Sunday, September 6, 2009

Central Coast Tomato Taste Tests 2009 - Nepal


The next tomato up is Nepal.

Seed Catalog Description:
Originally from Farmers Seed Co., from India's Himalaya Mountains. Big sprawling plant pruducing abundant crop of 6 to 10 -oz., smooth, round, scarlet-red fruits with little cracking and intense sweet tomatoey flavor. A great keeper if picked green late in summer and allowed to ripen when wrapped in paper.
Days: 75
Size: Indeterminate
Color: Red
Season: Mid-Season
Type: Heirloom

Production and Earliness:
My one Nepal plant has produced 14 tomatoes thus far in the season. They weigh in at a total of 5.28 lbs or ~6 ounces each...not bad for a central coast plant! The first tomato was picked on 7.24, which is kinda late.

Fruit Size, Color and Shape:
Nepal has an orangish-red color when ripe. The inside is a bit pinkish. The shape is nice and round - no ruffles here.

Plant Growth Habit:
Nepal isn't a mountain climber, thought the name might suggest differently. My plant is only about 6 feet tall and relatively compact.

Texture:
Nepal is a firm tomato, definitely non-mushy.

Taste:
There is very little flavor in the "walls" of the tomato, practically all of it is in the gel. There is quite a bit of acidity, yet the taste is simply not there.

Cooking and serving options:
Since there's not much flavor, I can't get very excited about serving options.

Is it a winner?
Sadly, not a winner. I had hoped that this variety would have a great taste, especially since it produced pretty large tomatoes in my garden - some weighed almost a pound. Ah, well. The search continues!

3 comments:

Bangchik and Kakdah said...

The skin of this tomato looks very thin. I can see the inside. But tasty the same, I hope. ~bangchik

Autumn Belle said...

Jackie, this type looks like the one I usually use to make curries and soups.

Jackie said...

Bangchik, unfortunately it's not the most tasty tomato I've grown...

Autumn Belle, soups and curries might be a good use for this one, since it's not good for slicing.