The plants produce quite wide-petalled flowers with long sepals, and a slightly paler yellow than average for a tomato. The fruits swell quite quickly once they get going and make pale green apple-shaped fruits of varying size. The skin is quite silky and smooth and it stays very firm right up to full ripeness.
That firmness is very much a feature. This is not a squishy tomato. The flesh is quite thick and low on juice, and when you cut it open (or tear a piece out as in the photo) you find the flesh is quite separate from the gel. There is a decisive gap between the two and the inner surface of the flesh is dry. The seeds are set into the surface of the gel strawberry-fashion. The gel is actually quite juicy once you cut it open, but overall it's a pretty small amount of wet stuff compared to most tomatoes.
Ripening is partly determined by colour ... the green fades to pale golden yellow, getting whiter at full ripeness. Or you can gently squeeze them to find the moment when the flesh starts to yield. |