Many tomato varieties are red; everyone knows what they look like, and there’s simply not much more to say. But here, the red is just different. It’s perfect. It’s hard to describe in words; even photos can’t fully capture it—the Clint Eastwood variety has a perfectly deep red color—slightly matte, diffusing light; you have to see it with your own eyes to understand. About the variety itself—it bears fruit very evenly, with large, plump clusters. The skin is thin and moderately resistant to cracking, with a gently pointed tip at the end of each fruit. The plant is tall and requires staking. The leaves are regular in shape. History of the variety: We obtained the seeds from TomatoFest, which received them from a former University of California employee, Archie Millett, whose breeding goal was to develop a disease-resistant variety with full flavor and aroma. This variety is ideal for preserves, but also works great as a sandwich tomato.
The name was given by Gary Ibsen with the permission of Clint Eastwood himself. “Rowdy” refers to Rowdy Yates, the character played by the actor in the TV series “Rawhide.” The tomato was unveiled at the 2005 Carmel TomatoFest, and seeds became available in 2006. The movie-inspired name thus reflects a real-life meeting between the breeder, the gardener, and the actor.
