Crunchy Tomatoes?

[karstopography]

Which tomatoes are known to be crunchy or extra firm when ripe? As an example, Creamsicle Grape in my one experience growing this variety is an extra firm, even crunchy tomato, long after it has sat on the counter for weeks ripe, beyond ripe and is starting to raisin a bit. I don’t like this extra crunchy or extra firm attribute in a tomato. A crunchy apple, yes, a crunchy tomato, no. There’s a whole lot of good territory in tomato world between crunchy or extra firm and mealy or mushy. I can understand if someone might like a tomato to be extra firm or crunchy and actually seek out tomatoes with this attribute, but I’m more interested in identifying these types ahead of time so as to avoid growing them in future seasons.

I’m concerned some of the more recently developed and stabilized “exotic” open Pollinated crosses, the striped ones, the tri-colors, might be just as firm and crunchy as creamsicle grape, that maybe this crunchy thing could be a particular trait shared with many of the recent crosses. If I know which ones have this characteristic, I can eliminate them from my grow lists.

I’ve yet to have a true heirloom tomato passed down from generations ago that has a crunchy texture. If those exist, then I want to avoid growing them also. Top Gun, the hybrid red determinant, is disturbingly firm when ripe. I can and do understand that certain hybrids are on the firm side for shipping purposes. Some cherry tomatoes have a firm pop when chewed and that’s okay. But, any tomato that takes significant amounts of pressure and time chewing to reduce to a size that can be safely swallowed is undesirable.

Any tomatoes stand out in the extra firm category?

[pepperhead212]

The thing I have found that is un-flavorful about some "firm" tomatoes is that they are the types lacking the gel, that it seems the most flavorful types have the most of, though there are a few exceptions, like Pruden's Purple, which is fairly firm, but delicious in flavor. And the cherry or grape types that are crunchy are often from a thick skin - one I have this season like this, with a very good flavor, is the Bronze Torch hybrid, sort of an enlarged grape variety, like Juliet. When I first tasted it, it was like crunching down on a piece of cucumber, that I had treated with calcium chloride, the skin was so crunchy! And it has stayed that way, the whole season, with only a couple splitting. But the crunching was from the skin, as the flesh was moist, with the good flavor from that gel. Not everyone likes thick skinned tomatoes, but they do seem to be less prone to splitting.

[karstopography]

The thing I have found that is un-flavorful about some "firm" tomatoes is that they are the types lacking the gel, that it seems the most flavorful types have the most of, though there are a few exceptions, like Pruden's Purple, which is fairly firm, but delicious in flavor. And the cherry or grape types that are crunchy are often from a thick skin - one I have this season like this, with a very good flavor, is the Bronze Torch hybrid, sort of an enlarged grape variety, like Juliet. When I first tasted it, it was like crunching down on a piece of cucumber, that I had treated with calcium chloride, the skin was so crunchy! And it has stayed that way, the whole season, with only a couple splitting. But the crunching was from the skin, as the flesh was moist, with the good flavor from that gel. Not everyone likes thick skinned tomatoes, but they do seem to be less prone to splitting.

The few paste tomatoes I have grown can be pretty to almost totally gel free, San Marzano had virtually zero gel when I grew it, and rather lacking in flavor, plus a disagreeable texture, for my taste, for fresh eating. Some beefsteaks, Domingo and Hoy, later in the season here can be rather gel free with mostly empty gel and seed cavities and those are generally inferior tasting in that low gel condition to earlier in the season versions of the same tomato with full gel and seed cavities.

On the other hand, I don’t tend to like tomatoes with extra big gel and seed cavities and appear to be more gel and seeds than flesh. There’s a happy medium, for my tastes anyway, with tomatoes like Pruden’s Purple being wonderful with their rather small seed cavities distributed and plenty of flesh that is substantial but is also almost creamy and yields with gentle pressure. Definitely not crunchy, gritty, mealy or hard firm or chewy in a tough piece of steak kind of way. All the beefsteaks, which I consider the best of all tomato classes, but the best of the beefsteaks (so far) have a wonderful texture and some might have more gel and seeds (none should have too many seeds), than others so I’m not against gel, just not a fan of tomatoes that are what I believe are mostly gel and seeds with one outer wall of flesh. But, none of the really good tomatoes to my tastes have anything remotely crunchy or hard about them. I don’t like noticeably thick skin tomatoes, at least for fresh eating, either very much. Some tomato skins apparently thicken up late in the season here with sun and excess heat exposure and those are inferior to their earlier in the season like kind tomatoes.

