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The Granny Smith Ap...ooops I mean Tomato! - Page 2

© Vic Ferri

When tomatoes are harvested, whether green or red, no more sugars and acids go from the plants to the fruits. That's why green tomatoes normally taste pretty lousy. The point of Granny Smith is that it offers things ordinary varieties don't. First, it is extremely firm, so it can be diced for regular salsa and for Salsa Verde without becoming a mushy mess. Or, for Salsa Verde, use like tomatillos processed in your blender.

For those who want to know, Granny Smith is not a so-called GMO biotech variety. It was bred using conventional techniques, as was everything else in this brochure. Maturity is 72 days, and disease resistance includes V1, F1, St, ASC It should be widely available in seed catalogs and greenhouses by now. ,Brand new for 2001 and receiving a lot of hype is the Granny Smith tomato which is unique in that it will never turn red! (hmm - living in the north here, does not sound too unique to me - I consider it a lucky season when I see RED tomatoes on my plants, lol) Actually this green tomato is not at all like the immature bitter tasting green tomatoes you are often left with at the end of the season. The Granny Smith takes on the natural sugars and acids while still green and the taste is on the sweet side with just a bit of tartness if picked when just a bit of yellow starts to shoe on the fruit. That yellow is a sign that Granny Smith is definitely ready to pick.

The fruit size of Granny Smith is medium large(8 - 10 ounces). The fruits are very solid and feel heavy and have superior storing qualities. This tomato will keep on the shelf longer than the average red tomato.

Growing it is no different than growing any other tomato. However, unlike regular tomatoes, harvest time is not as obvious since there is no real color change. But it is still easy to tell when they are ready. As mentioned earlier, when the full sized fruits begin to show just a little light yellow color somewhere(usually on the shoulder or the bottom of the fruit), they are ready to pick, and at this point will have a a good balance of sugars and acids and a flavour you will most likely enjoy. Anyone who likes red tomatoes will probably like Granny Smith as well. This will probably be the best green tomato you have ever tasted!

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