'Indigo Rose' Tomato: Another Blue Garden Tomato

If you're a regular reader of this blog you may remember that last year I grew some 'OSU Blue' tomatoes in my container garden. This year I'm growing 'Indigo Rose' tomatoes. 'Indigo Rose' is another blue tomato by the same plant tomato breeders at OSU. You should read the post on 'OSU Blue' if you want to know the history of the tomato and what causes this unique blue color in the tomato fruits.

'Indigo Rose' can be considered the "sequel" to 'OSU Blue' and is the variety released by OSU researchers to commercial growers who are selling them at farmers markets. And to seed companies who sold them to regular gardeners like myself. Like with 'OSU Blue' the fruits of 'Indigo Rose' tomatoes start off green and exposure to sun turns the fruit this beautiful bluish purple color you see. The parts that do not receive enough sun to activate the pigmentation turn reddish orange just as I documented with 'OSU Blue.' 

One notable difference between 'OSU Blue' and 'Indigo Rose' is the coloration in the leaves, stems, and the flower petals. The same compound that create the blue tint in the fruit darkens the leaves and stems of this tomato plant. The blooms are particularly beautiful and open to this nice, rich yellow color that looks like butter. 

Provided your tomato receives enough sunlight all the way around it will continue to darken and ripen to an almost black color as shown in the video below. 

'Indigo Rose' Tomato in my Garden

See how dark--almost black--the tomato is? You can even see my reflection in the fruit itself. The inside of the tomato is reddish color when ripe. 

'OSU Blue' Tomato in my Garden

Here's the video for 'OSU Blue' so you can compare the blue coloring between these two tomatoes if you didn't click the link to read the previous post. 

I haven't tasted 'Indigo Rose' tomatoes yet because I'm waiting for them to ripen and hopefully collect seeds from them. However, if the flavor is anything like 'OSU Blue,' I don't think the tomato is going to taste that special, but it also will not taste horrible. I think a lot of the talk about the taste of these blue tomatoes may be psychological because of the color. We expect something different, because they look different, so our brains tell is there's something different about them. Rather than our taste buds, but I'll have to confirm my suspicions once I actually taste this tomato. 

If you happen to knock off or break a tomato before it completely turns a dark blue or purple color, let the green side sit in the sun for a day or two and the color will change. High Mowing Organic Seeds gave me the seeds for this tomato to grow last year, so if you're looking to buy seeds from 'Indigo Rose' check with them.

Did you catch 'Indigo Rose' fever and grow it in your garden? What did you think of the colors and taste? 

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