You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!
Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.
Login
If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.
So, you think you like tomatoes? That’s because you’ve never really tasted one.
Wait, let me explain.
I’ve just eaten my first Lumpy Red. Let me tell you, Kiddies, you have never bitten into anything that was the very essence of tomato until you share this experience. Virtually any other variety I’ve tried pales by comparison.
First some background (those of you who think background and history is unimportant can skip this part). Lumpy Red is a family heirloom from the hills of eastern Kentucky. It was collected in 1990 by Austin Issacs, from an old lady in Corbin, KY. The woman said they dated back to the early 1900 and her grandmother in Clay County.
It’s a medium-large to large (a slice from the one I just ate overlaps the edges of a sandwich) red tomato. Average amount of seeds. The deep-red tomato has large, lobed shoulders, and is wider than it is tall. I picked two that were ready, and they went 12 and 14 ounces. Others on the vines aren’t as big as these two, however.
According to Austin, they are difficult to germinate, and the fruit will rot if allowed to touch the ground. The seed I got from him germinated only slightly less well than other tomatoes---about 65%, and I never let tomatoes touch the ground, so don’t know about the rotting part.
But it’s the taste that gets you. Slightly acidic, but with a good balance of sugar, a full-bodied flavor that explodes to fill your mouth and tickle your tastebuds. I mean to say, this is what a tomato is supposed to taste like.
One of the reasons we grow heirlooms is to rediscover that old time taste we remember but can’t find. I’m here to tell you, Lumpy Red is exactly how I remember tomatoes tasting.
This one is a real winner that will be part of my garden every year from now on.
This thread has 20 replies. This forum is accessible only to subscribing members of Dave's Garden. There are many free features here, and about half of our forums are completely open to all members. Take a tour of our site and learn more about Dave's Garden, and explore the benefits of becoming a subscribing member.
