Our Tomato Varieties

Throughout the season you’ll see a colorful mix of tomatoes in your box. Here are some of the varieties grown at Tomatoberry Farm.

Benevento

This beautiful, flavorful variety was created by a Northern California tomato breeder, the late Fred Hempel of Artisan Seeds (now Bene Seeds). When fully ripe it is a deep red with golden and faint green stripes. It has a firm, meaty texture and excellent flavor. It will store well on the countertop for several days, if not weeks.

Red and green striped tomatoes hanging on the vine

A hand holding three red and green striped "Benevento" tomatoes

(New Era) Black Cherry

I have been saving my own seeds of this variety for several seasons. It began its life as a volunteer in my plot at the New Era Community Garden, and I believe it originated from a Black Cherry. It is one of the best-flavored tomatoes I have tasted, rivalling the complex, sweet flavor of larger heirlooms.

Several "Black Cherry" tomatoes on a wood board

Several "Black Cherry" tomatoes on a wood table

Chef’s Choice Bicolor

This beautiful tomato is part of the Chef’s Choice series, which are locally-bred tomatoes that combine the look and flavor of heirlooms with the disease resistance of hybrids. The flavor of bicolor tomatoes can vary widely from season to season. So far, this one has been sweet and mild. Bicolors have wonderful yellow and red marbling on both the interior and exterior, making them great for slicing into a thick, open-faced tomato sandwich. Don’t forget the salt, which brings out the flavor of the milder varieties.

Yellow and red striped tomatoes on a wood background

Chef’s Choice Orange

Chef’s Choice Orange is a FABULOUS tomato with robust plants, ample fruit, and most importantly, great flavor. They were bred from the popular heirloom, Amana Orange. The tomatoes have a sweet, rich flavor and a striking deep orange color. They have a firm texture and store well on the counter for several days.

Three "Chef's Choice Orange" tomatoes on a wood background

Three orange tomatoes in a line on a wood background

Chef’s Choice Pink

This beautiful tomato is part of the Chef’s Choice series, which are locally-bred tomatoes that combine the look and flavor of heirlooms with the disease resistance of hybrids. Chef’s Choice Pink tastes similar to other pink tomatoes such as Brandywine, with a perfect balance of acid to sugar.

Citrine

This orange cherry tomato features a well-balanced, robustly sweet flavor. It’s great for adding a pop of vibrant color to salads.

Green Grape

This unique tomato is a bright yellow-lime green when ripe. It tastes just like a “regular” tomato, perhaps a bit more tangy. I love the contrast of the vibrant green against the more traditional tomato colors like red and orange.

Green Zebra

One of the most beautiful tomatoes in my opinion, Green Zebra is known for its tangy flavor. When fully ripe it is a deep yellow, almost chartreuse color with dark green stripes.

A line of green and yellow striped tomatoes

A hand holding several "Green Zebra" tomatoes

Lemon Boy (Plus)

Lemon Boy is of my top five favorite tomatoes. That’s because, number one, it tastes great — it’s juicy, sweet, tangy, and has that extra something that takes the flavor from good to great. And as a bonus, the plants are vigorous, productive, and disease resistant. Lemon Boy produces blemish-free, bright yellow fruits for weeks on end. These fruits are actually “Lemon Boy Plus,” an improved strain from Johnny’s Selected Seeds.

Yellow tomatoes in a line with a wood background

Lucky Cross

This variety comes from North Carolina tomato enthusiast Craig LeHoullier, who discovered this new variety among a patch of Brandywines in 1993, and has maintained the strain ever since. Like many bicolors it has a juicy, mild, sweet flavor that is enhanced with a sprinkle of salt.

A group of three Lucky Cross tomatoes with red, yellow and green stripes

Magic Bullet

I love how vibrant and colorful these little tomatoes are. They travel through a kaleidoscope of bright colors as they ripen, landing on a golden-purple-green-red striped combo when fully ripe. The flavor is rich and sweet, and I love eating them all on their own, though they’re great in salads as well.

Magic bullet tomatoes in a line with a wood background

Moskvich

This red heirloom is known for producing fruits early in the season and in cooler weather. I think it is one of the best-tasting early tomatoes.

A hand holding several small red "Moskvich" tomatoes

A line of small red tomatoes with green stems

Sun Sugar

This bright orange cherry tomato has a similarly sweet, fruity taste to the well-known Sungold, but is purportedly less prone to cracking - an irksome problem with the otherwise amazing Sungold variety. So far it seems to be living up to that claim. It’s a bit difficult to distinguish from Citrine, the other orange cherry I grow - the Citrines tend to be more elongated.

Sweet 100

Sweet 100 is a red cherry tomato that’s grown all over the country. That’s because the fruits taste great and the plants do well in a wide variety of conditions.

Five red cherry tomatoes on a wood table

Sweet Cream

This variety from Wild Boar Farms is known as a “saladette” tomato. It’s sweet and fruity, and as a bonus, the tomatoes are very pretty with their gold and pink marbling on a yellow background.

Pork Chop

Another great variety from local tomato breeder Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms. The fruits have an excellent flavor, with a yellow background and darker yellow stripes.

Three "Pork Chop" tomatoes which are yellow with darker yellow stripes

Yellow Mini

This is a new variety for me, and I’m definitely growing it again because the fruits are both pretty and tasty, These yellow cherry tomatoes are sweet, fruity, and great for slicing into salads (or eating whole!)