Flip
I tried Momotaro and found it to be slightly Firm and not overly sweet. It was a small to medium size Tomato that was nice to pick off the vine and eat on the spot. Except for Beans nothing is doing well this year. The Local News states it's been the coolest June in a 100 years.
Jim

Hi Jim! Thanks for the input. I've been looking for a couple of "slightly firm" tomatoes to go with my "slightly soft" tomatoes. I'll put Momotaro on my Maybe list. :)

We've been having a heckuva hot spring here. Want to trade?

Momotaro is my favorite tomato and I have grown lots of heirlooms and hybirds.

Sweet and it has a special flavor all its own.

Very robust plant and very productive.

Very firm but to me not unpleasantly so. It's almost, sorta 'crunchy'. Lasts a long time on the plant and on the counter.

Heard a lecture last year by Randy Gardner (tomato breeder/NCSU) at Research Farm who is working on developing a hybrid that tastes like an heirloom. In others words hybrid with great taste. He said one of the parents was Momotaro!

"It's almost, sorta 'crunchy'. Lasts a long time on the plant and on the counter."

That sounds very promising. Thanks, farkee!

I agree with farkee's description. This is a MUST GROW tomato for me.

Here are some Momotaros I grew from my last season. And here is a shot I took of some at a outdoor market in Calif. last year. Lucky Califorians--they can buy 'em right at a roadside stand. I did a doubletake when I saw them but there are many Japanese-Americans there so maybe that was the influence. I saw wonderful Asian produce everywhere.

Wow, those are some pretty tomatoes! Thanks for the pics, Farkee. I'm also glad to hear they did well for you in z10.

I'm also glad to hear they did well for you in z10.

Flip, something to remember about my zone 10. I grow in the winter so the temps are very mild (can even get cold, in the 50's, brrrr). It also is getting dark around 6 o clock.

You are growing when it is really warm or at least trying to get them harvested before it gets too hot to grow anything. I learned a bit about Texas growing from Suze's posts.

I am not sure how Momotaro performs in high heat but I hope it does well for you--I think it will. Very robust plant--others around it were succumbing to disease and it still looked great. I didn't use fungicides and it was one of the last plants I ripped out --along with several Matt's cherries and the much maligned Juliet.

"I am not sure how Momotaro performs in high heat but I hope it does well for you--I think it will."

I was thinking of giving it a try this fall since our occasional frosts are late, generally light, and it's easy to cover a plant or two. In the spring, my philosophy for toms is "live fast and die young." I get them in the ground early so that they're setting fruit in April and then everything's over in June. I will report back with Momotaro growing news.

Has anyone grown Applause and Momotaro and contrast the taste tecture between the two?