These are Japanese Trifele Black, Yellow and Red tomatoes. In spite of the name, these tomatoes come from Russia. Apparently a scientist involved in the development of these tomatoes was Japanese. At their largest, the red ones are about 5cm wide and the others 2-3cm.
The black version is available from a number of seed companies now, and have become a popular tomato to grow. Just out of curiosity, I tracked down the red and yellow versions from a seed saver in Sweden and planted them too. I also got an orange version from a seed saver in Belarus, but it came too late for planting this year. Perhaps next year I’ll give it a try.
Green spots and uneven ripening seems to be a common trait of these tomatoes. At first I thought it was intentional, but now I realize it’s more of a problem than a feature. This isn’t as much of a problem with the black version.
The flavor of the black version is really excellent. It has a very complex taste that’s a little on the sweet side, but there’s plenty of acidic taste too. Rumor has it this is Raymond Blanc’s favorite tomato. For those reading this from outside of the UK, Raymond Blanc is a French born TV celebrity chef who owns a chain of restaurants in the UK.
At best I would say the yellow one is uninteresting. The plant is the earliest of the bunch, and probably the most prolific. The plant is also a nice compact size.
The red one is not nice. The flesh was very mealy and tasteless. Perhaps this is due in part to the uneven ripening, so perhaps after I’ve had a chance to let some others get riper I will have a more positive impression.
I’ll certainly grow the black one again!
