In the summer of 2012, there was an insect cross-pollinated Golden Ponderosa in our fields that manifested itself as a smaller (6oz) orange striped tomato with great production and a flavor that exceeded all expectations. That is where this journey begins.
But first a bit of history; Golden Ponderosas was introduced in the early 1900’s by Peter Henderson and Co. Seed Company, which itself was supposed to represent a golden version of Henderson’s Ponderosa which was released before the turn of the twentieth century. It has been a reliable producer for us on the farm and has a great flavor. When an even more flavorful accidental cross presented itself, there was no way we weren’t going to explore the possibilities.
What lie ahead couldn’t be predicted. There is no single explanation that I can come up with for the fruits that have been born from that first union, but I can tell you it included every color under the rainbow, from white to deep red, including some seemingly fuzzy tomatoes. The flesh has expressed white, yellow, beige, orange, pink, red, and many bi-color combinations of the prior. We have had so much fun exploring a number of lines over the years and am excited to release the best of them for you to enjoy for yourself.
Look for annual releases from the Ponderosa series of tomatoes.