Dancing with Smurfs

[jayb]

I love this tomato variety and it is great to see that a few people are starting to grow it. I know I've shared seed on a couple of forums and I guess if it does well for people it will continue to be grown and shared. I've made several crosses using Dancing with Smurfs as one of the parents and they are looking promising, I have 3 different F1's growing this year.

"How can you not love that name! This is a beautiful cherry variety bred by Tom Wagner. The seeds I received in 2011 are F3, meaning they were still segregating for traits and selections needed to be made over the coming years for the next generation of seed to be saved. I've been selecting for my favourites each time, based on taste, looks and earliness. Dancing With Smurfs is not an overly sweet type of cherry as some are, but what it does have is a good rich tomato taste great for snacking on. I've found this variety easy to grow in a greenhouse and here it will crop outside in a sheltered spot.

The blue - anthocyanin colour is seen most intensely on fruits that have been in direct sunlight. This can be seen on stems and fruits from very early on and fruits continue to darken as they grow. Leaves do tend to curl a bit which helps lets more sunlight in. The shaded under side of the tomato retains it's original colour and ripens to red, a great way to check they are ripe.

The picture below shows the reduction in intensity of the blue-black colour (Anthocyanin) when tomatoes are grown in a slightly shady spot, taste and production remained good. I think Dancing With Smurfs and another similar cherry variety of Tom's, Helsing Junction Blues are my favourite antho cherries that I've grown so far. I'll continue making my selections from the plants I grow and save seeds to be sown next year. " http://mostlytomatomania.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/dancing-with-smurfs.html

[Galina]

Yes they are very nice and actually quite stable here (judging by your plants and two years of growing them here). Third year I have put the plants outside, fingers crossed they will make it too before blight terminates them. The anthocyanin, ie purple/black, is a great colour for health benefits. Apparently it signifies nutrients that mop up free radicals which means it helps our cells fight cancer and other diseases, and keeps us looking younger too as it fights ageing. When purple is this good to eat, who wouldn't want to live healthily!

We have heard about expensive blueberries being labelled as superfoods, but there are many others with the same attributes for example blackcurrants, blackberries, purple peas and beans and many more, Dancing with Smurfs included.

[jayb]

Mine are in a poly-tunnel again this year, they just produce so well and I love eating them. I've only grown them outdoors once when they did ok, though I think it wasn't the best of years. Do they produce well for you outside?

[Hilltop]

Hi there, I just wanted to add that I’m growing Dancing with Smurfs this summer. Wow they look so different from the tomatoes I usually grow, I can’t wait to try one. Mine are jet black in colour, only the sunnyside and I’ve had some funny comments about how they look! How will I know they are ripe?

[Silverleaf]

Oh aren't they beautiful! I love interestingly coloured vegetables and fruits, and I've never grown antho tomatoes.

[jayb]

Antho tomatoes are a real eye catcher especially when you start mixing with tomato colours and stripes. But sadly the flavour overall in antho coloured toms seems to be lacking, whether it is the anthocyanin affecting flavour or something else being past down perhaps from whatever wild types were used to make OSU Blue I don't know. I do like Dancing with Smurfs though, one of the best out of the ones I've tried. You're welcome to seeds if you fancy.

[Silverleaf]

I'd love to try them if you have a few spare! Thank you.

[jayb]

You're welcome, I'll wait for fresh seeds from (hopefully) this years crop.

[jayb]

I picked lots of DWS yesterday
Should have lots of fresh seeds soon!

[Galina]

Likewise, the first ones are ripening. I am glad that I didn't rip out the plants, they got blight and grew out of it (for now anyway!) A couple more trusses of fruit developed. The ones taken indoors when blight started are now changing to reddish, ready to eat.

[jayb]

Oh well done, taking LB into account, were they overall earlier and more productive for you this year?

[Galina]

Oh, that's difficult to say - because ................ I found tiny seedlings in the greenhouse earlier this year, as they had antho in them I suspected they might be from a crushed, overwintered Dancing with Smurfs. So I planted them out with a bottle over them, quite early in fact because I wanted the greenhouse space. They got squashed in next to the Sedum (which sheltered them somewhat). Perhaps they started off later, but they were planted out earlier. Overall they are a little bit later than greenhouse grown ones, but certainly ok for outside. Yes they were/are productive, more so than in the greenhouse.

[jayb]

Lol, poor babies, they were dropped by the tomato stork!

Interesting they cropped better for you outdoors than in a greenhouse. I've found it the opposite, although they do provide a fair crop outside, they just seem to go a bit wild and need to be kept in check more than I do with outdoor toms.

[jayb]

Dancing with Smurfs, just set but amazing colour already

[Silverleaf]

Lovely!