i bet the hardcore in the tomato forum will know ..

but see what google suggests

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Thanks, Ken. I looked online already and am leaning towards Cherokee Purple. I was just hoping someone with a little more knowledge than me might recognize it.

There are over 15,000 tomato varieties, and it is impossible to say with certainty which one you have.

You could improve your chances by checking to see whether the skin is yellow or clear (after peeling and eating the tomato, of course). That way your search would be limited to either the purples (clear skin) or blacks (yellow skin).

But checking the skin color is difficult unless you have fresh tomato skin from a yellow-skinned or white-skinned tomato. You could buy a red and a pink tomato, as they are respectively yellow- and clear-skinned. To test skin color, you need a piece of skin which is long enough to hold down at both ends while you are rubbing the flesh off the skin in-between. Then put the skins over something white and compare the colors.

Of course, "purple" and "black" are used by different folks to mean different things, with "black" sometimes used as an umbrella term ... but you could ask at GW's Tomato forum, where there are some knowledgeable folks who understand the difference between clear-skinned purples and yellow-skinned blacks.

To me, your photo makes it look more like a black (yellow skin) than a purple (clear skin).

In any case, it's highly unlikely to be a Black Krim (yellow skin), as they are known for concentric cracking around the stem.

If you end up loving this tomato -- loving the taste, I mean -- then save the seeds and start your own seedlings next spring. Most tomatoes have a very low cross-pollination rate, so the seeds are almost certain to grow true.

Of course, there's the possibility that this is a hybrid variety, in which case the seeds wouldn't grow true. But there are relatively few hybrid blacks.

How to save tomato seeds:
http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/A_Beginner%E2%80%99s_Guide_To_Saving_Tomato_Seeds_Using_Fermentation
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/seedsave/2002084456024410.html

How to start your own seedlings:
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/tomato/2005015135020413.html

Thanks missingtheobvious. Funny that you mention Black Krim and their concentric cracking. I have them growing in my garden and the first one is ripening with that same cracking you mentioned.

I was thinking about saving seeds, if it tastes as delicious as it looks. I grow a bunch of heirlooms and generally try to stay away from NoID fruits and veggies, which is why I was hoping to get an ID. I didn't realize how impossible it was to ID tomatoes.