My orange tomatoes have ripened first this year. This is a variety called Orange Blossom. Perfectly ripe today. I had a few slices on their own, the rest on a yummy steak sandwich for lunch. And then I had a second ripe orange tomato in a fresh potato salad for dinner. Delicious!
Of five Farmer's Market tomatoes I tried together last year, Orange Blossom one was the tastiest. It will look very nice with red and purple tomatoes when they ripen.
For the past three years now, my first ripe tomato has been on the same day - July 31! Here's my 2007 first, and here's my 2006 first. Hhmmm. Maybe next year I can beat this date....
I am still very disappointed in the tomatoes at my community plot. Gretta has a nice post on her site about septoria leaf spot, the disease my plants seem to have. These plants are almost completely defoliated now. This has to have an effect on the fruit. Fortunately, the tomatoes in my home garden are not affected at all. And I have one lone Cherokee Purple out at the community plot that I planted later and in a separate bed. These plants are looking very good, though the tomatoes are still green. I'm glad I didn't have all my eggs in one basket....
Solanum lycopersicum