What about Caspian Pink?

ryseryse_2004

11 years ago

I don't hear much about this great heirloom in the last few years. About 10 years ago, we did a blind taste test at a family reunion of 10 heirlooms including Caspian Pink, Brandywine, Mortgage Lifter, Lilian's Yellow and I don't remember what else.

Of the 24 people who took part, Caspian Pink was voted #1 by 23!!! Brandywine was voted 2nd by over 50%.

I still grow it but last year didn't get any tomatoes at all so didn't save seeds. (Really bad weather with late frosts, immediate horrendous heat and drought conditions.)

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Comments (6)

mnwsgal
11 years ago
Caspian Pink is one of the varieties I plant every year. It produces a modest amount of tomatoes and they are delicious.
digdirt2
11 years ago
It comes up for discussions 3 or 4 times a year it seems. it is in the Favorite Pinks thread and in the Best tasting thread too.

IME they are good flavored but what I call low production - for me at least.

Dave
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carolyn137
11 years ago
I tried Caspian Pink when seeds first became available and I thought it was OK, but not as tasty nor as productive as many other large pinks that I've grown either then, or since then,

Petoseed were the ones who introduced it and said it tasted better than Brandywine in all taste tests, which was amusing since when they said that no seeds were avallable.

The first place to get seeds for it was Totally Tomatoes, who at that time was owned by Wayne Hilton, also with Seymour Seeds, then he bought out Vermont Bean in a nasty takeover and there were a stable of companies he owned that then got sold toJung's Seeds,

And Jung's bought those companies JUST to get the Shumway one sinc one of the Jung's was very close to one of the original Shumway folks.

When Hilton bought the name Shumway for that's all he bought, there was no inventory that went with it, so he contacted many SSE members to get stock for it.

Just a tad of history on a Sunday morning.

Ah, almost forgot, Hilton got the Caspian Seeds first b/c at the time he was dealing directly with Petoseed as to buying lots of both F1 hybrid and OP seed,Money rules or did back then,

Carolyn
marklucas
11 years ago
It has a rich sweet taste and it a good choice for a grower who wants to make a good amount of produce in a cycle.
satanama
10 years ago
Carolyn

I'd be very grateful if you'd share with us which varieties are those "many other large pinks, tastier & more productive" than Caspian Pink?

BTW, any advice (books, info., etc.) too on growing cucumbers?

Looking forward to your response to this, Thanks a Lot in advance,

IÃÂ±aki Aguirre
yardenman
10 years ago
Caspian Pink is a fine tomato. I've grown it. I just like Brandywine and (especially) Cherokee Purple better. Among the pinks, I recall Ponderosa Pink (from my Dad's garden) being a bit better. But he had decades of saved seeds adapted to the spot (sadly lost) so I'm not sure it is what you could find today.