2018 Seed Catalog

Heirloom
Heirlooms are open-pollinated varieties that are at least 50 years
old. It is a fruit of superior quality that has been developed
through the efforts of an individual or family with no commercial
affiliation. It was bred solely for the improvement of the quality
of their own garden produce. Most have been developed by
individual families over a period of generations during a time
when saving and breeding their own seeds was common. The
good ones grew in local fame, spreading amongst the rest of the
family and through neighbors until their reputation became large
enough to bring them to the attention of a Seedman. Then, they
became available to all of us. Some, like the Brandywine, have
been widely known and available through distributors for nearly
125 years. Some, such as the Amana Orange and Aunt Ruby's
German Green, were still not known outside of their own locale
25 years ago. Sustainable, with unique flavors and appearances,
their skins are generally more tender than the newer hybrids,
which is why you only see them in home gardens and at fresh
markets. They lack the shipping and holding ability to endure
the requirements of a grocery. This delicacy, in their nature,
and their lower productivity, compared to Garden and Grower
Hybrids, is why they command a higher price per pound at your
local farmers market. Heirloom tomatoes grow on large rambling
vines; their fruit does not set as concentrated as the hybrids, and
they are more susceptible to diseases as well.
Garden Hybrid
Garden Hybrids are usually, but do not necessarily have to be,
older varieties of hybrids. Generally, they have been bred by
various Universities, as opposed to family gardens where the
heirlooms developed. Some Garden Hybrids, although more
durable than an heirloom, are still too delicate for large-scale
grocery and long-distance transport. They are excellent choices
for the home gardener and fresh
marketer. Hybrids have Hybrid
Vigor, which is a phenomenon
where crossbreeding produces
offspring that are superior to
both parents. Plants and fruit
are more uniform, and have
increased productivity and
disease resistance. The drawback
is they are not sustainable as
their seed will not produce, or
will produce a generation of
widely varied and dysfunctional
offspring. Some Garden Hybrids
are indeterminate like heirlooms,
making large, viney plants that
produce for an extended period.
Some are determinate meaning
they will have a shorter, more
compact bush-like plant; They
will have a heavy concentrated fruit set for heavy picking over a
period of weeks. They have a "determined" life span and will peter
out rapidly when finished. Garden Hybrids are time honored
favorites that are replanted year after year by homeowners. Their
flavor, appearance and easy-to-grow adaptability, win them a
place in this category.
Grower Hybrid
Grower Hybrids are varieties that have been developed to meet the
special requirements of greenhouse producers and large volume
producers. Usually developed by seed companies or contracted by
seed companies for University development.
Tomato Categories
Tomato colors and their relation to flavor
There are three main components of tomato flavor: Acid, Sugar/
Sweet, and Savory.
Red - The most common color, thought of as the standard in
flavor. Reds have a crimson interior and a skin that is tinted yellow,
creating their bright red appearance. Flavor is balanced, but with
the acidity coming through more strongly than the sweetness.
Savory has a mild undertone.
Yellow - Sweeter, less acidic than red. Savory factor is very mild.
Lower in lycopene, but higher in folate. Texture is described
as “meatier” than reds. Some deep-yellows are referred to as
orange. Yellows come in a spectrum from orange, to lemony, to
light, buttery yellow.
Pink - Has a crimson interior and a clear skin lacking the tint of a
red tomato. Skin diffuses the crimson interior to a pink color. Skin
is thinner and less flexible. Flavor leans heavily towards sweet, but
with acidity still present. Savory undertone is strong, creating what
is usually described as richness. Place a red tomato next to a pink
tomato and the color difference is apparent. Place cut slices next
to each other, and it is hard to distinguish the red tomato from the
pink tomato.
Green - (GWR, “Green when Ripe'’). Sweet, zesty, rich and spicy.
Acidity comes across as zesty, but sweetness is still a strong
presence. Spicy is a piquant twang. Richness is the true flavor of a
tomato, underlying all these new sensations on your tongue. Does
not taste like an unripe, green tomato
White - They lean toward the sweeter side, and the acidity comes
across slightly citric if you are trying to define a difference. It
comes in right behind pink for tasting the closest to a red, even
though it has an eye-popping contrast. White tomato soup is so
surprising and so very chic.
Purple - Purple tomatoes are
purple because they retain
some of their chlorophyll
through the ripening process.
This retains shades of green in
the fruit. The green expressed
over a pink tomato comes out
as purple. Flavor is similar to a
pink tomato with a unique savory
undertone described as smoky.
Other tomatoes stop producing
chlorophyll when they begin
producing lycopene.
Black - Black tomatoes retain
chlorophyll same as purple
tomatoes, but the shades of
green are being expressed over
a red tomato, so the resulting
mahogany, chestnut, and bronze
shades are referred to as black. We suppose black sounds prettier
than dark-brown! All true blacks originate from Russia. Blacks are
very rich and complex. Usually very acidic with strong, savory
undertones. Some have an unexplainable “salty” quality.
German Yellow - (Multi-colored/bi-color, usually yellow base,
with red stripes). Sensationally sweet, with a sparkling undertone.
Plays on your tongue like a glimmer or a flicker.
“They all taste like tomatoes! Some lean towards acidic, some
lean towards sweetness. The main distinction between the colors
is the undertone (savory), but in all varieties the savory is a muted,
third quality, behind the balance of the primary two acidity and
sweetness. In some varieties the third quality is so muted that
you wouldn’t know it wasn’t red, if you couldn’t see it. In some
varieties, the third quality is distinct enough to identify the variety,
but they all taste like tomatoes.”
800-383-0865 • Hummert Seed & Supply • St. Joseph, MO • Fax: 816-232-6134
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