Got to tell the Cherokee Purple story for NPR blog "the salt"

[NRaleighLiberal]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/08/12/211372152/how-a-seed-saver-discovered-one-of-our-favorite-tomatoes

How A Seed Saver Discovered One Of Our Favorite Tomatoes
by ELIZA BARCLAY
August 14, 201312:31 PM

"Fortunately for those of us who are suckers for novelty, every year fruits and vegetables seem to come in more bewitching colors, shapes and flavors. Lately, we've been tickled by the cotton candy grape and the vibrant orange Turkish eggplant. (Egg yolks can be ghostly white, too, but that's another story.)

If you go to the farmers market this time of year, tomatoes are strutting their stuff in all sorts of glorious and quirky hues: green striped, white, pink and even purplish-brown. They boast intriguing names, like Mortgage Lifter, Arkansas Traveler and Pink Berkeley Tie Dye. Some are true heirlooms, passed down over decades or centuries. Others are brand new to the world, the progeny of the latest cross-breeding experiments.

We got to wondering just who, besides farmers, is to thank for this expanding panoply. And we learned that while there are many professional breeders tinkering with the desirable traits that show up in the new varieties, amateur breeders — passionate seed savers and collectors — also play a vital role in discovering fruit and vegetable varieties guarded and nurtured by families over generations. Every now and then, these amateurs convince seed companies that the rest of the world will want to enjoy something they've discovered.

Craig LeHoullier, a retired chemist from Raleigh, N.C., can take credit for introducing us to the Cherokee Purple tomato, one of the most popular heirlooms grown and sold today. You'd be forgiven if your first impression of this fruit, with its ungainly bulges and tones of brown, green and purple, was dismissive. But its flavor consistently knocks socks off, with its balance of sweet, acid and savory – even a hint of smoke."

snip

__________________________________________________________

sometimes you just need to be in the right place at the right time!

[stopwastingmymoney]

1. I saw this on facebook

I started reading, then did a "hey, I know that dude", next stop here to tell you that I have a Cherokee Purple for the first time this year. The fruit color seems to be lighter than pics I've seen, but it is so delicious! I will always grow these from now on.

So thank you for making them available to a backyard gardener like me.

[Curmudgeoness]

2. Pat on the back to you.

Your story is so interesting.....I love that you do this just for the love of it.

[beac]

3. Bravo, my friend!

The organic market here is still selling locally grown heirlooms, so we haven't missed out on tomatoes altogether this year but WOW that pic with the story is full-on food porn.


How's the book coming along?