Cherokee purple

Home-grown Cherokee purple tomatoes

A Cherokee Purple tomato in the first stages of development.

Cherokee purple is the name of a cultivar of tomato, that develops a fruit with a dark mahogany-red color while maintaining a somewhat greenish hue near the stem when mature for eating. It was one of the first of the darker color group of tomatoes sometimes described as "blacks", marketed by US seed companies to home gardeners. Cherokee Purple tomatoes are beefsteak in style. They are also notable for having a dense, juicy texture, with small seed locules irregularly scattered throughout the flesh. The comparatively dark interior color is enhanced by the tendency of the seeds to be surrounded by green gel.

Craig LeHoullier named the cultivar, claiming it was a century-old heirloom originating with the Cherokee people.

See also

NPR story on the origins of the Cherokee Purple

• List of tomato cultivars

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References