Indigo Rose Tomato

I planted one last year. The most beautiful orbs in the garden. Large grape like clusters. Eggplant purple ripening to a reddish brown on the underside with almost black shoulders. In my garden it was prettier to look at than to eat. I found the skin tough and the pulp bland. I did not grow it this year and am open to the possibility that the taste was less than stellar because of my conditions. It was stunning sliced horizontally on a platter of mixed color tomatoes but added nothing in taste.

Christina, I have not grown them but a lot of the chatter on various gardening sites is that Indigo Rose takes a long time to ripen. The breeders (OSU) claim the earliest harvest date is 91 days after transplanting. One enthusiast said she picked a fruit in August which was bland so she left the rest on the vine till mid-October and they were much better. Apparently, patience is required for this one.

Breeder page:
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/purple-tomato-debuts-%E2%80%98indigo-rose%E2%80%99
Gardening chat, e.g.:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg0322301318384.html

FWIW, Jo Ann posted a pic of her Indigo Rose a few days ago in the "What's Cooking" thread.

[Jenise]

The one and only time I had that tomato, I found them on Salt Spring Island (B.C.) last summer. I liked them quite a bit, but I liked the flavor best when they were oranger--when they sat around the house for a few days and the "butt" as I called it got redder, they lost flavor fast. Here's the pic I took of what I had:

http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=44722&p=366055&hilit=Indigo+Rose#p365775

Indigo Rose now ripe and ready for the table. Will report back on flavor.

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Those look good. How long has the growing season been? (Are they ahead or behind other tomatoes in your garden?)

Those look good. How long has the growing season been? (Are they ahead or behind other tomatoes in your garden?)

They are behind other tomatoes for ripening. They were the first to set fruit, but the last to ripen, and only half of those on the vine are ripe enough to eat. I planted them in May from already establish, gallon sized plants. They take a good 85-90 days for fruiting and ripening. They look a great deal like plums. Can't wait to taste one. I'll report back.