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Post by octave1 on Aug 6, 2022 10:24:31 GMT -5
I searched but couldn't find any variety that looks like this. Some friend suggested that I may have left the tomatoes on the vine too long, and this is why they are turning red, but all the Green Zebra I am familiar with turn striped yellow when ripe, not red. The shape is also not the traditional 3-5 oz Green Zebra tomato shape. I still have to slice and taste these tomatoes, although I sampled one that I picked earlier (no red stripes, just green and pale yellow and maybe unripe?) and it tasted really bland. So here are the beauties:
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Aug 6, 2022 10:45:43 GMT -5
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Post by pepperhead212 on Aug 6, 2022 11:03:30 GMT -5
Definitely not; I don't remember what they were, either, but I remember that I got it from Baker Creek, and they didn't sell them again, so I must not have been the only one that didn't want them again! They had that reddish color, larger size, and bland flavor you describe.
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Post by brownrexx on Aug 6, 2022 11:25:16 GMT -5
I grew Green Zebra one year and when they were overly ripe that got a dark yellow color in addition to the stripes but they never turned red. They were also smaller than yours and very round.
There is one called Red Zebra but I never grew it and the pictures online didn't have as much green as yours.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Aug 6, 2022 11:30:49 GMT -5
I grew Green Zebra one year and when they were overly ripe that got a dark yellow color in addition to the stripes but they never turned red. They were also smaller than yours and very round. There is one called Red Zebra but I never grew it and the pictures online didn't have as much green as yours. Yes, My Red Zebra’s we’re smaller too. No green color either.
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Post by paulf on Aug 6, 2022 13:13:44 GMT -5
The Green Zebra I remember are salad sized and green and yellow stripes. Baker Creek is known for selling wrong varieties. Even red zebra looks smaller than the photos octave 1 posted. When we had tomato tasting in Lincoln, Ne. years back, GZ was among the spitters.
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Post by stratcat on Aug 6, 2022 15:21:55 GMT -5
Hi, octave1. Those are not Green Zebra, for sure. Years ago, I had a free packet of Green Zebra from Baker Creek. On a lark, I grew one plant. The fruit looked just like the picture/description in the catalog. Saladette size. I was surprised that Green Zebra had an average taste; not on the tart side at all. This was my second kind of Tom Wagner's Green When Ripe tomato creations I've grown. Green Grape had some bite to it. I like sweet tomatoes. Your mystery tomato looks like one of Brad Gates' creations. I grew Chocolate Stripes that kinda looked like that, though I'm not sure if it was one of Brad's. Maybe one of Brad's Tie Dyes? Wild Boar Farms
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Post by octave1 on Aug 6, 2022 18:21:33 GMT -5
I cut up and sampled the tomatoes. The flavor, when striped red, is not as bland. It's actually pleasant, although maybe too "delicate" for my palate. This tomato basically tastes like a rather toned down Big Beef with a nice, zingy-lemony aftertaste. If the flavor was stronger, I would rate the tomato a 10/10 because I like its complexity and the general flavor profile, but since it's kind of mild (the best part, the tangy aftertaste, is barely perceptible) it only gets a 6/10 from me.
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Post by bestofour on Aug 23, 2022 20:15:16 GMT -5
octave1,Years ago timothyt, haven’t seen him on here in a very long time, sent me tie dye tomato seeds that grew out tomatoes which looked very much like yours.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Aug 25, 2022 15:52:07 GMT -5
Many years ago, when I grew green zebras every year, they were some of the best tasting, and would rate one or two every year doing taste tests. Unfortunately, they didn't start ripening until around 7-20 to 7-25, and they were disease prone - they were usually gone by the end of August, otherwise I'd still be growing them. They were about 1 1/2-2", a few a little more.
I liked them so much I also tried the red, black, and the green cherry zebras, but the cherries all split, the reds attracted black aphids (I've had a few other varieties do this - become coated with aphids overnight, but none around them were bothered!), and blacks didn't produce well, and also were disease prone.
After this, I tried all sorts of greens, but nothing was the same, though some of the tie died ones had good flavor - just little production, disease prone, or something else that made them one timers. But then, that's why I have to keep trying new ones!
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