A Tomato Good Enough for Elizabeth Warren

All this talk about Cherokee blood and heritage reminded me to look at my tomato plants.  Why you ask? Well, read a few paragraphs.

A friend and gardening enthusiast brought me a tomato plant earlier this spring. A research student who is a tenant of his, gave him several seedlings he had produced for a school project. So my friend shared his good fortune with me.

When he brought it over, the variety name escaped him. He promised to talk to his tenant and get the information and call me. But, he was quick to tell me that he was told it was a very special variety.

When a friend gives you a plant, you plant it. If for no other reason than you know he is coming back to check on it. After a few weeks he learned what variety it was from the student and passed along the variety name and some cultivation information. 

As it grew and flowered most of the early blooms fell off before setting a single tomato, so I was not very excited about this plant. As it matured, blooms started to hold and tomatoes set nicely. And, like I knew he would, my friend came by to check it out. Surprisingly, he said my plant looked better than the two he planted. That shocked me. Gardeners usually lie more than fisherman.

So you might be wondering, why is this article about tomatoes and what is interesting and relevant to all this Native American and Cherokee talk lately? As it turned out, the variety of this particular tomato is Cherokee Purple, an heirloom variety.

This has got to be the variety Elizabeth Warren uses in her Pow Wow Chow recipes? Maybe with a little mayo on the side?

 Here are some pictures taken earlier today.  And yes, they do have a little purple tint.

Cherokee Purple Tomatoes