Yes, I promised the ultimate taste test...and yes, I did sample two really incredible tomatoes. And that post will come very soon...

Today I sampled a Kellogg's Breakfast from one of my newer plants. I decided several weeks after planting the majority of my seedlings to create a space for 16 more plants. This plot is on a hill which had been covered with ivy and to say the soil needed a lot of work was an understatement. But because I had the seedlings and needed to get them in the ground, the soil was dug out, amended, potting soil added and the seedlings planted. It hasn't been the most productive bunch of plants. I'm thinking that for next year I need to build raised beds on the hill so the ground can be level and allow better water absorption rather than runoff. The cherry tomatoes on the hill are doing all right. The larger varieties haven't produced very well but Kellogg's Breakfast seems to be doing better than the others.

Kellogg's Breakfast is a beefsteak tomato with a very pretty deep apricot color. It's got a mild flavor. This tomato isn't overly seedy but it is rather watery.

I decided to compare the Kellogg's Breakfast with Orange Strawberry. Orange Strawberry is a beautiful tomato because it's so unique. It's heart shaped and when ripe, the color is a deep orange. Orange Strawberry should have produced the majority of it's fruit about a month ago. But a month ago I was underwhelmed by this tomato. The yield was limited at best and the tomatoes were tart. Now, when many of the plants are slowing down production, Orange Strawberry is going strong. I've harvested eight large tomatoes from this plant in the past two days and there are many more to come. Orange Strawberry is a fairly sweet tomato. I can detect just a tiny hint of acidity and I'm thinking that may be more of a reflection of the 106 degree weather we're having rather than a characteristic of the tomato. The flesh of this tomato is a bit denser and meatier than Kellogg's Breakfast. It's a little easier to eat so I'm going to name this one as today's favorite.

A few weeks ago I might have considered taking out the Orange Strawberry plant, believing it to be finished for the season. It's a good thing I didn't. Sometimes things just need a little more time. Everything matures at a different rate. The point is, they'll all get there in their own time and when they're ready. That's the beauty of individuality. And individuality needs to be honored and respected - if not, look at the beauty that might have been missed.