phone calls and letters from plain people all over the United States. Many offered me their family's heirloom seeds. This is another great addition to my collection. The sender, P.P., of my original seed stock, sent me seeds of 2 oxheart (heart) shaped tomatoes, this one,which she called "Amish Yellowish Orange Oxhert" and a red one, which she called "Amish Pink Oxheart" (but it grew out red for me). She is also the sender of my favorite new addition, the "Amish Mayberry Cherry" tomato. I'm sorry but I don't any other information or history from her about this tomato. This is the difficulty with saving seeds. Most families don't value the wonderful history they have in the palm of their hand and so it goes, the history is lost forever. But at least we have the great seeds and the cute tomato it grew out. I am sorry to say it wasn't happy where I planted it , too much shade and too close to other much larger tomato vines, so it wasn't a really big producer. It was sweet and quite pretty. I imagine in a better location and a better year weather wise, it would have done much better. I grew this tomato, among many others, in the historic 4 square raised bed Pennsylvania German demonstration garden I help with. It is located at Historic Scheafferstown Inc., a farm museum right over the county line in Lebanon County. The 90 acre farm and farmhouse date to 1736 and we have tried to make the gardens as authentic as possible to that time period of the Pennsylvania Germans who lived there. I donate nearly all the historically correct seeds grown there. Be the first to try this sweet little heart shaped beauty. I warms my heart to save it from being lost, hopefully it will warm yours too. To the best of my knowledge I am the only commercial seed source of this tomato.
10 of my own fresh organically grown seeds.
NEW FOR 2009 YELLOW PEAR TOMATO - synonyms: Yellow Fig, Pear Shaped Yellow, Tomato Fig, Poire Jaune-
I have always grown this but never thought to list it on my website. After many requests, I am bringing it to you now. These tomatoes are documented to have been grown in North America since the 18th century. Thomas Jefferson grew them, heck just everyone did back then. But they were used mostly for desserts then. To the Pennsylvania Germans, these little morsels were known as "Tomato Figs" and they were dried ,sugared and preserved. My neighbor always jokingly refers to them as "Christmas lightbulbs". Whatever you call them, these are about the easiest tomato to grow and will self seed forever once begun, so plant them once and enjoy for years. They grow rather bushy plants so you really don't have to stake them. How easy is that? Sweet and perfect to pop in your mouth. Kids adore them.
10 of my own fresh organically grown seeds.
Striped Tomatoes
NEW SCHIMMEIG CREG TOMATO-
SUPER RARE~Limited Quantities~Order Early!~ I got my original seeds from an esteemed German tomato collection. I grow out and will be offering for sale again this year, another tomato from the same breeder, "Schimmeig Striped Cavern" or "Schimmeig Stoo". "Schimmeig Creg Tomato" is one of the prettiest tomatoes you can possibly grow. Both of these fabulously lovely striped tomatoes were bred and developed by famed tomato breeder Tom Wagner. Tom is the original breeder of the now ubiquitous Green Grape and Green Zebra tomatoes , as well as Banana Legs, Greenwich, Pixie Stripe, Lime Green, Elberta Girl, Brown Derby, and hundreds more varieties. I have had several amazing phone conversations with this fascinating and dedicated man. Many people believe that his varieties are heirlooms. They are open pollinated and may have parent tomatoes that are known heirlooms. I discovered that the name "Schimmeig Creg" translates as " Striped Rock" from the Gaelic/Norse/Manx ( Isle of Man) language of his grandfather on his Mom's side. These are truly gorgeous saladette sized tomatoes. They range about 2 to 3 inches across, and were rather late in the season for me, but I got them started late too. They have brilliant slightly wavy golden stripes over red. Ever so slightly hollow inside and firm. They were exceptional "keepers". They have a bit of a point on the bottom. Nice, rich, sweet taste. This lovely tomato is exceedingly rare to find for sale in the USA. Be among the first to grow this great little gem. ~Limited Quantities~Order Early!~ 10 of my own fresh organically grown seeds.
