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2025 Tomatoes - Beefsteak

 

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Description Photo

Alice's Dream Beefsteak / Yellow-red-black / To 14 ounces / 80 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate

Known for its sweet, complex flavour and wonderful citrus aroma, this Polish variety is an accidental cross between Blue Gold and an unknown Indigo tomato. Very productive even in low temperatures, they also have good disease resistance. High in anthocyanins (the same healthy pigments that make other fruits and veggies purple/blue/black), these orange-black fruits with red veins are meaty and juicy. Like all anthocyanin tomatoes, the more direct, unobscured light received, the darker the shoulder splashes will be. Available in Walnut Creek and Richmond only *Photo courtesy of Baker Creek HeirloomSeeds/rareseeds.com

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Ananas Noire Beefsteak / Multicolor / 16-24 ounces / 80 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate.

Customers love this classic Belgian tomato. This yellow beefsteak with red blush can be 1 to 1½ pounds! Great, sweet, lip-smacking taste with a hint of acidity. (“Black Pineapple" with a distinctive, streaked interior of pink, red, green and yellow. Large and sprawling plant whose fruits have a complex, sweet and rich taste. Makes a great tomato sauce.”) Available in Walnut Creek only. *Photo courtesy of Baker Creek HeirloomSeeds/rareseeds.com

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Aunt Ruby’s German Green Beefsteak / Green-yellow / 16 ounces / 78 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate.

This one from “Aunt Ruby” of Greeneville, Tennessee makes 1 pound lime to yellow-green fruit with a superb fruity, slightly tangy taste. A favorite in Master Gardener tastings! It's a big producer and quite disease-resistant. (“This green beefsteak was the star in my garden this year. It has a deliciously sweet flavor with a complex undertone. Tomatoes have light green skins at maturity with just a hint of yellow. Flesh is green, blushed with pink. A bit difficult to harvest at the perfect moment, this tomato does not keep well off the plant. But, it’s worth the trouble for its truly amazing flavor and beautiful coloring!”) Available in Richmond only.*Photo courtesy of Seed Savers Exchange

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Big Beef Beefsteak / Red / 10-16 ounces / 73 days / Hybrid / Indeterminate

An unbeatable combination—big, tasty and early! Throughout the entire season, this highly disease-resistant hybrid produces colossal, bright red fruits with a rich tomatoey flavor. It is adaptable to a wide variety of growing conditions, even cool, foggy West County. (“This tomato had so much fruit, more than I have seen on other varieties. I grew it at home and we also grew it at Our Garden where it got so many comments as to how full it was with fruit. I could always count on Big Beef for a yummy tomato. I will now grow this variety every year!”) *Photo courtesy of Johnny's Selected Seeds, johnnyseeds.com

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Big Rainbow Beefsteak / Yellow-red / To 24 ounces / 90 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate.

Spectacular fruit up to 2 pounds, delicious and sweet tasting. Quite striking when sliced, as the yellow fruit has neon-red streaking through the firm, meaty, low-acid flesh. Good disease resistance. (“A show stopper! This tomato is so lovely sliced, you won’t even want to eat it! Beautiful fruit with small seed cavities, a favorite in my garden every year.”) Available in Walnut Creek only. *Photo courtesy of Baker Creek HeirloomSeeds/rareseeds.com

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Black Sea Man Beefsteak / Deep red-brown / 8-12 ounces / 75 days / Open Pollinated / Determinate

A hardy Russian heirloom that produces early and does well in containers. With attractive marbled flesh and a rich flavor, this potato-leafed variety is hard to beat! (“The mahogany brown medium sized fruit has a delicious sweet-tart, complex tomato flavor. It has a combination of red, pink, green, and mahogany flesh, yielding the most unusual & beautiful tomato when sliced. A smallish plant, but a very good producer.”) Small Space/Container Friendly. Available in Walnut Creek and Richmond only. *Photo courtesy of Seed Savers Exchange

Photo courtesy of Seed Savers Exchange

Box Car Willie Beefsteak / Orange-red / 10-16 ounces / 80 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate.

