But do they taste good?

'Definitely different': Tomatoes the color of blueberries Not one mention of the taste. I hope that the $$$$ spent on this project has more value than eating a purple tomato that tastes like cardboard. I can see the value for flavor, but looks?

The theory is that the darker blues/purples have higher amounts of antioxidants and are therefore more healthy. It's the same as the idea behind orange and purple cauliflower.

So, the White Beauty tomatoes I grew this summer aren't especially good for me?

sweetsalty wrote:The theory is that the darker blues/purples have higher amounts of antioxidants and are therefore more healthy. It's the same as the idea behind orange and purple cauliflower.

I remember from high school health class that "darker" foods have more iron (so chocolate cake works?), but I think with the level of engineering that goes into some of these breeds, color may no longer be an indicator of nutritional content.

Hammond

I remember from high school health class that "darker" foods have more iron (so chocolate cake works?), but I think with the level of engineering that goes into some of these breeds, color may no longer be an indicator of nutritional content.

Well, if I've understood, though, they are specifically engineered so that they will have a higher antioxidant content- meaning, the color is a side effect.

It's not as though there aren't already purple tomatoes out there - I grew two this summer: Cherokee Purple and Black Crim. Unfortunately, I only got one or two as these varieties are more suceptible to leaf spot.

I wonder if the engineering is more to make a commercially viable purple tomato - none of these travel well (the 2-minute trip from my garden plot to home is sometimes fraught with peril)

Did you know that the original color of carrots was purple? I'm growing a few heirloom varieties that include this color. Wonder if those have more antioxidants than the orange.

Mhays wrote:Did you know that the original color of carrots was purple? I'm growing a few heirloom varieties that include this color. Wonder if those have more antioxidants than the orange.

Why, yes, I did.
The orange color became predominant during the reign of William of...
wait for it...
Orange

I have seen other color carrots on rare occasions, but I've never bought them. Since a lot of carrot preparations are pureed, white or yellow, let alone purple, would send some very strange signals. I might like other color carrots in salads and stir fries tho.

Hammond wrote:

I remember from high school health class that "darker" foods have more iron

One more reason to enjoy a good stout.

Mhays wrote:It's not as though there aren't already purple tomatoes out there - I grew two this summer: Cherokee Purple and Black Crim. Unfortunately, I only got one or two as these varieties are more suceptible to leaf spot.

Sidetracking a bit... Mhays, I grew one Black Plum plant this summer and holy cow did that thing produce. Hundreds of pretty tasty plum sized purple tomatoes. It grew like a weed, though, and pretty much took over the rest of my tomato patch (due to lax suckering/staking vigilence on my part). I probably won't grow it next year for that reason. But if you're looking for an alternative to other black varieties, this is a good option. (My Paul Robeson, on the other hand, only produced a few big purple tomatoes, and appeared to cross pollinate with my stupice--producing some tasty but unidentifiable medium sized specimens.)

Edit: Alright, I did a quick google search and it appears that my Paul Robeson and stupice couldn't have produced mutant offspring as I suspected was happening all summer. In that case, the PR produced a bunch of smaller, orangey guys that were not the intended purple product for some reason I cannot explain. In either case, the BP is still the proven purple producer.

Kristen

JoelF wrote:
I have seen other color carrots on rare occasions, but I've never bought them. Since a lot of carrot preparations are pureed, white or yellow, let alone purple, would send some very strange signals. I might like other color carrots in salads and stir fries tho.

I bought some red and some yellow carrots a few weeks ago. Roasted them with a pot roast. Best carrots I've ever eaten, sweet and rich. I'm going to pick some more up tomorrow.

JoelF wrote:It’s the death of pleasure when your waiter takes ten minutes to tell you the bloodline of your tomato.

Thanks for the heads-up on the purple plum tomatoes; did red and yellow - the red went like gangbusters, but have yet to see a yellow one, and now the plants are dead...

I've used the carrots mostly raw, but the purple carrot has a slightly turnipish flavor that would make it excellent in a stew. It would probably make a gorgeous puree as well, since it's kind of maroon.