Above is the flower from an open-pollinated heirloom variety of tomato that I have grown every year since 2009. “Cabin” was the name on the list I chose from at Wintersown.org. This tomato was listed as RARE on their listing that year and has been absent from the list ever since. It’s by-far my favorite tomato and it’s a personal project to continue this fruit, as I could be literally the only person growing it anywhere right now.
Cabin tomato has shown itself to be resistant to the blights that my tomatoes end up getting eventually during most growing seasons. Where my other plants have already died in August or September, Cabin has continued to grow until first frost around Halloween. Cabin provided me with a red tomato (picked green) on Thanksgiving one year. That’s pretty good for Illinois.
The green tomatoes shown in this post should ripen to a nice dark pink tone within 2 weeks. They are usually 3 to 8 ounces, with the average more towards 4 ounces.
Many of my Cabin tomato flowers were multi-blossoms this year, so I might get a couple of fused fruit that are larger than normal. As you probably saw from the photos, Cabin is a potato-leaf type tomato. Oh, taste! Cabin is excellent eating. It’s meaty, average in acidity and works equally well for eating raw or cooking into sauces.
Finally, I don’t want to be the only grower saving seeds for this tomato. If you are interested in also growing Cabin next year, and will save seeds from it to keep this heirloom around for the future, please let me know. If you have trouble with blights and want a plant that will grow along while others struggle in the same spot, please consider Cabin.
Posted by kate on June 18, 2012 at 8:25 am
Just the other day I noticed that the first blossoms on a couple of my tomatoes were multi-blossoms. I had never seen that before. Now I know what the deal is with them!
You might want to contact Seed Saver’s Exchange to see if they have this tomato. If not, they may want to add it to their seed bank.
Posted by Jimmy Cracked-Corn on June 18, 2012 at 2:11 pm
Kate, you aren’t the first person to suggest SSE to me. I need to call them to see what needs to be done to donate my variety. I am very interested in getting my seeds “out there,” but if it is required that I pay $40 for an annual membership to their group, I feel there more I could do with that kind of money…such as send out seeds to 60 or 80 people in envelopes with 50 cents worth of postage on each one.
Posted by kate on June 18, 2012 at 2:29 pm
I just looked it up in the SSE yearbook, and two members have listed it. So you’re not the only one growing it, but it must be pretty rare. It sounds like a great tomato, and I’d love to try help keep the variety going if you have extra seeds to share!
Posted by Jimmy Cracked-Corn on June 18, 2012 at 8:12 pm
Thank you for checking into that. I’ll be saving lots of seeds from the second flush of fruit and there will be enough for all who are willing to grow it.
Posted by windy on February 13, 2013 at 1:53 am
I would really like to have some of these seeds if you have any left. Awesome growth on these ‘maters!
Posted by Jimmy Cracked-Corn on March 27, 2013 at 4:14 pm
Sorry, I sent them all out in a big batch.
Posted by The Slow Foods Mama on June 18, 2012 at 10:15 am
Cabin sounds lovely! Funny – the best performing heirloom in our garden is a potato leaf as well. Save some seeds for us?
Posted by Jimmy Cracked-Corn on June 18, 2012 at 2:12 pm
Yes. If you’re willing to grow it, I would be thrilled to share it. When I have seeds ready I’ll either make a new post about it or come back here to get a mailing address.
Posted by The Slow Foods Mama on June 18, 2012 at 5:19 pm
Absolutely. I collect tomatoes like other women collect shoes!
Blight is a big issue for us here in BC, so we’re always on the lookout for resistant varieties.
Keep me posted!
Posted by Jimmy Cracked-Corn on June 18, 2012 at 8:14 pm
I will be e-mailing at some point in the next few weeks!
Posted by thebeadden on June 18, 2012 at 5:08 pm
Count me in and thank you! If there is anything you see in our garden this year, say the word.
Posted by Jimmy Cracked-Corn on June 18, 2012 at 8:13 pm
No, thank you! I’ll be getting in touch with everyone via e-mail to get a mailing address.
Posted by Rachel on June 18, 2012 at 8:02 pm
Thanks for your kind offer. I would love to try out Cabin in northern New England. I am trying an heirloom tomato called Tennessee Sweet that my mom’s 90-something-year-old neighbor gave to us – so far they are doing okay. I think that it’s really important and fun to grow uncommon varieties.
Posted by Jimmy Cracked-Corn on June 18, 2012 at 8:16 pm
Yes, exactly! Very fun, and without us the variety could die out! I’ll be in touch!
Posted by Growing Up in the Garden on June 18, 2012 at 9:18 pm
Your tomatoes look great! I, too, would love to try those beauties here in California. I have a whole community of gardeners that I could disperse the seeds to in the coming years. How exciting!
Posted by Jimmy Cracked-Corn on June 19, 2012 at 1:20 pm
Excellent! That’s just what I need! Thank you!
Posted by Ida Hunt on June 20, 2012 at 8:50 am
I, too, would love to get a few of your Cabin tomato seeds. Thank you in advance for sharing with us.