PEACH BLOW SUTTON TOMATO -
BACK AGAIN FOR 2010! -VERY LIMITED QUANTITIES~ ORDER EARLY I had heard about this early 1900's heirloom for years and finally was able to grow this out this season. I am also an antique dealer, so I actually knew where this strange name came from. The "Peach Blow" refers to the name of a fancy Victorian blown glass known for its gorgeous variation of red flowing to peach pink color on the edges. It is a rare and expensive process of glassmaking and was usually reserved for "bride's baskets" , fancy glass bowls set in silver holders, a popular wedding gift at the turn of the century. Sometimes the glass was made to appear like satin instead of shiny. "Peach blow" was made both ways.
The "Sutton" refers to a seed company at the time who capitalized on the popularity of the lovely and prized glass, when it named this odd tomato. The fruit really do have that odd coloration of pink, peach and red. They also have an even stranger slightly sticky, fuzzy skin. They resemble nectarines, both in "fuzziness" and size. They are considered an indeterminate tomato, but my vines were quite short. You will love this rare tomato from the past, both for its uniqueness and its history. It was nearly impossible to photograph the weird look and coloration of this cute little tomato. It really has much more lovely coloration than my photos show. Very hard to find seeds. 10 fresh organically grown seeds.
PINEAPPLE TOMATO - BI-COLOR HEIRLOOM BACK FOR 2009! - - I have grown "Hawaiian Pineapple Tomato" for years now and it is always one of my top 3 favorites. People are always writing me to ask if it is the same as "Pineapple", which it definitely is not, since "Hawaiian Pineapple" is a solid golden yellow-orange fruit with no stripes or marbling. I figured I should try the "Pineapple" and see what all the fuss was about. "Pineapple Tomato " is an an heirloom tomato that I was told hails originally from Kentucky .Wow, what a great tomato! This baby pumped out immense quantities of huge fruit. They were all at 1 pound minimum, with many up to 2 pounds. I always said my "Hawaiian Pineapple" was my second largest type I have grown. (with my famous "Gigantesque Ukrainian" being the heaviest and largest). Check out the ruler in the one photo. "Pineapple Tomato " probably ties for second place. This was a fairly good growing season in my zone 6A garden, and these huge 7 to 8 foot tall vines produced all summer and are still pumping the monsters out. Today was October 28, and I went out and picked 5 gorgeous fruit. They were all easily over 1 1/2 pounds, and 5-6 inches across! How's that for staying power? And the taste!
Did I mention taste? It is fruity, and so sweet and juicy. Cut one open, and see the psychedelic swirls of red, yellow, gold and pink. Truly one of the most beautiful tomatoes you will ever see. This heirloom tomato really impressed me and I have always had a special fondness for all the striped, bi-color tomatoes and have grown many types (as you can see by all the ones already on my website). How could I have gone this long without trying " Pineapple"? Be sure to add this one to your order, I guarantee you will thank me next season. 10 fresh organically grown seeds.
VINTAGE WINE STRIPED TOMATO SCARCE- LIMITED QUANTITIES-ORDER EARLY! - This was the loveliest, showiest tomato I grew out this past season. Very unusual looking. Rare coloration of pink with brilliant squiggly golden stripes. They positively shimmer, kind of like an optical illusion or op-art! Most striped tomatoes are a yellow and red coloration. Everyone who saw this beauty wanted to know its name and grow it. This was the showstopper of this season in my garden.
Large beefsteak sized fruit grow on sturdy large potato leafed plants. It was fairly early and continued pumping out gorgeous fruit until frost. Tasty fruit had a nice balance of sweet and tart. Interestingly, unlike other striped tomatoes, there are no stripes inside. It has a lovely deep rich pink interior. Very juicy. This variety just came over from Europe, I know nothing else about its origins. I guarantee you will love this showy, yummy tomato. I have a special fondness for striped tomatoes and this is my new favorite. 10 fresh organically grown seeds.
