Cherokee Purple is the name of an old variety of tomato that develops a fruit with a deep, dusky-rose color while maintaining a somewhat greenish hue near the stem when mature for eating. The deep crimson interior and clear skin combination give it its distinctive color. It was one of the first of the darker color group of tomatoes sometimes described as "blacks." Southern Exposure Seed Exchange was the first seed company to offer Cherokee Purple, released in limited quantity in 1993. The Cherokee Purple has become a popular heirloom variety.
Cherokee Purple
Cherokee purple is a dusky red with green shoulders when ripe
In 1990 John Green of Sevierville, Tennessee mailed heirloom tomato expert Craig LeHoullier seeds of an unnamed purple tomato. Green said that the tomato had originated with the Cherokees more than 100 years previously. LeHoullier named the tomato "Cherokee Purple" and sent seeds to the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (SESE). Jeff McCormack, the owner of SESE, said that the tomato "tasted fine, but was kind of ugly -- people may not like it." SESE featured the Cherokee Purple in the 1993 seed catalog.[1][2][3] LeHoullier distributed Cherokee Purple seeds to several market growers and one of them, Alex Hitt, who lived in North Carolina, had an immediate success growing and selling the tomato despite its ugly appearance. The tomato was described "as looking like a leg bruise."[4]
In 2014, Cherokee Purple was named one of the top ten tomato heirloom varieties by the Seed Savers Exchange.[5]
Characteristicsedit
Cherokee Purple tomatoes are beefsteak in style. They are also notable for having a dense, juicy texture, with small seed locules irregularly scattered throughout the flesh. The comparatively dark interior color is enhanced by the tendency of the seeds to be surrounded by green gel. In 1995, a skin color mutation of Cherokee Purple arose in Craig LeHoullier's North Carolina garden. It was named Cherokee Chocolate, and the yellow skin gives the variety a brownish mahogany hue. Cherokee Green arose in Craig's garden in 1997 from a planting of Cherokee Chocolate. It is one of several tomatoes whose flesh stays green when it ripens; the skin color is yellow, which provides a guide to indicate when the tomato is ripe and ready for harvest.[6]
The Cherokee Purple tomato is most commonly available in the summer and fall.[7] This tomato is best enjoyed fresh and is often used in BLTs and salads. It can also be used when making pizza and pasta sauces.
^LeHoullier, Craig. "A Spectrum of Heirloom Tomatoes". American Horticultural Society.
^LeHoullier, Craig (14 April 2017). "How the Cherokee Purple Tomato got its Name". Slow Food Asheville. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
^Hartwell, Roger. "Top Ten Heirloom Tomatoes". Seed Savers Exchange.
^"Cherokee Purple Heirloom Tomatoes". Specialty Produce. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
^Jones, Emily (2023-04-22). "A Guide to 20 Black Tomato Varieties". tomatomentor.com. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
April 10, 2024
cherokee, purple, tomato, cherokee, purple, name, variety, tomato, that, develops, fruit, with, deep, dusky, rose, color, while, maintaining, somewhat, greenish, near, stem, when, mature, eating, deep, crimson, interior, clear, skin, combination, give, distinc. Cherokee Purple is the name of an old variety of tomato that develops a fruit with a deep dusky rose color while maintaining a somewhat greenish hue near the stem when mature for eating The deep crimson interior and clear skin combination give it its distinctive color It was one of the first of the darker color group of tomatoes sometimes described as blacks Southern Exposure Seed Exchange was the first seed company to offer Cherokee Purple released in limited quantity in 1993 The Cherokee Purple has become a popular heirloom variety Cherokee PurpleCherokee purple is a dusky red with green shoulders when ripeTomato Solanum lycopersicum Maturity80 daysTypeHeirloomVineIndeterminatePlant height9 feetFruit weight16 ozLeafRegular leafColorDusky red green shouldersShapeBeefsteakHome grown Cherokee purple tomatoesA Cherokee Purple tomato in the first stages of development Contents 1 History 2 Characteristics 3 See also 4 ReferencesHistory editIn 1990 John Green of Sevierville Tennessee mailed heirloom tomato expert Craig LeHoullier seeds of an unnamed purple tomato Green said that the tomato had originated with the Cherokees more than 100 years previously LeHoullier named the tomato Cherokee Purple and sent seeds to the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange SESE Jeff McCormack the owner of SESE said that the tomato tasted fine but was kind of ugly people may not like it SESE featured the Cherokee Purple in the 1993 seed catalog 1 2 3 LeHoullier distributed Cherokee Purple seeds to several market growers and one of them Alex Hitt who lived in North Carolina had an immediate success growing and selling the tomato despite its ugly appearance The tomato was described as looking like a leg bruise 4 In 2014 Cherokee Purple was named one of the top ten tomato heirloom varieties by the Seed Savers Exchange 5 Characteristics editCherokee Purple tomatoes are beefsteak in style They are also notable for having a dense juicy texture with small seed locules irregularly scattered throughout the flesh The comparatively dark interior color is enhanced by the tendency of the seeds to be surrounded by green gel In 1995 a skin color mutation of Cherokee Purple arose in Craig LeHoullier s North Carolina garden It was named Cherokee Chocolate and the yellow skin gives the variety a brownish mahogany hue Cherokee Green arose in Craig s garden in 1997 from a planting of Cherokee Chocolate It is one of several tomatoes whose flesh stays green when it ripens the skin color is yellow which provides a guide to indicate when the tomato is ripe and ready for harvest 6 The Cherokee Purple tomato is most commonly available in the summer and fall 7 This tomato is best enjoyed fresh and is often used in BLTs and salads It can also be used when making pizza and pasta sauces See also editNPR story on the origins of the Cherokee Purple List of tomato cultivarsReferences edit Barclay Eliza 14 August 2013 How a Seed Saver Discovered One of Our Favorite Tomatoes NPR Retrieved 24 September 2021 Cherokee Purple Tomato Southern Exposure Seed Exchange Retrieved 24 September 2021 LeHoullier Craig A Spectrum of Heirloom Tomatoes American Horticultural Society LeHoullier Craig 14 April 2017 How the Cherokee Purple Tomato got its Name Slow Food Asheville Retrieved 24 September 2021 Hartwell Roger Top Ten Heirloom Tomatoes Seed Savers Exchange Cherokee Purple Heirloom Tomatoes Specialty Produce Retrieved 24 September 2021 Jones Emily 2023 04 22 A Guide to 20 Black Tomato Varieties tomatomentor com Retrieved 2023 04 26 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Cherokee Purple tomato amp oldid 1199686096, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
