Cherokee Purple

A cherry-purple beefsteak tomato with thin skin, very fleshy, tender pulp, and a delicious sweet-and-sour flavor. The seeds are surrounded by a dark green gel. The tomato’s shoulders are greenish-brown. Fruit weight: 300–450 g. In 1990, John Green from Tennessee sent seeds of this variety to Craig LeHoullier. He included a family account stating that the tomato had been preserved for generations and that its seeds were said to have originated from the Cherokee. LeHoullier named it “Cherokee Purple,” and in 1993, the variety was added to the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange catalog. Thus, a private shipment of seeds marked the beginning of the international career of one of the most recognizable dark tomatoes.