April 3 2024, Wednesday

Hi Laurlee, the problem for Australia is quarantine restrictions. Australia doesn’t have many of the viral diseases that other places have. However we have many heritage tomatoes that have been grown by particular families for years. I recently got seed from a friend who got it from a 90yo neighbour who’s family had bought it out from Germany about 150 years ago. One popular paste tomato here is Nonno’s Italian, a very vigorous plant with large pink fruit, it was what the Italian grandfather’s family had grown for a long time. Another is Pink Gaetano, which came out from Italy with the Gaetano family, and grown by them for many generations, before being pickup by a local seed company. Lovely rich smooth pink beefsteaks. So many flavours to explore. I do tomato tastings at garden clubs, so much fun. You want to see peoples face the first time they try a Lucky Tiger or Pink Berkley Tie Dye. Tomatoes ain’t just tomatoes.