By Bev Tisci and Melinda Heigel , NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteers of Durham County
The actual scorecards the Seed Starter team members used for their blind taste testing to determine the best tomatoes they grew over the summer of 2024. (Image credit: Melinda Heigel)
Do you remember a previous post that described how members of the Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer team known as the Seed Starters conducted scientific and delicious taste tests to determine the most flavorful, disease-resistant tomatoes? Click here to revisit that July 31 blog post.1
Well the results are in! Extension Master Gardener volunteer and Seed Starter team leader Bev Tisci studied the comments and compiled the data from their July blind taste test. What were the best tomatoes?
Scenes from the “laboratory,” featuring one clear standout: (left) Chef’s Choice Orange. (Image credit: Melinda Heigel)
Best Slicer Tomato
In the slicers category the top choice was Chef’s Choice Orange. Tasters praised its mild and good flavor, appearance, nice acidity and called it a “Big winner.” Following close behind were Big Rainbow and Marmalade Sky.
Best Paste Tomato
In the paste category the winner was Italian Roma. Keep in mind this was the only entry in the category. Could future testing reveal a tastier contender? The judges noted that Italian Roma was meaty and firm, and Tisci commented that this variety makes great oven-roasted tomatoes.
Best Small Tomato
Taking honors in the small category was Mountain Magic followed closely by Ella Bella. Seed Starters noted the winner’s balanced acidity, sweet taste, firm consistency, and manageable small size.
Best Cherry Tomato
Finally, in the cherry category, Sungold was the winner as the team noted great flavor. Sunrise Bumblebee were also high in the ranking.
Be sure to follow announcements for the 2025 Durham Master Gardener volunteer Backyard Treasures Plant Sale2 where it is likely that you can purchase and grow some of these winners in your own backyard!
Notes
1–https://durhammastergardeners.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=18574&action=edit.
2–To see some pictures and additional information on what tomato varieties the Seed Starters grew for the 2024 Backyard Treasures Plant Sale, check out the list of offerings. Unfortunately, many of the tomatoes that were grown for the 2024 sale did not make it to the taste testing, so no comparison could be made with all of the new tomatoes.
https://www.backyardtreasuresplantsale.org/veggies
Resources and Additional Information
Follow along with another ongoing Master Gardener Program volunteer tomato trial in collaboration with NC State University.
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