Posted by Jimmy Cracked-Corn on June 20, 2012 at 2:57 pm
I’ll be contacting everyone via e-mail soon! I am very excited to spread this variety around a bit.
Posted by Ashley on June 25, 2012 at 9:39 am
I see that you will be contacting soon by email. Add me to the list please sir. The heirlooms I selected this year are not very productive. Every pest and disease in the garden flock to it – the poor thing.
Posted by Jimmy Cracked-Corn on June 25, 2012 at 12:52 pm
Sure thing! I’m looking forward to spreading this variety around this year!
Posted by Courtney on June 30, 2012 at 12:08 am
Please add me to the list as well! We’re planning to expand our tomato growing next year (we’ve got about 50 plants this year!) and I’d love a new type to try.
Posted by Jimmy Cracked-Corn on June 30, 2012 at 6:42 pm
No problem! The more the merrier. I’m so excited to have a whole group of people growing this variety next year! I hope everyone can stop back by next June and July with pictures.
Posted by Tomato and Peanut Update « Jimmy Cracked Corn on July 3, 2012 at 6:03 am
[...] I have ever grown, so I must have found the optimal location in my yard for them this year. The Cabin tomato plants (on each end) have some fruit that seems to be in the 8 to 10 ounce range, and I’ve never gotten bigger [...]
Posted by Ripe Tomatoes mean 2012 Salsa…soon « Jimmy Cracked Corn on July 15, 2012 at 5:40 am
[...] even see the squash bug in person. I only noticed him in iPhoto. This is a Cabin plant. I’ll be saving a whole bunch of seeds soon. Rate this:Share this:PinterestFacebookEmailPrintLike this:LikeBe the first to like [...]
Posted by Large Cabin Tomatoes this Year + Saving Seeds Round 1 « Jimmy Cracked Corn on July 16, 2012 at 7:50 pm
[...] 4 of the 8 people who said that they wanted to grow Cabin tomatoes next year have sent me their mailing address. If you are interesting in growing Cabin and you didn’t [...]
Posted by Amideutch on December 27, 2012 at 6:20 am
Hello from Germany, Cabin tomato definitely looks like a winner. I would like to grow and help perpetuate this variety. The only listing in SSE is the Cabin RL variety. If you have seed I would like to give it a try here in Germany. Ami
Posted by Jimmy Cracked-Corn on December 30, 2012 at 6:21 pm
Contact Trudi at Wintersown.org. I sent her a small amount of my extra seeds. All I have left at home now is for my garden.
Posted by Val on January 17, 2013 at 11:45 pm
Hi,
I would love to try out this Cabin tomato in Romania. Please let me know if it is possible. Advanced thanks for your time and attention. Val
Posted by Jimmy Cracked-Corn on March 27, 2013 at 4:19 pm
Sorry, I sent out all the seeds in one big batch.
Posted by Elise Vaughn on January 18, 2013 at 3:18 am
If you still have the “Cabin” seeds available please e-mail me and let me know, I would love to have a few! If not please let me know either way!
Happy gardening! Elise Vaughn
Posted by Jimmy Cracked-Corn on March 27, 2013 at 4:18 pm
Sorry, I sent out all the seeds in one big batch. Thank you for your interest.
Posted by Action is as Small as a Seed « Growing Up in the Garden on January 26, 2013 at 7:01 am
[...] also be saving tomato seeds, Cabin in particular. This variety was given to me by another blogger, Jimmy Cracked Corn, with the hopes that the people who received them would spread the seeds around. And, that I will [...]
Posted by Jimmy Cracked-Corn on March 27, 2013 at 4:15 pm
Thank you for growing Cabin in 2013. Keep me updated, please!
Posted by Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatoes…Tomatoes. | Collingwood Farm on March 12, 2013 at 12:22 pm
[...] a give a special shout out to Jimmy Cracked Corn, a fellow blogger, and seed lover, who sent me some Cabin tomato seeds he saved from his tomatoes last season. Apparently, Cabin tomatoes are a rare, almost extinct, [...]
Posted by Jimmy Cracked-Corn on March 27, 2013 at 4:13 pm
I can’t wait to know how they grow for you. Thank you.
Posted by windy on March 28, 2013 at 9:07 am
I can’t find an email addy for you– to send you a mailing address for seeds.
Posted by Jimmy Cracked-Corn on March 28, 2013 at 9:13 am
Sorry, I got together my mailing list and sent this out last year.
Posted by claudia flaiz on April 29, 2013 at 5:18 pm
i realize it’s a bit late to be asking, but i would love to grow some cabin tomatoes. also, i received tomatoes (that were identified as heirloom and delicious) from an elderly relative a few years ago who lives in southern california. i’m in the NW. the fruit from the seeds i saved and planted the following year was wonderful, but ripened so late that most froze. also, is there a way to identify a tomato? the ones i had were said to have been brought over from poland ( or “someplace” ) by family decades ago. thanks.
Posted by Jimmy Cracked-Corn on April 29, 2013 at 7:17 pm
I have sent out all I can this year.
To identify a tomato, grow it again this year, take lots of pictures, and check the forums at tomatoville.com
Posted by claudia flaiz on May 1, 2013 at 10:53 am
thanks!