Tomato Tasting 2014 | And the Winner is…

2014 may have been our largest tomato tasting in the 14 years that Roger’s Gardens has been producing this popular summer event. By 9 AM tomato enthusiasts were lined up at both entrances, anxious to taste over 1,600 tomatoes and 80 varieties that graced the tasting tables this year. Steve Goto, as he has since our first event, supplied the majority of the fruit, but staff and even a few customers added tomatoes to the tables as well. We were thrilled to see nearly 400 attendees this year. Another tradition at this event is April Goto’s famous homemade tomato salsa.

Like fine wine, each guest carefully tasted the tomatoes, then cast their votes of their favorites. For the second year, well-known Roger’s Gardens edible expert David Rizzo, tasting with peppers from his own garden, plus a few extras. Almost twenty varieties, including some real hotties, like two different Habaneros, Scotch Bonnets and Ghost Peppers. Luckily, nobody needed the paramedics.

As usual, we have tabulated the results from the ballots that were cast at this year’s Tomato Tasting. Scroll to the bottom of this article to see the results.

Start planning now for your 2015 tomato season. And be sure to visit us again during ToMaToMania! next March, our largest gardening event of the year.

Based on the ballot results, the top three tasting tomatoes were Black Cherry, Matt’s Wild Cherry and Big Rainbow.

Below are the full results:

TASTING BALLOT RESULTS

	Name	Score	# Votes
1	Black Cherry	4.60	5
2	Matt’s Wild Cherry	4.50	10
3	Big Rainbow	4.40	10
4	Purple Bumble Bee	4.27	11
5	Sungold Cherry	4.17	12
6	Red Zebra	4.17	6
7	Cherokee Purple	4.13	8
8	Blue Beauty	4.08	12
9	Odoriko	4.05	20
10	Lillian’s Heirloom Yellow	4.00	13
11	Dr. Carolyn	3.93	14
12	Cuban Yellow Grape	3.89	9
13	Stupice	3.83	12
14	Berkeley Tie Dye	3.77	13
15	Dr. Wychee	3.73	15
16	Frogsleap	3.73	15
17	Pineapple	3.73	15
18	Japanese Pink Cherry	3.67	15
19	Gold Medal	3.64	14
20	Green Zebra Cherry	3.63	8
21	Hawaiian Pineapple	3.63	16
22	Sunshine Bumble Bee	3.55	11
23	Nebraska Wedding	3.54	13
24	Southern Nights	3.53	15
25	Cubanelle	3.50	8
26	Sweet Baby /girl	3.50	10
27	Snow White Cherry	3.44	16
28	Yellow Pear	3.43	7
29	Carbon	3.42	12
30	Ackers West Virginia	3.40	10
31	Kellogg’s Breakfast	3.40	15
32	Sub Artic Maxi	3.40	5
33	Oxacan Jewel	3.39	18
34	Solarflare	3.36	14
35	Fantastic	3.31	13
36	Glacier	3.31	13
37	Mr. Stripey	3.31	13
38	Marveled Stripe	3.29	7
39	Copia	3.25	12
40	Red Grape	3.22	9
41	Dixie Golden Giant	3.19	16
42	Homestead	3.18	11
43	Black From Tula	3.17	6
44	Kumato	3.15	13
45	Indigo Rose	3.14	14
46	Rutgers	3.13	15
47	Chica	3.13	8
48	Siletz	3.11	9
49	Pantano Romanesco	3.08	12
50	Indigo Apple	3.07	15
51	Big Boy	3.00	13
52	Cherokee Chocolate	3.00	10
53	German Giant	3.00	17
54	Lost the Label	3.00	6
55	Porkchop	3.00	10
56	Big Zebra	2.95	21
57	Persimmon	2.92	12
58	Jetsetter	2.91	11
59	Legend	2.91	11
60	Spot Yellow	2.91	11
61	Green Grape	2.80	10
62	Red Brandywine	2.80	10
63	Siberia	2.77	13
64	Steakhouse	2.73	15
65	Super Sioux	2.67	9
66	Evergreen	2.64	14
67	Andrew Rahart	2.62	13
68	Brandywine	2.18	11
69	White Beauty	2.10	10
70	Momotaro	2.00	9
71	Tigerella	1.80	10
72	Black Zebra	N/A	4
73	Great White	N/A	4
74	Green Crush	N/A	3
75	Mr. Green	N/A	3
76	Sweet Cornercy	N/A	1
77	Black Krim	N/A	0
78	Blush	N/A	0
79	Chocolate	N/A	0
80	Nyagous	N/A	0
81	White Wonder	N/A	0

		“N/A” had too few tastes to be valid scores.

Tomato Tasting 2014 | And the Winner is…