Black Tomatoes

I know what you mean, but apparently the first carrots were purple!

What??? Purple carrots?

Yep! www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/04/carrots-used-to-be-purple-before-the-17th-century/

She's correct. Wild carrots are purple. The Sicilian tomatoes I buy are very dark. They're a bit sharper than the normal red ones. I love them

Or for the true carrot devotee, there is always the Carrot Museum.

Worried about the kids getting bored in the holidays?
Feel there may be gaps in your knowledge that might make you appear ill informed?
Do you worry about topics of conversation around the water cooler, the dinner table or at the school gates?

Fear not! The answer is here!http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/history.html

never worry again that people might thinking you boring or ignorant! Visit the Carrot Museum today, you know you want to!

I had back tomatoes when in Australia earlier in the year. I was amazed (never having heard of them before) but found them quite tasty and they added a bit more to the usual tomato and pepper salad! Worth a try.

Very interesting, phoenix. I must admit I'd been imagining a rather more...vibrant 'purple'

I may be alone but I feel today's tomatoes are fairly tasteless.

Ana they are carrots, they do not come with a Farrow & Ball colour chart!

And if they did they would have very odd names, Varicose Vein, Wheelie Bin Bruise and Hidden Haemorrhoid, for example.

I think the tomatoes are more savoury than sweet. Must look out for them.

Carrot museum , here I come !!

I grew Black Russian tomatoes last year. They were a kind of mottled purply/brown but I didn't really like the texture which was a bit velvety.

Merlot , you are a front runner Again !

Hah! I grew them longer ago than that! Several years. I think we didn't have good enough summers to bring out their true flavours. I grew some in the greenhouse, some outdoors, and the ones that ripened last were really good, the ones that ripened first weren't particularly nice at all. I almost pulled them all up. But we went away on holiday and when we returned I tried some of the later ones, and they were lovely. So forcing them and bringing them on early doesn't do any good, unlike say cherry tomatoes, which being far smaller ripen more quickly. Black Russians get to quite a size. The later ones grown naturally outside also didn't have the grainy 'velvety' texture that merlotgran mentions. I grew them for two or three years before I was able to persuade DBH off them, he loved them for their colours, which varied hugely from black all over to a streaky brown/green/blacky-purple.

Jane

It's a pity this isn't a photo thread, I have photos somewhere amongst the thousands. I remember taking a photo of a bowl of the varying sizes, shapes and colours that I obtained from one plant alone.

I don't know if this will work, please bear in mind (if it does) that I used flash so the colours are paler

i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm181/janeharrison/miscellaneous/P1010002-1.jpg

I was away for a while when my tomatoes were growing well and had fruit. I thought I had left enough water in the reservoirs for them, but on my return they had dried out. The Gardeners Delight were OK, but as they grew further the Black Russian developed blossom end rot. I think it was beacuse they had such big fruits and needed more water than the little cherry ones.

My DH grew Black Russian last year and I wasn't at all keen, not much flavour and quite tough skins. Bearing in mind what you said janerowena perhaps we should have left them longer. All the other varieties were good.
I cant say I fancy the new black ones but will reserve judgement.

JANE just looked at your photos , presume the ones of all the pretty flowers are yours also .
Fabulous !!

I like the look and sound of them.

I can just see a dish of salad with black tomatoes, yellow tomatoes, orange, green and red peppers, purple broccoli, green lettuce and celery, beetroot and balsamic vinegar. Nice to look at and even better to eat, yum.

Have many of you used pansies and nasturtiums as a compliment to a salad?? I always think they look lovely but I have never tried it for myself.

I know I'm being fussy, but I really wanted to see a black tomato!

Jane those look like the Sicilian ones I get from ocado. I love them. Might save some of the seeds and try and grow them

Just looked. They're winter camone tomatoes from Sardinia. ( well I was almost right with sicily)