EVA'S AMISH STRIPE TOMATO ~EXCLUSIVE FAMILY HEIRLOOM-ONLY USA SEED SOURCE! - My 89 year old, Pennsylvania Dutch friend, Eva, who has given me so many of her family heirloom seeds, gave me seeds to this great heirloom tomato that was originally from the Amish. She passed away this summer in mid sentence asking her son about how big were his fish on his latest fishing trip. That's the way to go! I miss her so much! I go to her grave now and talk to her about how her gardens and mine have been doing She remembered getting these tomatoes from an Amish lady her father sold cattle to in Belleville PA., when she was young. Eva said she had been growing these huge bi-colored yellow and red tomatoes herself for over 50 years . She liked the fact that are low acid and so sweet flavored, and so will you. She called them "my big old yellow tomatoes", despite the fact that they have so much red on the blossom end, and are marbled red and yellow inside. These are huge, up to 2 pound tomatoes that ripen rather late in the season. They resemble "Old German" (another great bi-color tomato I sell) in looks. But, I have grown them side by side and "Eva's Amish Stripe" are much later to ripen. They ripen in September here in my zone 6a garden,but they are well worth waiting for. I love striped tomatoes and this is my favorite bi-color of all. You won't find this heirloom tomato anywhere else. Thanks to Eva's generosity , I am the only USA source for these seeds. My own 10 organically grown seeds.
SCHIMMEIG STRIPED HOLLOW ~aka SCHIMMEIG STOO TOMATO~ Scarce Russian Heirloom~Only USA Source~Looks like Al Capp's "Schmoo"!- SORRY, SOLD OUT FOR 2010
I only just found out the real history on this great tomato. This is from noted tomato breeder, Tom Wagner , who first bred it in the 1970's. According to Tom, Schimmeig Stoo means "Striped Hollow " in the Gaelic/Norse/Manx language of his grandfather on his Mom's side. These are real show stopper tomatoes. This must be the most beautiful tomato there is! Everyone who saw these beauties wanted them. These orange-red tomatoes are striped in an iridescent bright golden bronze! It’s nearly impossible to photograph the real beauty they possess. They are sized and shaped just like a bell pepper. They are totally hollow inside, with very thick flavorful walls and no liquid gel like in other tomatoes. Even though they are hollow inside, the walls are so meaty that each fruit weighs about 8 oz. with a core of seeds up toward the stem end, just like on a pepper. Fabulous for stuffing with chicken or tuna salad. Fine for slicing and eating fresh. These are real good "keepers", and cold and frost tolerant as well. SORRY, SOLD OUT FOR 2010
NEW GREEN GAGE TOMATO-
~NEW~1800's Heirloom~Very Scarce~ This is the cutest ping pong sized tomato with what sounds like an odd name to us in the 21st century. But in actuality it is named for its appearance as a dead ringer for the old fashioned fruit plum called Green Gage. Interestingly, the interior has pale green seed gel as well, so the green kind of makes sense to us, but that is not why it was named so. Fruits are way beyond prolific and pumped out scads of tomatoes all season long. It started out a bit slow but then really took off. I really liked the strong flavor which is surprising in a yellow tomato. I had been searching for this for years and finally acquired my original seed for it in a seed trade. 10 fresh organically grown seeds.
NEW YELLOW TRIFELE TOMATO -
Scarce Russian Heirloom~Only USA Source~Looks like Al Capp's "Schmoo"!- I absolutely adored these cute bright orangey yellow tomatoes! Talk about prolific. They filled up the smallish vines over and over. Each cute 3- 4 oz fruit was truly perfect. Not a single mark, crack or any defacing at all, just tons of silly little "Shmoo" shaped tomatoes. If you aren't baby boomer age, "Shmoos" were an invention of the comic strip writer Al Capp who did the "Li'l Abner" series. They date back at least to 1949, although I remember them in my childhood in the 50's and 60's.
(See the accompanying picture for the amazing resemblance.) But not only is the "Yellow Trifele" cute is it a great little tomato. It is a super "keeper", keeping fresh and firm for weeks after picking. I think it would make a dream of a market grower's type. Nice light orange colored flesh and sweet taste. They start out lighter yellow and get more golden as they ripen more while still remaining firm. They tend to get slightly green shoulders on some fruit. The trifele is a name that must refer to its unique shape in Russian. I received seeds of the pink, red and black trifele which are all that strange shape. But I only grew out the yellow and black this season. My original seed stock is from my Ukrainian gardening friend, Lydmilla. Look also on my website for her “Japanese Black Trifele" which, despite its name, is Russian. To the best of my knowledge, I am the only commercial seed source of this variety in the USA. Try it first for the laughs and then to enjoy their wonderful long keeping sweetness. My own 10 organically grown seeds.
NEW PLUM LEMON TOMATO
SOLD OUT FOR SEASON!