Yields abundant crops of 10-16 ounce bright orange-red tomatoes with a rich, sweet flavor and enough acid to lend a little tanginess. Highly versatile; good choice for canning, sauce, or salads. With good resistance to disease and cracking, its long season makes it a mainstay of your tomato crop. (“A great, old-fashioned beefsteak with that old-timey taste.”) Available in Walnut Creek and Richmond only. *Photo courtesy of SchoolPhotoProject.com

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Brandywine Pink—Sudduth's Strain Beefsteak / Pink / 16 ounces / 90 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate.

An Amish heirloom treasure, still considered the world’s greatest tasting tomato! Flattened pink fruits grow to 7 inches in diameter and up to one pound on large vines. (“Excellent flavor and very productive!”) Available in Walnut Creek only. *Photo courtesy of Seed Savers Exchange

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Brandywine Red Beefsteak / Red / 16-24 ounces / 75 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate.

One of the most popular and best-tasting heirloom tomatoes. Vigorous plants produce large-lobed beefsteaks that are perfect for slicing. Luscious, old-timey red tomato flavor. Long season. (“This plant does not stop! What a beauty, so BLT-delicious and we don't even eat bacon. It’s in all my sandwiches—tomato/egg, tomato/cucumber, tomato/bean spread. The look, the smell, the taste—it just keeps saying that this is the one!”) Available in Walnut Creek and Antioch only. 

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Buffalo Steak Beefsteak / Deep red / 8-9 ounce / 75 days / Hybrid / Indeterminate

Lovely fruits that are meaty and have tangy tomato taste. A highly disease resistant hybrid with a prolonged harvest which is perfect for home gardens. Tomatoes all summer long! Available in Walnut Creek only

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Bush Champion II Beefsteak / Red / 8-12 ounces / 65 days / Hybrid / Determinate.

This special variety was developed to honor the 100th year anniversary of the Ball Seed Company and is one of the best tomatoes for small spaces and containers. Compact, 24 inch plants produce plenty of big, meaty fruits that weigh up to 8-12 ounces. Small space / Container friendly. Available in Walnut Creek only

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Caiman Beefsteak / Red / 8-12 ounces / 76 days / Hybrid / Indeterminate

New for 2025! From its excellent disease resistance package to its compact plant and consistent fruit set, Caiman is a strong performer. Beautiful, clean fruit on nicely sized trusses. With a full, rich flavor and attractive creased shoulders, it's reminiscent of an heirloom. ("This plant was so impressive in its season-long health and productivity. Beautiful 10-12 oz tomatoes with good flavor for fresh eating, even held up well for canning")

Photo coming soon

Carbon Beefsteak / Deep red-green / 10-14 ounces / 90 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate.

These deep red-purple tomatoes with dark-olive shoulders are worth waiting for because their complex, rich taste has won many taste awards. Plants yield prolific amounts of crack-resistant, 10-14 ounce dark fruits perfect for sandwiches and salads. Available in Walnut Creek only

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Carmello Beefsteak / Red / 10-12 ounces / 75 days / Hybrid / Indeterminate

This one has a deservedly great reputation both in America and Europe due to its wonderful flavor, perfect sugar/acid balance, and crack-resistant skin. Bright red juicy tomatoes are 10 to 12 ozs. with a beautiful round shape. Expect very high yields on disease-resistant plants. *Photo courtesy of Territorial Seed Company.

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Caspian Pink Beefsteak / Pink / 16+ ounces / 80 days /Open Pollinated / Indeterminate.

