Hawaiian Pineapple: Hanna’s Tomato Tastings 2006
Part of Hanna’s Tomato Tastings 2006
I have to admit, the only reason I bought this one was because the name intrigued me as did the claims that it really tasted like a pineapple.
Nothing says rebel like a tomato that doesn’t want to taste like one.
The description from the company I bought it from reads:
A huge, breathtaking and much sought after golden-orange beefsteak with fruit that that grows up to 1-1/2 lbs. When fruit is ripe it has a luscious, very rich, sweet pineapple-melon like flavor and heady tropical fragrance. Add the unusually high production of this plant, and it makes my top 10 list.
The Beauty Pageant:
Size: This is a hefty tomato. Definitely at least a pound, if not more.
Shape: Industrial accident comes to mind when you look at this tomato. It is UGLY. Flat on one side, knobby on another, mashed, smooshed and generally abused looking.
The inside: This is by far the meatiest of the tomatoes I have reviewed so far. Extremely thick walls.
What surprises me is that the description does not mention how few seeds this tomato has. It is a huge tomato, and I would bet that there is maybe 30 seeds in the whole thing. Big fat seeds, larger than you would find in a store bought, but not a lot of seeds.
The flesh itself is rather dry but the little gelatin that is there is very loose and juicy.
Texture: This is a soft tomato. The texture is not quiet mealy, but not quite smooth either. I would have to say is it spongy.
Tasting:
Off the Vine Tasting: I am not tasting any pineapple. Pretty tangy but no sweetness. Also, I don’t know if it because it is such a soft tomato, but I have this feeling that there is not as much flavor as there should be for the bite I just took. Not like a store bough tomato, where there is not flavor. Plenty of flavor. Just not as much as you would expect.
Sliced and Salted Tasting: Talk about a turn around! This tomato goes from a tangy tomato to a sweet one with salt. Still no pineapple flavor, but there is a little of the melon flavor. I still have that feeling that there should be more flavor for the size bite.
Cooking Thoughts: I am thinking that this would be good for a quick spaghetti sauce. The meat would break down fast, few seeds to worry about and the salt would sweeten it up pretty quick.
Growing Notes:
Not a big plant at all, despite the fact that it has large fruit. So far the rinky-dink tomato cage is holding it and its fruit up just fine. No signs of trouble with the plant. The fruit seem to have some trouble forming a proper skin, which is resulting in brown divots in the surface of the tomato.
Will Hanna grow this one again:
No. Interesting novelty to try, but it is not my cup of tea or slice of tomato, as the case may be. Not a bad tomato, just not a great tomato either. And really, in this great big gardening world, you really only want to go after the stars of the show.
Just saw your site link in a thread on GW…I like it….I grew pineapple in Southern OR (westside) yr before last. Mine was orange/red (like a blush on the orange in places). when sliced, it was almost yellow w/ red sploches (for lack of a better term)…..I agree w/ your tasting, although I am going to grow it and Hawiian Pinapple this yr. It was very pretty on a plate w/ a variety of sliced toms. (Plus my cousin’s son LOVED it, course I don’t think that boy has met a ‘mater he didn’t like)
My point of this (if I need one) is, do you think that I had a different ‘mater, impersonating a pineapple? My plant source for the last couple yrs hasn’t been the most reliable. Though, I’m not complaining, I still got tomatoes in the end……………T
Probably not. Tomato coloring can vary depending on the climate and soil of the area.
Really, what matters is if you found them tasty. Tasty tomatoes are what good summer gardening is all about!
Pingback: Hanna’s Tomato Tastings 2006
Your tomato looks like a poor example of a pineapple tomato. The best ones are more golden in color with deep red striping. Those are the truly sweet, tomato-ey ones. Also, try to see if you can find one grown in the south-eastern part of the United States. Soil there is perfect for growing these beauties. I grew up eating these at every meal, and I can’t bear to taste a store bought tomato. I would rather eat canned ones than those hard, tasteless things! Better luck next time!
I see some lack of distinction here between “Pineapple” and “Hawaian pineapple.” I gather there is a distinction, and it appears you got it right, but I’m not sure your commentators, or I for that matter, have done so.
I have grown a tomato this summer billed as “pineapple,” and the flavor is sweet and pleasant, but there is not a hint of pineapple. No acid, i.e., tang, either. Isn’t that what a pineapple is all about? Misnomer to the extreme, I say. Maybe melon, though I have never related well to that nuance. My bottom line: I can’t get excited about a tomato without tang, no matter how much sugar it offers.
Most of the tomatoes billed as stars I am finding, particularly the beefsteaks, whose texture I love, lack the tang I want. So the search continues…
I’ve got some Goose Creeks on the vine, awaiting the final phase of ripening, and I am hoping they will do it for me, given the rave reviews of even such tough critics like Hanna.
Cheers to all you tomato enthusiasts.