February 2021 - 7

Phillip Griffiths, associate professor of horticulture, inspects Moonbeam tomatoes at
Cornell AgriTech. Photos: Cornell AgriTech
A colorful cluster of tasty Galaxy Suite tomatoes await consumers' salads, recipes and
snacking.
Moonbeam adds flavor boost to Galaxy tomatoes
By Blaine Friedlander
Cornell University
Fresh from Cornell AgriTech
in Geneva, New York, the newest
grape tomato - Moonbeam - has
joined a constellation of tasty, small,
heirloom-style tomatoes in the 2020
High Mowing Organic Seeds catalog,
released Nov. 1 to home gardeners
and commercial growers.
" Moonbeam is a very good eating
experience from start to finish ...
from first bite to aftertaste, " said
Phillip Griffiths, associate professor of
horticulture at Cornell AgriTech, who
started developing Moonbeam in 2006
and made it a selection in 2011.
" Tomatoes like Moonbeam
and Midnight Pear help to
contrast the medley groups
and make them more
aesthetically pleasing. "
− Phillip Griffiths,
Cornell Agritech
Moonbeam is considered a white
grape tomato with a citrus flavor. In
the High Mowing catalog, it joins five
other small tomatoes in the catalog's
Cornell-developed Galaxy Suite
collection: Supernova, a marbled
mini-Roma; Midnight Pear, a small,
dark pigmented, pear-shape fruit;
Comet, a plump, red grape tomato;
Sungrazer, an orange colored grape
tomato; and Starlight, a slender,
finger-shaped, yellow grape tomato.
The High Mowing catalog called
Moonbeam a " glowing white,
translucent grape tomato with oblong
frame and delicious, fruity bite. This
remarkable tomato has dramatic
visual appeal, especially when added
to a small tomato mix. Not only are
these white grape tomatoes stunningly
unique, they are packed with a tasty
punch of unbeatable flavor. "
Beyond taste, Moonbeam is a highly
productive grape tomato - with
outstanding texture and exceptional
looks - that is suited for home
gardens, commercial fields and high
tunnels, said Griffiths. It has a good
shelf life and it is less likely to split.
Tomato medleys - or variety packs
- are becoming popular. A decade
ago, attractive small tomato medleys
were only found in farmers' markets.
Today major supermarkets use
medleys to engage consumers who
want different shapes and colors, and
smaller, bite-size fruit, said Griffiths.
" If you look at a lot of medley
packaging, they tend to be focused
on yellow, orange or red. The color
groups are lacking in the white and
the black types, such as the Midnight
Pear tomato, " he said. " Tomatoes like
Moonbeam and Midnight Pear help to
contrast the medley groups and make
them more aesthetically pleasing. "
Griffiths first developed the
Moonbeam tomato 13 years ago, but
shelved it to pursue other varieties. In
2015, he reached back to his original
research and replanted them. " It was
then I realized how good a product it
actually was, " he said.
In 2017, consumer taste tests of the
Moonbeam with the home gardener
seed association groups were positive,
and it was integrated quickly into
High Mowing's Galaxy Suite pipeline.
Consumers can cook or roast the
@FGNews
Moonbeams, add them to pasta or
toss them fresh into salads.
" Integrating tomatoes of different
colors, different flavors and different
textures is something that makes food
more fun and entertaining. It adds
to the whole eating experience, " said
Griffiths. " Moonbeam is a really nice
addition to the Galaxy Suite. They're
out of this world. " VGN
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To order or request a 2021 Gowan Seed catalog,
contact your regional sales consultant today:
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616-201-9889
jscholten@gowanseed.com
MI, Ontario, Canada
Jay Ruwet
315-730-4448
jruwet@gowanseed.com
CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, VT
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260-433-8750
jwilliamson@gowanseed.com
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Derek Levy
912-433-4752
dlevy@gowanseed.com
NC, SC, Eastern GA
Josh Heller
717-940-5440
jheller@gowanseed.com
DE, MD, NJ, PA
VGN | FEBRUARY 2021 | 7
February 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2021
