Pink Brandywine Heirloom Beefsteak Tomatoes - a brief history

I will admit it, I have become a little obsessed with my Pink Brandywine beefsteak tomatoes; there I have said it!  

I have mentioned them more than once on this site but they really have impressed me this being the first time I have grown them; and it should be remembered they were a replacement sowing sown late to replace the failed Limoncito and Black Cherry seedlings that wilted and died on me in the first week of May. When you consider they were sown weeks after I would normally sow tomatoes and grown outdoors on the Veg Patch rather than in the Greenhouse the results have been amazing. 

This particular American heirloom variety, apparently dates back to 1900, will be grown again by me in 2023 provided I can get the seeds. The marketing blurb suggests this type of tomato plant is not a big producer but I have several fruit on each plant (see below). Another bonus for me is it will give you fruits long after many other types have stopped producing, I will certainly be getting fruits from my plants in October all being well. Add to these facts they are some of the tastiest tomatoes I have ever had and capable of growing to over 2lb each in weight, my biggest thus far 2lb 6oz, happy days! 

I have been doing a little research and there are a number of other Brandywine varieties available with Yellow Brandywine one I will be searching for as my research suggests these can grow bigger than the Pink Brandywine variety! 

According to Plantura Magazine, a German based website, ‘Brandywine’ has a mysterious history. First developed in the US, ‘Brandywine’ tomatoes were submitted to the Seed Savers Exchange Association around 1982 by a tomato enthusiast from Ohio called Ben Quisenberry. He is said to have received the seeds from Dorris Sudduth Hill, whose family (allegedly) cultivated the tomato for over 80 years. Unfortunately, no one knows whether the ‘Brandywine’ was cultivated from a commercial variety or appeared as an entirely new variety. Nevertheless, since the 1980s, the ‘Brandywine’ tomato has only grown in popularity.' 

This is backed up by an article on the Specialty Produce website located in San Diego 'Though the Brandywine’s history is not altogether clear, legend has it that the Pink Brandywine tomato came to the attention of today’s gardeners in 1982 when the Seed Savers Exchange received Pink Brandywine tomato seeds from Ohio gardener, Ben Quisenberry. Quisenberry allegedly received the seeds from Dorris Sudduth Hill of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, whose family had been growing Brandywine tomatoes and saving its seeds since the 1800s. It is not known whether the family originally saved the seed from a commercial variety, or if it was brought to the United States from overseas. Nonetheless, the Pink Brandywine tomato is considered an American heirloom. It is often also said that Brandywine is of Amish origin, perhaps because there is a Brandywine River in the state of Pennsylvania where the Amish population is high, however there is no evidence to absolutely confirm this claim. The pink Brandywine tomato has very thin skin, disqualifying it as a good shipping tomato, and hence it is not often seen in markets far from where it was grown.'

The Seed Savers Exchange Association says of the Red Brandywine (a smaller variety) The original Brandywine introduced by Johnson and Stokes in 1889 from seeds they received from a customer in Ohio. Named after Brandywine Creek in Chester County, Pennsylvania.