~ Great Russian Heirloom~ Looks Just Like Real Lemons! ~
I have wanted to grow out this tomato for years and finally got around to it this year. This one is lots of fun as it truly looks just like real lemons, only with smooth skins. The story alone is worth growing it for. Kent Whealy risked his life during the August 1991 coup in Moscow (former USSR). He bought the seeds in of all places, Moscow's bird market from an elderly seedsman. Fruit is slightly smaller than a real lemon, about 3 inches long. It has meaty flesh and a not surprisingly, nice refreshing, almost "lemony" flavor. This is a great tomato for kids to grow. You and they will love it.
SOLD OUT FOR SEASON!
AMISH ORANGE SHERBET HEIRLOOM TOMATO BACK FOR 2009! -EXCLUSIVE! - Order Early!
This was the surprise tomato of my summer a few years back. I was given one unnamed "mystery" plant from a friend, who got the seeds from her Amish farming neighbor in Narvon , Lancaster County, PA. I had no idea what would grow. It was a huge, indeterminate, strong vine, with the most beautiful, perfect pale apricot orange beefsteak type tomatoes. They are the exact color of Orange Sherbet or a Creamsicle. Very large and sweet and mild flavored. And they kept on coming until hard frost here in my Zone 6A garden. Since they had no name I just called them what they looked and tasted like. You will love these beauties. Very few cracks or "catfacing" for such a large heirloom tomato. Fruits were about 1/2- 3/4 lb or more each. Try these and be the first in your area to eat them. You will love them. Low acid. I grow them every year now but always sell out early.
My own fresh organically grown 10 seeds.
NEW!!! 1868 HEIRLOOM HARTMAN'S YELLOW GOOSEBERRY TOMATO - - If you can't grow tomatoes or have had little success with them, try this prolific baby! You won't be disappointed! According to William Woys Weaver, the famous food historian and author,whom I got my orginal seed from, this is a very old heirloom tomato. He says it is the very same yellow cherry-type tomato that was illustrated in the famous French 1868 Album Vilmorin on plate 19. You will gets scads of delicious sweet/tart perfect little morsels of these small bright yellow tomatoes. Excellent flavor and super for adding color to salsas and in cooking and for fresh eating in salads as well. Just pop 'em in your mouth all day . It is so prolific you will only need one plant! I grew them over a fence and they just pumped out those darlings all season. They beat out any other small yellow 1-2 ounce tomato I have ever grown for flavor and fecundity. You will love these and they will happily self seed. 10+ of my own fresh organically grown seeds
HAWAIIAN PINEAPPLE TOMATO BACK FOR 2009!
5 days - This is still one of my absolute favorite tomatoes of all. I won't have a garden without it! This heirloom tomato is a a real knockout in everyone's garden. These monster deep orange fruit grow very large, up to 2+ lbs., and are the prettiest golden color inside and out. This was the largest tomato I have ever grown! I won the heaviest tomato blue ribbon at my local farm fairs 2 years running with this. They really do have a pineapple like sweet, fruity flavor. This is the one to grow to amaze your neighbors and win the prizes. 10 of my own fresh organically grown seeds.
MANYEL TOMATO - - This just may be the prettiest and most perfect little yellow tomato I have ever grown. Prolific beyond words! It is purportedly a Native American heirloom. The name translates as "many moons" . Each and every fruit on this rather short vine with wispy leaves, was absolutely gorgeous and flawless. Not only is it a true lemon yellow color but it actually has a sweet lemony flavor, kind of like lemonade in a tomato! Very thin walls and creamy.They make a great golden yellow tomato sauce or salsa. The tomatoes grew in little clusters of up to 6 or 8 on tresses. Each 6 to 8 ounce fruit is about 2" by 3" or a bit larger as the season went on. This one started out very early and is still pumping out perfect little orbs of sweetness even today in late October in my Zone 6A garden. I never got so many tomatoes from such little plants! You can't go wrong with this little lunar beauty as the fruits glow on the plants like small moons.
10 of my own fresh organically grown seeds.
