Isis Candy: Hanna’s Tomato Tastings 2007

Part of Hanna’s Tomato Tastings 2007

I got this one on an etymological whim. Isis is an Egyptian goddess, regarded by many as the greatest goddess of all time. She is the connection between man and god. So it peaked my interest to try a tomato that someone thought was good enough to be regarded as her personal stash of M&M’s.

The description from the company I bought it from reads:

Gorgeous fruits are marbled with red. Rich flavor is a complex blend of sweetness and fruitiness. Each fruit has a spectacular cat’s eye starburst on the blossom end. Plants are loaded with ¾” - 1½” fruits on short trusses in double rows of 6-8. Introduced through SSE in 1992 by Joe Bratka. Indeterminate. 70-80 days.

The Beauty Pageant:

Size: This tomato is the size of an average cherry tomato, so about the size of a bouncy ball.

Shape: Round as it should be. Interesting coloration on the skin, a kind of marbled red and orange, but the “starburst” effect at the blossom end is very faint.

The inside: Pretty small seed and medium size wall for a cherry tomato.

Texture: Nice and smooth. Not mealy and not too seedy. Some gel squish, bot not much.

Tasting:

Off the Vine Tasting: This tomato has a sort of melon flavor but not as sweet. Like low sugar melon. There is a pleasant tomatoey aftertaste that really sticks around.

Sliced and Salted Tasting: Salt turns up the low sugar melon flavor but reduces the nice after flavor.

Cooking Thoughts: These are nice cherries, but they are cherries so they probably would not do well in any kinds of sauces. Certainly, these would be good in a salad. I am thinking that they would be good on appetizers.

Growing Notes:
This is being grown on strings. Unfortunately, this tomato plant has been hit by a wilt (after being planted in a clean bed), so I can’t comment on how well it is performing. That being said, it was hit very hard and very fast by the wilt, so I suspect that it is particularly susceptible to it. I will probably only be able to harvest a handful of tomatoes before the plant succumbs completely.

Will Hanna grow this one again:
Probably not. The flavor is okay but not a wowsa. This, combined with the fact that I believe it is particularly wilt susceptible mean that I probably will not grow it again.