source for heirloom 'Love Apple' seed

19 years ago

There is a colonial strain of tomato called 'Love Apple' which is a specific variety, not just the general old name for tomatoes. Mr. Weaver used to list it in the SSE yearbook. Not this year. Does anyone know where I can get some seed? Thank you for your help!

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Comments (7)

carolyn137
19 years ago
I've been a member of SSE since about 1988, way before Weaver became a member, and I've never seen a variety called Love Apple listed by Weaver or anyone else and I don't think I or any of my SSE friends would have m,issed tha tone. (smile).

If you can give me a rough date for that listing I'd be glad to check my back SSE Yearbook issues, for I have all of them going back to 1975 and I can't represent my memory as being 100% perfect.

Love Apple is a term that was used casually back in the 16th and 17th centuries as a generic term, as you know.

By Colonial times, pre 1800, some variety names were known and some of these, such as Red and Yellow Pears are still around. Roi Humbert and Green Gage are also pre-1800 as well.

Others Jefferson grew and also had names.

But I've never ever seen a **documented** variety referred to just as Love Apple.

Carolyn
gulliblevolunteer
Original Author
19 years ago
never mind. I was looking in the wrong place. It is in this years book, p. 320, listed as pomme d'Amore. embarrassed here :-(
carolyn137
19 years ago
It is in this years book, p. 320, listed as pomme d'Amore. embarrassed here :-(

Along with the Pomadora's, Pomadori's, etc.

Nothing to be embarrassed about Gullible, for tracking down specific varieties from the Colonial period is not always easy.

I listed some of them for you above, and there are a few others.

If you read Jefferson's gardening journals you'll see th e others that he imported from France and grew.

And of course there were always in the southern regions the currant toamtoes, another tomato species.

Carolyn

Carolyn
gulliblevolunteer
Original Author
19 years ago
I was embarrassed because I should have checked the yearbook more carefully before posting that it wasn't there.
carolyn137
19 years ago
I was embarrassed because I should have checked the yearbook more carefully before posting that it wasn't there.

I see.

But please don't make the asssumption that that that listing indicates a pre-1800 variety. Note that the source is the USDA, as well as a CV.

Carolyn
crazytomato
19 years ago
Hi,i have a tomato variaty called missouri pink love-apple,mayby that is the one you are looking for.
gulliblevolunteer
Original Author
19 years ago
Hi, crazy tomato! Thanks, that's really nice of you. I looked up your Missouri Pink in the SSE yearbook and it tracks it back to the mid 19th century. The variety I was looking for was grown during the mid 18th century. I don't know if they're the same, but suspect they're not. Thank you anyway :-) your collection sounds really impressive!