December 2020 - 23

Cornell Agritech cherry tomato ripens while green
By Krishna Ramanujan
Cornell University
Most people are jaded about green
tomatoes, which are considered unripe
and unsavory unless they're fried. But
a new, flavorful and highly productive
cherry tomato that ripens green
promises to be the envy of tomato
growers this spring.
The new variety, dubbed Jaded,
was developed by Phillip Griffiths,
associate professor of horticulture at
Cornell Agritech, who bred it from
four heirloom tomato varieties. The
green cherry is on sale now through
local organic seed company Fruition
Seeds.
" Challenges (in breeding a green
tomato) came in knowing when it
was ripe, " Griffiths said, " but also the
perception of people to green as a color
in tomato, because when people think
of sweeter types of products, then green
doesn't necessarily come to mind. "
Jaded green tomatoes add a different hue to cherry tomato medley mixes. Photos: Phillip Griffiths
RAISING THE BAR
Crave is a Glacial bi-color type from Syngenta
with a great husk package, large ear and
excellent eating quality that customers will
crave. It features vibrant bi-color kernels, great
husk length, color and flags.
CRAVE
With a smooth and tropical flavor, Jaded's
skin becomes translucent like a gooseberry
and adopts a golden hue when ripe,
signaling it's ready to pick.
Griffiths began working with the
improvement of heirloom varieties
in 2005. At the time most vegetable
breeding programs were more focused
on varieties with disease resistance and
higher yields. Meanwhile, consumers
were starting to have more influence in
food markets through buying power,
as they sought different colors, new
flavors and more fun varieties.
Green also adds a different hue to
cherry tomato medley mixes.
" A lot of the small-fruited medley
mixes that you see when you go to
stores or weekend farmer's markets,
tend to be focused on the yellow,
orange and red colors, maybe some
striped types, maybe purple, " Griffiths
said. " When you start to get colors
like green in there, that can really
complement the other colors. "
The variety has been a perennial
favorite among people who work in
Griffiths' program. While there are
a few other types of green tomatoes
on the market, they may not be up to
Jaded's standard.
" It's an attractive looking green
tomato, " Griffiths said, " and one that is
I think, an improvement over anything
that's currently out there. " VGN
YOSEMITE
RED CANYON
Yosemite is a 6-7# small pumpkin
from Rupp Seeds. The fruit are
a deep red/orange color and are
taller than they are wide. The extralong
handle on Yosemite makes it
an attractive addition for your farm
market display and a nice option
for kids to carry.
Red Canyon is an early choice for
intermediates. It has a solid and
consistent globe shape and a bold
red color. This Crookham onion
offers dependable yields with a
high percentage of single centers
containing distinct red rings.
MERCER
Mercer is a widely adapted greento-red
bell pepper well suited for
the North Eastern U.S. growing
regions. This mid-early variety
from Sakata provides high yields
of extra-large fruit with good
quality. The fruit are firm, dark
green and mature to a very
attractive deep red color.
RAISING THE BAR
IN QUALITY, FLAVOR, AND YIELD
Bringing you the best products in partnership with
Crookham, Sakata, and Syngenta.
Visit ruppseeds.com to request or download your copy
of our 2021 catalog including 40 new products.
800-700-1199 * ruppseeds.com
VGN | DECEMBER 2020 | 23

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December 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2020