This new tomato from J&L Gardens, the breeders of ‘Black Strawberry’ tomato, is interesting on several levels.
First off, it really does look like an olive – although its green skin turns to chocolate brown when ripe (it isn’t a green-when-ripe tomato).
Taste wise it is not sweet – my tasting notes were: “Not really sweet. Try again later.” Garden Olive’s flavour is better described as ‘savoury’. At first, I thought we might have an off-type… being tied to the idea that cherry tomatoes should be sweet.
But then I went back to the original description of Garden Olive from J&L Gardens.
This is what they had to say about Garden Olive: “The flavor is very spicy and complex.” Which gave me a whole new perspective on Garden Olive – it wasn’t supposed to be sweet! And I could appreciate its more complex, savoury flavour. This flavour profile might come from the wild tomato genes that are part of Garden Olive’s ancestry.
Plants are 5 to 6 feet tall and productive from mid-season on.
If you are looking for something a little different — and willing to experiment with your taste buds – give Garden Olive a try!
How to Plant: Start seeds indoors 6 weeks before the last frost. Plant seed 5mm (¼ inch) deep. Transplant after the danger of frost has passed/later spring.
