question of the day. If a delicious apple is delicious tasting, does that make a delicious tomato delicious or just massive? really, how good do those monster tomatoes taste? Is it all about size or is the flavor there as well? I hate wasting my time and garden space on bland produce just for the sake of size.On the other hand, winning isn't such a bad thing, is it?

taste is relative to taster,variety and growing conditions. if you don't have good weather or good soil, it does not matter if you have the best tasting tomato plant variety will not help.

As for the taste only you can judge if you like the taste of a variety. I can not taste it for you ,even if I am growing the same variety. Numerous conditions will make my taste experience different from yours.

uh, I was hoping for a more definitive answer like, I have grown Delicious for 5 years and typically it is a 6 out of 10 for taste, sometimes better but never great. That tells me a lot more than your answer did. Yours was more like a politician or lawyer was responding. But thanks for answering anyway.

..David, its ok, we got yer back buddy!

I was sure that I had written down what I thought of the flavor of some different tomatoes...but I can't find where!

I think the one we really liked was pineapple, here is the description from Totally tomatoes:

"Enormous, uniquely-patterned, yellow-red striped fruits will be the center of attraction. Beefsteak-type fruits easily grow to 5" and larger, and are orange-yellow with red streaks. Fruits have meaty flesh, mild flavor, and no green shoulders. Heavy foliaged plants produce good yields."

It says they are mild flavored, but I remember my husband saying they had good 'tomato' flavor. They were VERY beautiful.

I also remember that that tiny tomato "Tommy Toe" was the worst tasting tomato I have ever grown.

alaskan, that sounds a lot like Big Rainbow and Gold Medal. I have only grown the GM and love the taste. Very sweet and juicy. Those 3 varieties are probably related at some time in the past.

My dad's mom (she is the one that introduced me to gardening) loved pear tomatoes. She would actually peel every single one of those little things and pickle them.

I grew them for my DH once, but he didn't like them. (I should probably mention that I don't like eating tomatoes, like sauce and such, but not fresh tomatoes. I like growing them for others. And my DH loves them)

Dave, do you have all your judges?
And, let me see if i got it right.
There will be 1 winner for the biggest as sized with Phils chart in a clear 'shoebox' who gets the $25 gift certificate.
Then a peoples choice award for prettiest, blemish & crack free, good color.(?prize?)
Any type of tomato is enter-able.
All grown organically. {duh}

Can a person have more than 1 entry? And if so is there a limit to how many, maybe 3?

Did I get it all?

Hi wrennie, I didn't realize you were here. Welcome. No, I don't have all my judges. Wanna help me? You are correct on the other stuff. I can only hope we all use organic methods. No way to police that, though. There will be another $25 gift certificate for the people's choice. Yes, we can have a 3 entry limit, in case someone gets crazy and enters 20 different maters.I am not sure about the people's choice trophy. It doesn't have to be one beautiful tomato. It could be a great pic of a cluster, table display, slices on a cutting board. Just whatever we all enter. I hope the judges have a real hard time picking the right one. I am also worried that phil's chart that he graciously let me borrow may not be big enough. I may have to tweak it a little. There are some BIG maters supposedly showing up here. Funny when you offer a nice prize what folks will do You can judge and enter, I don't care. We will find a way to keep this fair and fun.I am thinking of changing the clear box rule to 2 red bricks sitting on a flat surface at 90 degrees to each other. I think most of us can find 2 or if we have to buy them, it's only a dollar. Then the chart and tomato can go up against the left brick for the horizontal pic and against the back brick and left brick for the above pic. Sound reasonable? The side pic was tough to do with the box. I will set it up with pics to show all of us what I am talking about.

I'm new here.
My name is Sacratamato.
A tomato contest?
Sounds like fun.
Count me in.

Man, what a small world. Welcome Paul! You will like it here, I guarantee. You are also welcome to enter our contests. Do you grow garlic?

Okay Dave, gotta tell ya something I just remembered.

Back in August, my Uncle picked two Rutgers tomatoes for us to sample off a plant. He thought it was Wonderful. I thought it was bland. Yep, matter of taste. Now, Big Beef, we both love its flavor. And that's just our opinion too.

Well, anyway,

People are thinking and planning. Seed planting, or ordering is here,depending where ya are.

Dave,

Currently not a garlic grower.
However, designing/constructing a raised herb bed is on my '08 things to do list.

Paul, welcome aboard.....he-he....this is gona get fun now!

"Thanx" for the welcome B.G.

As for the largest tomato contest,I think my one armed fishin' buddy says it best when extending his one good arm and says:
"Paul's tomatoes are thiiiiiiiiiiiis big"!