19/08/2026
When it's so driech outside it's nice for us to go in the polytunnel on the farm and see that summer is still holding on for dear life... this week has actually seen our biggest tomato harvest so far this year with over 100kg picked in the last few days.
We're growing loads of interesting varieties of bigger salad tomatoes this year including heritage Scottish Ailsa Craig, Scottish Yellow. We are also growing our long term trusted favourites tigerella and mamande.
Then we have some new tomato trials on the go with Lotus and Paul Robeson. Lotus is a cream coloured tomato which was bred long ago in Belarus while Paul Robeson has quite a story to tell..
Paul was an American born bass-baritone concert artist, actor, professional football player, and activist who became famous around the world in the first half of the twentieth century for both for his cultural accomplishments and for his political stances. Paul lent his support for the Republican cause during the Spanish Civil War, the Soviet Union and Joseph Stalin, and to the Council on African Affairs while opposing the Korean War and founding the American Crusade Against Lynching. It's not much of a surprise that much of this didn't go down well in his homeland and by the 1950's the US Department of State Demanded he hand in his passport, he declined.
Meanwhile, deep in Siberia, someone bred a delicious black tomato and named it Paul Robeson in his honour, then in 1952 he won the Stalin Peace Prize. Make of his life what you will it is a very delicious tomato and Mr Robeson was a talented singer... you can watch him sing to Scottish miners on a well known platform - look for 'Paul Robeson sings to Scottish miners (1949)'
All these delicious tomatoes are available in both our shops for the next month or so as well as to add onto your veg box delivery. Make the most of the tomato season while you can.
