The Pineapple Tomato: A Review

I am in love.  An old American heirloom, the Pineapple Tomato embodies the best characteristics of the bi-colored tomato: good texture, sweet, mild flavor, and huge size! 

 

I adore the flavor of a perfectly ripe bi-color, but I'll admit that I have never had luck growing them in my garden.  I have tried both the Old German and the Stripey with poor results.  Depending on the year, the fruit either failed to set, the yields were very low, or the crop was dry and mealy.  Yet every year, the plants produced one or two perfect bi-colored tomatoes -- so sweet and delicious that I vowed to try again the next year.

 

After a particularly bad season last year, I decided that it was just not meant to be.  No more wasting precious garden space on a variety that refused to thrive.  But when I walked into my favorite farm stand early this spring, I just couldn't resist the Pineapple Tomato -- a bi-colored variety I had not yet tried!  Maybe this variety would thrive in my garden!  So I purchased one plant, brought it home, and placed it in the garden. 

 

And then I waited...until last night, when I discovered that my first Pineapple Tomato was ripe!  I'm sure that the record heat had something to do with the early ripening, but this is almost a full month earlier than I have ever harvested a bi-colored tomato.  I couldn't wait to taste it, so I promptly went inside and cut it up.  It was perfect.  Juicy and sweet.  A delicious blend of mild yellow tomato and tart red.  I was absolutely in heaven.

 

I'll be keeping close track of how many tomatoes this plant produces, but assuming a fair yield, this is a definite keeper!