With 6,000 or 10,000+ tomatoes varieties whatever the number, we can be a little selective about which tomatoes we want to try. I just want to eliminate some before I germinate any seeds. Crunchy, thick skin, extra firm are ones I definitely want to strike from the potential grow lists.

[bower]

Zolotoe Serdtse is an example of a very firm when ripe tomato, definitely bred for production purpose where you don't want dings from loading, piling up, etc and where a long shelf life is important. It was hard to decide when it was (ever) ripe. OTOH for a field tomato in windy conditions such as we have, it was pretty good not to have losses from banging against one another on the bush as well.

[PlainJane]

Green Bee, created by Fred Hempel, was specifically selected for its crunchy texture. It has amazing counter life - at least 6 weeks or more. I grow it every year and personally love the flavor and texture.

That’s Green Bee, Maglia Rosa and another cherry from last year.

IMG_2758.jpeg

[habitat-gardener]

I really like Green Bee F1.
Another firm cherry, almost crunchy, that I love is Chocolate Sprinkles F1.

[tyrupp]

I grew a cherry tomato that was touted to yield ten pounds of fruit. I bought this little gem from Burrell seed co. For a nominal fee of 8.50 a 20 pack. Its name is Stromboli,the only thing that surpasses its crunchy almost dental filling destroying center is a skin thick as a Reno hide. Plus it’s a spitter as Dr Male would put it. Who ever was the master mind that made this f1 cross should have to eat at least 4 of these and keep them down for a least 10 minutes

[Shule]

Look for RIN tomatoes. These are tomatoes that don't soften when they ripen. So, they're exactly as crunchy as an unripe tomato.

Gargamel is one. Purple Bumble Bee seems to be another. I believe the rest of the Bumble Bee series (Pink, Sunrise) is also crunchy.

If we're just talking firm tomatoes (rather than crunchy), that's a whole different story. In that case, try Roma VF (not the regular Roma).

[ddsack]

I have no patience with crunchy tomatoes or thick skins, no matter how good the taste is supposed to be. But they do have their admirers, and people such as my son, who won't eat normal tomatoes because he says they are soft and slimy, will eat those crunchy grape tomatoes that are spitters as far as I am concerned. Different strokes for different folks. Tried Green Bee, never again!

[rdback]

Tomatoberry Garden. Not a bad flavor, but VERY firm flesh. Skin is tough as well.

[Seven Bends]

Green Bee, created by Fred Hempel, was specifically selected for its crunchy texture. It has amazing counter life - at least 6 weeks or more. I grow it every year and personally love the flavor and texture.

That’s Green Bee, Maglia Rosa and another cherry from last year.
IMG_2758.jpeg

Does Maglia Rosa have a firm/crunchy texture? I grew all three Bumble Bee tomatoes and didn't care for the texture; if Maglia Rosa is similar in texture, probably I should avoid it despite all the great reviews.

[karstopography]

Green Bee, created by Fred Hempel, was specifically selected for its crunchy texture. It has amazing counter life - at least 6 weeks or more. I grow it every year and personally love the flavor and texture.

That’s Green Bee, Maglia Rosa and another cherry from last year.
IMG_2758.jpeg

Does Maglia Rosa have a firm/crunchy texture? I grew all three Bumble Bee tomatoes and didn't care for the texture; if Maglia Rosa is similar in texture, probably I should avoid it despite all the great reviews.

https://plants.rogersgardens.com/122900 ... rint/29476

This link above says Maglia Rosa is firm.

[maxjohnson]

Maglia Rosa is one of my favorite because of it's productivity and not being very tall, but for firmness in my definition it is only mildly. Pink Bumble Bee is firmer. Though I am one of those people who prefer thick skin.

Again Pink Princess is my new favorite cherry. It doesn't have thick skin but the fruit don't have much juices, so it is satisfying to chew through and you don't get that pop of acidic juice shooting at you throat when you bite through it. It's not a potato chips type of crunch, but it is meatier on the inside than most other cherries.