From southern Russia’s warm Caspian Sea region, this is the first tomato to beat Brandywine in California taste tests! Often called the “Queen of the Pinks,” with an incredibly sweet and juicy fruit that can reach one pound or larger. Great either fresh or cooked. Will do well in cooler areas. (“A beefsteak that grows in West County! Was one of the best tomatoes in my garden.”) Available in Walnut Creek only

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Celebrity Plus Beefsteak / Red / 7-9 ounces / 78 days / Hybrid / Determinate

This vigorous determinate has everything you love about the original Celebrity, now with enhanced disease resistance. The fruits average 7–9 oz. with more uniform shoulder ripening and better crack tolerance. Small Space/Container Friendly. *Photo courtesy of Johnny's Selected Seeds, johnnyseeds.com

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Chef's Choice Black Beefsteak / Deep red-brown / 8-10 ounces / 75 days / Hybrid / Indeterminate

New for 2025! If you have come to love the Chef’s Choice tomato series, try the Black, a beefsteak with dark green, brown, and black hues. The flesh is juicy and sweet. This All America Selections award winner has a good disease resistance package and good crack tolerance. It can produce 30 or more 8-10 ounce fruit on each plant, under good growing conditions. ("Master Gardeners who tested this one raved about it. Our most talked about tomato last season!")

Photo coming soon

Chef’s Choice Orange Beefsteak / Orange / 9-12 ounces / 75 days / Hybrid / Indeterminate.

An AAS winner! An orange beefsteak with high resistance to tobacco mosaic virus is more productive and earlier than most orange beefsteaks. It is low in acid and has a good flavor and texture. (“My favorite tomato—great producer, healthy vines, and beautiful, firm fruits that are simply delicious!”)

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Chef’s Choice Pink Beefsteak / Pink / 12-14 ounces / 75 days / Hybrid / Indeterminate.

A hybrid that is easier to grow than some heirlooms, but just as flavorful. Disease-resistant, rugose-leaved hybrid produces beautiful deep pink, meaty, large fruits with a great old-fashioned tomato taste and early to boot! Available in Walnut Creek only

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Cherokee Purple Beefsteak / Deep Pink / 12 ounces / 75-90 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate.

An Ark of Taste variety. Pre-1890 variety, reputed to be an old Cherokee Indian heirloom. Uniquely colored dusty rose-brown fruit with delicious, old-time flavor. (“The taste was outstanding. It wants a sunny spot. Very pretty-looking fruit, dark pink with green shoulders.”) Available in Walnut Creek only. 

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Chocolate Stripe Beefsteak / Deep orange-brown / To 16 ounces / 75 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate.

The Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Catalog says it all: “One of the most amazing tomatoes we have ever grown. Both color and taste excel.” A taste test winner, these large tomato plants yield a big crop of mahogany colored fruit with dark, olive green-striping (similar to Black Zebra). ("Fruits have delicious, complex, rich, sweet, earthy tomato flavors.”) Available in Walnut Creek only.

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Dwarf Boronia Beefsteak / Purple /4-16 ounces / 70 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate

New for 2025! If you want sturdy, attractive and productive plants that take less room to grow, try one of the new dwarf varieties. These carefully developed varieties give full sized fruit on smaller plants. Dwarf Boronia grows to around 4 feet in height, producing flattened, ribbed beefsteak tomatoes. The fruits are dark-pink with an intense and delicious flavor, resembling 'Cherokee Purple’. Small Space/Container Friendly

Photo coming soon

Dwarf Rosella Crimson Beefsteak / Pink / 4-13 ounces / 78 days / Open Pollinated /Determinate

New for 2025! If you want sturdy, attractive and productive plants that take less room to grow, try one of the new dwarf varieties. These carefully developed varieties give full sized fruit on smaller plants. Dwarf Rosella Crimson is vigorous and productive, with an excellent to outstanding flavor, in some seasons approaching 'Pink Brandywine' in quality. Small Space/Container Friendly

Photo coming soon

First Prize Beefsteak / Red / 10-12 ounces / 75 days / Hybrid / Indeterminate

These vigorous plants produce loads of delicious 10 to 12 oz. fruit, even when conditions are not ideal. A trial winner for its high yields, good disease resistance, mid-early maturity, and great flavor. First fruit mature early and low on the plant, which continues to bear tomatoes over a long season.

