Half the Sungold offspring have the traditional shape - here's one just beginning to colour up. They are in the greenhouse so I should get ripe fruits before the season ends. It will be interesting to see how closely they resemble the parent F1 hybrid on flavour.
This drop-shaped (dodgy snap but you can see the difference) fruit is another style of son-of-sungold. I have 3 like this. Again, too soon to tell what they'll be like, but as the song says, 'For a nosey parker it's an interesting job.'The other tomato I've been breeding out is Berry F1.
There are 2 of these Berry F1 un-hybrids which bear a reasonable resemblance to the original - we'll be tasting it in a few days.
Edit - couldn't wait to try the first un-berry. It's a very nice flavour - thin skin, thickish wall, good flavour. I'm really pleased with this - have saved some seeds, of course! I'll leave the second fruit on a bit longer to get softer.
4 comments:
OK Flum, how does the un-Berry differ (taste, skin. wall?) from the Berry F1?
Lordy - I am asking detailed questions about hybridising F1 varieties, I'll be thinking of growing them next.
Bearing in mind that I grew Berry F1 last year, and assuming my memory is that effective, I'd say it's at least as good. I thought it had a touch more flavour. It certainly had a more tomato-ey taste than many I've bought from supermarkets, or even M&S who reckoned to be selling good flavoured toms. It seemd to have a more fleshy wall - nice to chew - and lots of goo-covered seeds - and the flavour is often in the goo!
I'd be interested to hear what your overall favourite variety is for flavour. I've had an organic box delivered for a while now, but the toms have been very disappointing. Friends who've grown tomatoes this year say they're not ripening though, not enough sunshine. Have you had this problem oop north?
My favourites are Sungold (hence the urge to find a non-F1 Hybrid of this tomato) and Green Zebra. I like a tomato with a balance of sweetness and acidity. My tomatoes have been ripening ok - they don't really seem to need sunshine - just as well!
You do find that the season and the weather affect the flavour somewhat but not to the extent of making a good tomato taste awful or a naff one taste ok!
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