Persimmon Tomato

This is our first summer growing Persimmon tomatoes. The description from Burpee's was spot on: "A heirloom originally from Russia, this beefsteak type has very large, persimmon-colored 1 lb. fruits. Uniform and blemish-free, the tomatoes have high flavor, low acidity, and a small cavity. Performs well in short-season areas. Indeterminate. Harvest about 80-96 days after transplant." The color is really beautiful, and my husband actually thought I was making peach cobbler when he saw the pan of chopped tomatoes.

I didn't find this tomato to be very sweet, but it was full of flavor and a little tart. There were few seeds and it was quite meaty. I didn't do my typical cheddar test, but I chopped up the tomato, sprinkled with garlic salt, olive oil, fresh basil and shredded mozzarella and baked at 550F until the cheese was starting to bubble. It was a delicious dish and gave me some ideas for making fresh tomato-basil soup. Because of the low amount of liquid, it wouldn't take long to cook to the right consistency.

This is the basil I used with the tomato dish. I attempted to grow purple basil from saved seeds, but the basil came up speckled. The flavor is still great, and I think it looks fun.