Tomato
Ararat Flamed
Indeterminate. Cordon. Originally from Debrecen in Hungary, this variety is known as Ararat Geflammt, 'geflammt' meaning 'flamed' in German. When unripe the fruits are clearly flamed with dark green around their tops. This becomes less visible once they have ripened to a deep red. A heavy cropper with good sized, tasty fruits.
Best of All
Indeterminate. Cordon. Originally known as 'Sutton's Best of All', it was introduced by Suttons in 1895 and was available commercially until the late 1980s. It is thought that it was used to develop the popular ex-commercial variety 'Potentate'. Donated by Michael Ritchie, who keenly pursued the variety and acquired seed directly from Suttons, on our behalf. It produces round, red tomatoes 5-7cm in diameter and in their catalogue of 1938 Suttons described it as “an immense cropper... excellent for culture indoors or in the open.”
Burpee's Jubilee
Indeterminate. Cordon. Bred by the W Atlee Burpee Seed Company, this variety was an All American Selection (AAS) winner in 1943. It produces uniform, medium-sized, orange fruits with a thin skin and meaty flesh without acidity. Seed Guardian Pauline Atkinson made a delicious orange tomato paste with hers; perfect with pasta and basil. If seed saving isolate from other tomatoes that have flowers with protruding stigma.
Cape Teaser
Determinate. Bush. Originally known as 'Orange', but we decided that it was so good it needed a more befitting moniker, so we launched a competition to find it! Produces sprawling plants that bear pale orange cherry tomatoes in profusion. Their intense flavour is delicious when eaten raw, but also makes them perfect for a tasty tomato puree.
Cavendish
Indeterminate. Cordon. An ex-commercial variety available in the 1950s. Comments from the donor and our Seed Guardians make us wonder what it must have done wrong to be dropped from the National List! A strong and heavy cropper; the fruits are dark red and around 5-6cm in diameter and when fully ripe have a delicious, rich tomatoey flavour. Great fresh but also perfect for using in stews, casseroles and soups.
Darby Striped Red/Green
Indeterminate. Cordon. Our donor saved seed from striped tomato fruit given to him in the mid-1960s by Dr Lewis Darby of the Glasshouse Crops Research Institute, Littlehampton. The vigorous plants produce an abundance of attractive fruit, which are striped dark red and dark green with thin skins when mature, ideal for cooking and making tomato sauces.
Darby Striped Red/Yellow
Indeterminate. Cordon. Another variation on the variety produced when our donor saved seed from striped tomato fruit passed to him in the mid-1960s by Dr Lewis Darby of the Glasshouse Crops Research Institute, Littlehampton. This variety produces heavy trusses of red fruits with golden orange streaks. Does best under glass.
Estonian Yellow Mini Cherry
Indeterminate. Cordon. Our donor obtained the seed from an elderly Russian lady at the covered market outside Tallinn, Estonia. We found it to be high yielding and visually quite spectacular. It produces flowers in clusters that look like golden chandeliers, giving rise to a profusion of small, bright yellow, sweet and thin-skinned fruit that, reportedly, “Taste like sunshine!”.
Giant Tree Tomato
Indeterminate. Cordon. Vigorous 3-5m plants produce very attractive vines with strong stems and heavy thick leaves, but will require space and sturdy supports. The flattened, ribbed fruits can get quite large (>250g) and have a sweet but mild flavour with few seeds. Great for eating fresh and for cooking. If seed saving isolate from other tomatoes that have flowers with protruding stigma.
Morden Yellow
Determinate. Bush. This tomato was the first vegetable to be introduced by the Morden Experimental Station, Manitoba, Canada. It was selected in 1932 as a cross of Bestal and Round Smooth, but not named Morden until 1942; both parents of this variety were red, unlike their offspring. The fruits are slightly ribbed and golden yellow, often with a slightly pinkish blush at the blossom end, becoming orange if left to mature on the vine. They have excellent flavour; mild, sweet and very tasty.