Medium Long of Massafrese

For the most part, my ideal situation for offering seed to others is to ensure that I know exactly what the variety will look like. Experience has taught me that what is pictured on the packet is often different from what actually grows. Case in point is my experience last summer with the Medium Long of Massafrese. I offered these seed for a while, which seem to be the same thing as my friend Giuseppe's Carosello Leccese (Spuredda or Meloncella) Fasciata.

Overall, the fruit looks much like a Tondo Carosello Massafra. In fact, it is just as oval as the splotched Massafrese that I grow. I am still on the lookout for the half-long cylindrical Carosello (C. melo) that exhibits dark skin with light stripes. All the moving that I have done has decreased my germination of this variety to a point at which I no longer offer it. The similarity between it and the Carosello Massafra is so great that it seems like more like a Tondo Massafra than anything else.

 

Despite some good looking cucumbers, the growth of the plants was incredibly slow. The majority of seed did not sprout and the majority of the plants that sprouted did not make it to maturity. I wanted so much to save the seeds and pass them on to others. However, the plants were so weak that any hope I had to have the fruit grow to maturity was lost when the plant with the most promising fruit suddenly stopped growing and started dying. It didn't help that the germination was poor from this seed company, which told me that their germination was 100%! Sometimes, the only thing a seed-saver can do is eat their carosello.

The Taxi Tomato

Being that I am a mostly red tomato fan, I was thinking that I would not really care for yellow tomatoes. But I was wrong. Last summer (2017) I planted Taxi tomatoes in a partially shady spot, hoping to get possibly a few tomatoes.

 
The plants ended up being one of my all-time tomato producers. In fact, they produce a lot more than some other hybrids. The size can be variable (with most being medium slicing size), but the general speed of production and the hardiness of the plants is incredible. No wonder so many seed companies put this variety on the top of their list of preferred yellow tomatoes.

One of the main concerns about this variety is that it is a determinate. However, it does seem to produce more than once and commonly produces off shoots that develop into healthy plants that produce even more tomatoes. That being said, I probably would not put this in to the same category as Celebrity, the ultimate “vigorous” determinate – which can last most of the summer without showing signs of stopping.

Another potential issue is that, much like some other determinates like Neptune, the fruit requires a bit more support when being trellised. As you can probably tell from the flimsy tomato cages I acquired from a neighbor who was giving them away, Taxi does well with a strong tomato cage and possibly some additional support, due to the amount of fruit it produces.

As for taste, the taxi has a very smooth, but well-rounded taste. It is not as sharp as some cherry varieties and exhibits a moderate amount of umami. The tangy acidic taste is very mild unlike some types of Beefsteak varieties.

Production starts early and lasts for about 3-4 weeks, possibly longer if it is cut back early to allow side-shoots to spread. The fruit is eatable when light yellow, but much exhibit a much heartier flavor when left on the vine until they are dark yellow.

Overall, I have been incredibly impressed by this yellow tomato variety. If I could find a red determinate open-pollinated variety that produced this well, it would surely win a regular spot in my backyard.

A Tale of Two Gardens

In contemplating my gardening I have often contemplated how wonderful it would be if I could grow some other carosello varieties at gardens that are far enough away from my garden to disrupt cross-pollination. Finally, this summer I was given the opportunity to fulfill that desire. In helping one of my children with his lawn care job and chicken-sitting gig, I asked - and was offered - a few patches of land to work with.

The first patch of ground is owned by a friend who gave me my greenhouse. He has been working with his soil for years and it shows! It is soft and friable. I am very careful to treat the area he allots me very well. I am always awed at how quickly everything in his soil grows – including weeds. Most of what he plants are light feeders and are put in a large compost bin after the season is over. In future posts, I'll refer to this as "The Fertile Garden".

The second plot is owned by a friend with a large lot and chickens. I'll refer to this as "The Chicken Garden". The soil is rocky and difficult to work. I made sure to add plenty of compost and some amendments when planting, and later dressing the carosello I planted here.

I am truly grateful for the blessings of being able to garden so much this summer. Every time I focus on the needs of the plants in each garden, I am able to escape the overbearing stress of everything else going on in life.

 

My carosello after about 3 weeks growth in The Fertile Garden.