The next tomato up is Stupice.Seed Catalog Description:
This potato-leaf heirloom from Czechoslovakia is a cold-tolerant tomato that bears an abundance of very sweet, flavorful 2 to 3-inch, deep red fruit. A 1988 comparative tasting in the San Francisco area gave it first place for its wonderful sweet/acid, tomatoey flavor and production.
Days: 52
Size: Indeterminate
Color: Red
Season: Early-Season
Type: Heirloom
Production and Earliness:
Stupice is my queen of earliness this year. The first ripe tomato was picked on 7/4. I'm growing 2 Stupice plants this year and the average number of fruits per plant is 139 weighing a total of 8.65 lbs.
Fruit Size, Color and Shape:
The average Stupice tomato weighs one ounce, but in reality there is quite a range of sizes. My plants have produced tomatoes between 0.5 ounce to ~2 ounces or so. The shape is also variable from roundish to heart shape. They seem to be prone to fasciation, but that doesn't bother me. The color inside and out is the classic red.
Plant Growth Habit:
Stupice is a potato-leaved variety. The plants are around 6 feet tall.
Texture:
Good texture. Average meat to juice ratio.
Taste:
Stupice has a good, bright and sweet taste. It is similar to Camp Joy, but not quite as flavorful. Medium acidity.
Cooking and serving options:
Hmmm...Stupice is a "jack of all trades, master of none" type of tomato as far as cooking and serving goes. It doesn't really lend itself to any particular purpose, but slicing for a side dish, salad, or sandwich would work just fine.
Is it a winner?
I feel like I'm really supposed to love Stupice. I've heard other people talk about how great it is and it's been hyped as great for the cool, coastal climate. It is good, but it's definitely not my favorite. I did appreciate it's earliness - first in the garden to ripen. But Camp Joy is similar in size to Stupice and I like it's flavor better. I hate to let Stupice go unplanted next year, but I just might do it.
4 comments:
Hi Jackie! I appreciate all the info about Stupice. It named as one of the tomatoes which are good for the Northwest. I had it in a container. Tomatoes were rather small but sweet. I might try it next year just because of its sweetness. I am impressed how early you got your first tomatoes! The end of July was a start of tomato season in my garden. But it's a good season!
No, Denise and I came to the same conclusion. Not good enough to win a spot. For slicers, it's Early Girl, for paste, there are better ones. Early isn't a great enough virtue to make up for taste I don't like!
Thanks for your good notes.
Stupice didn't quite make the cut for me either. Yes it was early, prolific, and tasted good, but not quite good enough.
Thanks, Tatyana. I'm glad you liked the info!
Stefaneer and Michelle - interesting that you both came to the same conclusion!
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