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Hawaiian Pineapple Beefsteak / Yellow-Red / 16-24 ounces / 95 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate.

The name itself explains how wonderful this tomato is: large, yellow & red, 1-pound fruit with excellent flavor—sweet and fruity, somewhat pineapple-like in taste. (“Beautiful, large golden yellow tomatoes. Its internal coloring is also a bright golden yellow with red highlights—very eye-catching on its own or as an addition to mixed salads. This size makes for perfect sandwich slices. Fabulous flavor is accentuated when allowed to fully ripen—sweet, juicy, with hints of citrus. If that's not enough, it’s also a prolific producer!”) Available in Walnut Creek only.

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Italian Red Pear Beefsteak / Red / 8-18 ounce / 70-75 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate.

This old Northern Italian variety is an outstanding producer of huge (as in 8-18 ounce) very tasty fruit. Great for salads and sandwiches, it's really meaty and contains few seeds. Pear shaped with vertical ribs - a must try. Early for such a large plant, this is not the small pear shaped tomato called red pear sold by U.S. seed companies. Available in Walnut Creek only. 

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Legend Beefsteak / Red / 12-16 ounces / 68 days / Open Pollinated / Determinate

One of the earliest-maturing tomatoes, 5-8 inch, with a sweet flavor and just a little acid to add zing. Developed at Oregon State University, Legend shows strong tolerance to blight strains which makes it particularly well-adapted to West County’s cooler climes. Great taste, early, and disease-resistant—an unbeatable combination! (“This is an early producer and produced longer than any other variety in my garden the last two years. Plants are loaded with beautiful, red tomatoes.”) Small Space/Container Friendly

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Mortgage Lifter Beefsteak / Red / 16-32 ounces / 80-90 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate.

As its name indicates, a prolific family heirloom from 1940s Kentucky where, using the proceeds from its sale, “Radiator Charlie” Byles paid off his $6,000 home mortgage (those were the days!!) in just six years. Produces 1-2 pound big, red, very flavorful beefsteak tomatoes. Plants are very productive, disease-resistant and long-bearing. (“Just all around perfect tomatoes, no problems, good yield, medium-to-large fruits with that wonderful, old-fashioned tomato taste.”)

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Paul Robeson Beefsteak / Deep Red / 7-10 ounces / 90 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate.

Produces 7-10 ounce, blackish brick-red fruits whose sweet and smoky flavor is unparalleled. A Russian heirloom that was named to honor the American opera singer and racial equality/social justice advocate, Paul Robeson (1898-1976) who was idolized in Russia. (“We love this variety in East County!”)

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Persimmon Beefsteak / Orange / 12-32 ounces / 79 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate.

Vigorous and prolific heirloom produces 12 ounce to 2 pound persimmon-colored beefsteak tomatoes. Right at home in short-season gardens. Very meaty and with few seeds, this popular variety is also low in acid. (“Beautiful and large with rose/orange skin and flesh. Real eye candy in a tomato salad. Sweet, rich tomato taste—another taste test winner. Persimmon is said to have been grown in Thomas Jefferson's garden.”) *Photo courtesy of Territorial Seed Company

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Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye Beefsteak / Deep Pink multi / 8-12 ounces / 65-75 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate.

8-12 ounce fruits are dark wine color with metallic green striping, and the flesh is pink with yellow streaks. One of the best of the Boar Series by Brad Gates. The flavor is outstanding - sweet and complex like the finest heirlooms. They have an engaging tanginess, almost as if lightly salted. Compact plant. 

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Vorlon Beefsteak / Deep Red-black / 16 ounces / 80 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate.

A cross between Cherokee Purple and Pruden’s Purple created this stunning "purple-black" beefsteak with a rich, smoky-earthy taste that Baker Creek called its “best tasting tomato” the last few years. Up to 1 pound fruits appear mid-season. (“Even in Richmond, Vorlon produced the most delicious tomatoes in my garden.”) Available in Walnut Creek and Richmond only. 

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