Orange Russian 117

[darthslater]

OK, it is Sunday, time for a new tomato. This weeks pick is Russian Orange 117, one of a couple Bi-Color oxhearts. This has also been known to very few as Dawsons creek. I will always try to keep the given names to any tomato featured in this thread.
This tomato was a great producer for me and as with most Bi-Colors I have grown was pretty decent to eat also. The yield has been variable for me from year to year, last year I had good production. The year before was kind of sparse. Mine averaged about a pound or a little over with some getting huge. This one is also a big seller for me because of the colors, pink, red, yellow and oranges all swirled together. This one seems to prefer cooler weather, and I dont think it would do well in the heat. Well thats my 2 cents lets here what you think.

[landarc]

Never grown it.

[jcm05]

Never grew it. Isn't the name supposed to be Orange Russian 117?

[darthslater]

Apr 4, 2010 19:47:03 GMT -5 jcm05 said:

Never grew it. Isn't the name supposed to be Orange Russian 117?

Yes that is the correct name,however, the seeds I got came labeled incorrectly as I stated, half the problems with heirloom Tomatoes is keeping the names correct. This one is also known by a couple of different names,which one is correct? I will from now on go by what is listed in the seed savers yearbooks. This is a cross between russian 117 and Georgia Streak.

[darthslater]

Here you go, although it was getting the quality control test at the time. This is not what they all turn out like they are all different in color, some are lighter and some darker, some have more red or yellow... etc

[sorellina]

Ciao all-

I grew it one year. It's the only commercially available bicolour oxheart that I know of. Maybe there are others through SSE but I haven't found them yet. The flavour, though, was HUGELY disappointing, mealy and tasteless. Patrina in Australia was working on some crossing to develop a better-tasting bicolour oxheart, but I don't know where her research on that stands at this point. Craig LeHoullier was also working on a bicolour heart on dwarf stock, but again, I'm not sure where that research stands.

[spudleafwillie]

I grew it alongside Russian 117, the red variant a few years ago, 2003 i think. The red colored fruits on Russian 117 were much more flavorful than the bi-colored Orange Russian 117. Both gave sparse yields which is typical of the wispy leaved hearts.

I have a red PL heart variety that i found in the Craigs Potato Leaf that I was growing out. CPL is a cross of Bisignano #2 and an unknown red PL which is more flavorful and productive than the Bisignanos #1- #3 . CPL was found by Craig Lehoullier in his grow outs of B #2 in the early 90's
Bisignano is an old Italian variety first listed in the 1987 SSE yearbook
There are 3 variants of Bisignano, #1,#2, and #3 which are described fully on Tatiania's web page: tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Bisignano_2
B #1 sometimes throws heart shaped fruits, so i suppose thats where the PL heart came from....the further segregating out of the B#2 fruit shape.

I hope this helps !!

Spud

[darthslater]

Apr 5, 2010 7:17:53 GMT -5 sorellina said:

Ciao all-

I grew it one year. It's the only commercially available bicolour oxheart that I know of. Maybe there are others through SSE but I haven't found them yet. The flavour, though, was HUGELY disappointing, mealy and tasteless. Patrina in Australia was working on some crossing to develop a better-tasting bicolour oxheart, but I don't know where her research on that stands at this point. Craig LeHoullier was also working on a bicolour heart on dwarf stock, but again, I'm not sure where that research stands.

I will have to send you one that I have grown, mealy and tasteless do not even enter my thoughts when I have eaten them,also I have plenty of customers who think they are delicious also. But ,again ,growing conditions are different all over. There is another Bi-Color Heart, Everetts Rusty Ox-Heart. And I thought Little Lucky Heart was a Bi-Color also.

[sunflowers]

Same here as far as flavor, loved it.

Orange Russian 117 was one of several we gave taste samples of the weekend after our Tomato Day and virtually sold out on the first day. We had so little left we couldn't sample it the next day. So plenty of people liked it there too.

For any that have the 2010 TGS catalog, Orange Russian 117 is the cover photo variety. Great pic.

Carol

[BrianS]

I am trying this variety this year. I have high expectations