Tomato Still Life/Druzba on the left?

I just recently bought a little Kodak point and shoot digital camera and my what a wonderful way to document a garden from month to month. I will be adding various shots taken of a number of heirloom tomato varieties planted this year and last. I was very happy to have stumbled on the Dave's Garden website as it seems to be a great place glean and share information.

I have a question about the heart-shaped green tomato on the left. This is supposed to be a Druzba (a Bulgarian variety)but somehow it doesn't seem to fit the description. I know I didn't mislabel it, but perhaps the seed isn't true. Anybody recognize this in the green stage by shape?

can't be the one to ID for ya, but love the picture and want to welcome you to dave's!!! hope you have a comfy chair:)
did you check out your preferences and see all the forums? worlds of info and interest here:)

Thanks, tiG. Yes I have seen how expansive this site is but am a little overwhelmed. It'll take awhile to navigate around but I can see what a great site it is already!

I don't know either, but welcome Pala!

Great crop of 'maters! Welcome, and sorry I cannot answer your question either.

It looks alot like German Red Strawberry,but there are lots of hearts out there.I'll take a photo of a ripe one and post it.

Here's a couple of German Red Strawberry...did your tomatoes ripen red or pink?

Well they still haven't ripened so I'll have to check back and post to this thread when they do. They look great, and very similar to the shape of the ones in your photo. Seem to be a bit more ribbed though (see this photo), but definitely heart shaped so I'm pretty sure they are not Druzba and were mislabled or I got some funky seed. Who cares if they're tasty. I just kind of like to know what variety I'm growing.

Okay this one's finally ripe. I am absolutely certain it came out of an envelope labeled "Druzba," but does not in the least fit the description. So does this look like a "German Strawberry" as Melody suggested before?

I can't tell if it's pink or red. That will make the biggest difference in identification. There are so many hearts...and some of them are pink. I grew two hearts this year,GRS and one called Wes.Wes is a more blunted heart,but I liked it better than the GRS.

What did your plants look like Pala? GRS is known for straggledy,wispy growth.The vines don't even look like they can support the fruit. Reg. leaf,indet. My vines were just plain pitiful looking,but Carolyn Male warned me that they would be,so I just treated them like all the others and they produced.

Melody, this is most certainly a red tomato. I'm eating one now. It's rather insipid flavor doesn't impress me much, but would make for some good sauce because it's meaty and I suppose the flavor isn't bad, just nothing special. The vines are fairly wispy and have trouble holding up the larger fruits, but foliage nowhere near as pathetic as another heart I grew last year (Anna Russian) (though those tomatoes were really good). Here's another image which might display the color more accurately. The last one was underexposed.

I hesitate to ID this,as there's so many it can be, GRS has a wonderful flavor and I like it alot. Wes just seemed to have a little more depth,and the aroma was really fragrant. Wish I could help.

There are a number of possibilities for your green to red, certainly not Druzba, fruit that you picture.

You say red.

OK,

there's

Rief Red
German Red Strawberry
Russian #117
Cuor du Bue
Teton de Venus

and the generic red oxheart that is also around. And probably others I'm just not thinking of right now.

I don't think one can go on taste to ID a variety, becasue if insipid, as you say, that would knock out several of the above which are far from insipid. And taste is a matter of personal perception, soil conditions, amendments and weather.

But the very acute point of that one fruit you show leads me to think it's not German Red Strawberry or Rief or Russian #117. It's more characteristic of Tenton de Venus or Cuor de Bue, both of which I happen to think are pretty darn insipid. LOL

However, I don't know where you got your seeds from and thus what the possibilities might be as to other varieties being included with your seeds.

I also don't know if you bought commercial varieties or traded home saved seeds.

Summary statement? No way to know what it is at this point becasue it could just as well be a crossed seeds as well as mislabelled seeds as well as a stray seed, etc.

Carolyn, upstate NY, zone 4/5

WoooHoooo!!! Hi Carolyn! Glad to see you here.

I knew if you stopped in,you'd have an opinion on this mystery tomato. I didn't have enough education on the hearts to put forth an opinion that I felt comfortable with.

Please stop in more often.

Mel,who is still recovering from rolling over an SUV and who can't spend very long at the computer...but will, if you'll show up every now and then.

Melody. Hope you have a speedy recovery. You're a treasure to this site. As for the tomato in question, yeah I've heard great things about "German Red Strawberry" so i doubt it is that.
Carolyn, thanks for the detailed comments. Per your comments about where these seeds were obtained, I bought them either through Heirloom Seeds, PA and didn't trade for them. Most of the seed I've gotten through Mr. Wyatt seem true to descriptions I've read but mistakes can happen. Oh well. This is the first truly 'off-the-mark' tomato that I've grown and I was a bit disappointed because after reading about the Bulgarian types such as "Druzba" several places, I really wanted to try them. Next year:-) And the other Bulgarian varieties were FANTASTIC and worth growing again! Whatever this is I'm not going to grow it out again. Doesn't look like Russian #117 or Reif based on the photo in the (your?)book, perhaps Tenton de Venus, Cuor de bue? It wasn't the worst, but there are so many varieties try still and perpetually more that I want to keep every year! Going to need another acre. Phew.I seem to grow at least twenty-five different varieties each year, although that's nothing compared to some of you tomato buffs. (If you are who I think you are, I am a big fan of the Smith & Hawken book. It opened a myriad of ideas for me.)

Yes Pala, I'm the author of the heirloom tomato book published by Workman Press under subcontract to Smith and Hawken.

And I misspelled Teton the second time above; it's Teton de Venus, as I spelled it correctly the first time. ( smile)

Neither Tom Hauch at Heirloom seeds nor Chuck, carried the Teton or Cuor if I remember correctly, so who knows what you really have. LOL If you saved seeds you might be able to figure it out by seeing what you get next summer. If all plants are identical then it no doubt is a variety but if you get different plants and fruits then it might well be crossed seeds.

By all means try the Bulgarian varieties. I happen to like them very much, especially Large Pink Bulgarian, Bulgarian Triumph, Bulgarian #7 and of course Druzba.

Melody, I'm sorry to hear of your auto accident. I do hope you recover quickly.

Carolyn, who spelled Reif incorrectly also; it should be Rief Red, not Reif Red. I never seem to remember if the e or i come first. Same problem I have with spelling Riesentraube, although I usually get that one right. (G)

Yes. Even though I'm not eager for this particular variety's offspring, it might be interesting as an experiment just to see if it is the same or if it was crossed. Thanks to you & Melody I now have more info. to go on. Your book "100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden" is a wonderful book to have as a constant reference and also attractive to give as a gift. My copy sits alongside another special book a few folks may already be familiar with, "The Art of French Vegetable Gardening" by Louisa Jones. It favors the use of heirlooms along with flowers in gardens in harmony with the southern French style. Not enough about tomatoes LOL, but also very beautifully done.

I also own both of those books and agree that they are wonderful resources, accessible to newbies like me. Also rather aesthetically pleasing to page through.

Good job Carolyn.

Thanks.

Adam.