The firmest variety I've grown so far is Spencer, which is a European variety. It's just average indeterminate cherry and nothing special about it. But skin is so durable that it is the only tomato of any variety in my garden that didn't get attacked by insect pests (at all). I haven't harvested it at all and just snack from the plant, also because it's not prolific. It is a more forward acidic flavor and gives you a nice zesty kick, with maybe a light sweetness in the background.

20240807_152403.jpg

[Shule]

Green Bee, created by Fred Hempel, was specifically selected for its crunchy texture. It has amazing counter life - at least 6 weeks or more. I grow it every year and personally love the flavor and texture.

That’s Green Bee, Maglia Rosa and another cherry from last year.
IMG_2758.jpeg

Does Maglia Rosa have a firm/crunchy texture? I grew all three Bumble Bee tomatoes and didn't care for the texture; if Maglia Rosa is similar in texture, probably I should avoid it despite all the great reviews.

Maglia Rosa is about as far from crunchy as it gets in my experience. It wasn't firm for me, either. Pretty soft. It was nothing like Purple Bumble Bee there. I'm pretty sure @Labradors will agree that Maglia Rosa is not crunchy.

[PlainJane]

@Seven Bends I would not call Maglia Rosa crunchy, for sure.
It’s not super soft/squishy either.

[bower]

A certain firmness is desirable in a saladette sized tomato, IMO. I don't want a quartered tomato to fall apart into smears in a salad. I prefer them to stay intact as a 'bite'. Cherries that go in whole, they could be softer and still okay.

OTOH crunchiness in a slicer has got to be pretty awful... I don't think I've ever grown a beefsteak that was at all close to crunchy, including heirlooms, Eastern European cv's etc. However I am growing a couple of tomatoes of commerce this season that don't have green shoulders. They're just at the stage of coloring up but are still firm, and (thanks to this thread!) all I can think of is, will they be crunchy??!! Sure hope not.

[Homegrwoninillinois]

Sweetheart cherry has a nice firmness to it and decent flavor.

[seanm]

Crunchy tomatoes are my current pet-peeve, I hate them! Some of the worst offenders I've tried are modern takes on a bicolor that are "improved" to be not so mushy: Buffalosun and Chef's Choice Bicolor fell into that category. Benevento and the Benevento Malmo are also a bit too crunchy for my taste, though they were pretty nice on all other fronts (taste, production, vigor). Also tried Red Torch and didn't like the crunchiness, same with Sakura cherry. This year, I was surprised that Orange Strawberry was a little crunchy, though this might be more 'dry' than 'crunchy'; was a dud in my garden.

[karstopography]

Crunchy tomatoes are my current pet-peeve, I hate them! Some of the worst offenders I've tried are modern takes on a bicolor that are "improved" to be not so mushy: Buffalosun and Chef's Choice Bicolor fell into that category. Benevento and the Benevento Malmo are also a bit too crunchy for my taste, though they were pretty nice on all other fronts (taste, production, vigor). Also tried Red Torch and didn't like the crunchiness, same with Sakura cherry. This year, I was surprised that Orange Strawberry was a little crunchy, though this might be more 'dry' than 'crunchy'; was a dud in my garden.

Yes, I have become wary about growing out many of the modern crosses. Great looking tomatoes in many cases, but what exactly is lurking “under the hood”?

I feel a little better about trying a modern cross that has at least one “good” parent, but even that’s not a guarantee I’ll like it, Brandywine OTV would be an example of that, whatever mystery tomato Brandywine crossed to make it OTV made it an inferior tomato to Brandywine, at least to my tastes. Two good tomato parents are better. Bear Creek is an example of that, the Brandywine x Cherokee Purple cross makes for a really nice tomato.

I should probably play it safe and just grow the historical heirlooms and crosses derived from two of the best of those, tomatoes that have been around, preserved and loved for decades.

Curiosity comes into play, though, and I poke around looking for something newer and better. One or two more seasons striking out and getting duds and undesirables with the newer and better might make the curiosity go away.

[bower]

If you want to try a cross that isn't overly firm, how about Pink Berkeley Tie Dye.
Beautiful to look at, with a unique and excellent taste, but must be eaten on the same day it becomes ripe, or softens to a puddle.

I regret to say that, granted my growing conditions are somewhat unique for a tomato, Mt. Gem took forever to ripen (by local standards), and after a very long wait and deep red color, I still found them too firm for my liking. Made a fine sauce with some others, however.