greetings garden family & friends,

as a lover of african-american history, i was more than intrigued  when i chanced upon a variety of tomato bearing the name ‘Paul Robeson’ - a Russian heirloom whose original seed was sent to the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange by Marina Danilenko, a Moscow seedswoman.

in brief, Paul Robeson was a famous African-American athlete (All American Football), singer (Old Man River), actor (Othello), and advocate for the civil rights of people around the world.



he rose to prominence in a time when segregation was legal in the United States and black people were systematically and systemically disenfranchised.

as a result, he became a world traveler famous for his artistry, especially in the Soviet Union - hence, this Russian-bred tomato bearing his name.

Paul Robeson is a ‘black’ tomato and like other black tomatoes, the fruit is more of a dusky dark red with dark green dusky shoulders. the fruit weighs an average of 6oz. and is the perfect size to use as a slicing tomato.

what a pleasant surprise to find a gem of a ‘Robeson’ ripe and ready at the base of a plant. this tomato has just the right amount of acidity to complement sandwiches and is by far the best slicing tomato I have ever eaten!

check in next week for our very own ‘Robeson’ sandwich recipe.

peace & gratitude

from the fields

ama

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