TRANSPARENT Heirloom Tomato - Feels like Gummy bears!- Very Rare- This was my favorite tomato that I grew out this past season. It is a very pale clear yellow color with slightly sticky, but fuzzy peachlike skin. It is very white with absolutely clear ,colorless gel when cut open. Truly transparent! But the strangest attribute of this diminutive tomato is the way it feels. I swear, it has the "give" of gummy bear candy when the sides are pressed! You have never squeezed any tomato remotely like it. And to add its wonderfulness, it is pleasantly fruity, juicy and sweet in taste. The vines are prolific, and quite early and it keeps pumping out all season. In my zone 6a garden, as of October 30 (when I am writing this), it is still sending out perfect little ripe fruit. Fruits are the size of golf balls, and great "keepers". Best of all, this is the most disease and blight resistant heirloom tomato I have ever grown. You will love showing off this rare, strangely wonderful little gem to all your gardening friends. 10 fresh organically grown seeds.
JAUNE FLAMMEE ORANGE TOMATO I had heard about how wonderful this tomato was for years, and finally found some seeds in a seed trade. This gorgeous orange tomato is described by William Woys Weaver, author of "Heirloom Vegetable Gardening" as resembling:
"a sliced blood orange, orange - yellow skin, reddish interior, handsome salad tomato...also dries beautifully and holds it color." This tomato positively glows on the vine and is about the color and size of an apricot. It really drew comments this summer in my garden. And taste? Juicy and sweet, like the apricot is resembles. It is just blushing with intense full bodied flavor. Great yields all summer long. A fabulous addition to your garden. 10 fresh organically grown seeds.
CRAIG'S CANADIAN TOMATO ~EXCLUSIVE~ONLY USA SEED SOURCE!~BACK AGAIN FOR 2010! -VERY LIMITED QUANTITIES~ ORDER EARLY - I got these seeds from my Canadian gardener friend, Craig. He found this tomato years ago in a plant swap in Canada. Here is what he said about his little Canadian tomato when I wrote to him recently asking for more history about it: "I actually thought that this tomato was a golden plum tomato but it obviously must be a cross between a yellow plum variety and another variety that I got years ago from an american seed company that was called B & Orailway......... came with a story that railway workers had been provided with it to grow for food. That mother tomato variety also came up from a museum "village"' here and I was told it was a Mennonite heirloom....... "It is an open pollinated (the seeds will grow true to the parent) tomato. They are just delightful little morsels of sweetness and taste . Perfect little egg or grape shaped tomatoes. This baby is very early, pumps out all summer, and can take the heat as well as cold. Exceptionally prolific, and readily self seeds. If you can't grow tomatoes where you live, or are a beginning gardener, give this one a try.
10 fresh organically grown seeds.
PINK GRAPEFRUIT TOMATO - Determinate. This is a flavorful and unusual heirloom dating before 1900 and it is delicious. It may just be the best tasting yellow tomato I have ever eaten. The lovely, really shiny, golden, round fruits are a wonderful juicy pink inside, exactly like a pink grapefruit when cut open. Very sweet and fruity taste on very short vines 3 1/2 to 4 feet tall. Try this lovely, tasty little tomato and slice it in front of your friends and see their faces, then see them smile when they taste it! 10 fresh organically grown seeds.
ROUGHWOOD GOLDEN PLUM TOMATO AVAILABLE AGAIN!! - Determinate- This is a wonderful all purpose, fresh eating, salad and cooking tomato. My original seeds came to me via William Woys Weaver, author of "HEIRLOOM VEGETABLE GARDENING" and "100 VEGETABLES AND WHERE THEY COME FROM". He developed this variety himself. It is his stable cross of Yellow Brandywine with San Marzano Paste. Drought resistant and also white fly resistant. But the flavor and the impressive golden color are what really makes this tomato stand out! It is the most intense deep gold color, almost glowing. The neighbors will come over to stare at them as they beam their bright golden light out from relatively short vines.
10 of my own fresh organically grown seeds.
WAPSIPINICON PEACH TOMATO These sweet little 2" tomatoes look just like miniature peaches. They are even fuzzy like a peach! They kept on pumping out till hard frost for me. The seeds come originally from Dennis Schlicht who named them after the Wapsipinicon River in NE Iowa. I also sell "Jaune Peche," another peach type tomato. Pale yellow color and wonderful, fruity sweet flavor. This will impress all who see them.
10 of my own fresh organically grown seeds.
