‘Petit Moineau’ Tomato

Dark as the streets of Montreal deep into the night. Early, just as the arrival of winter over Quebec. Easy, to be grown in the field as well as in a pot on a Plateau balcony. Born in our field from a cross between 2 varieties, Black Crime and Teton de Venus, this tomato kept the dark colour of the former and the shape and density of the latter. It however yields much earlier than its parents, and produces much more. The variety is quite stable, but might still display some irregular shapes. We are keeping up our breeding work with the hope of creating a perfect tomato. The fruits are slightly smaller than a tennis ball. Our team carried a taste test and found a ...steak flavour! The foliage is regular, and the plant is not prone to diseases. Package: 35 seeds. Germination rate: 100%

At a Seedy Saturday in 2016, a lady came up to me and told me that her mother-in-law had a tomato variety called Mon Plaisir that stopped being available in seed catalogues for ages, but that she keeps growing year after year. We chat a bit and exchange contact informations. I end up forgetting about it until, a few months later, I receive a letter in the mail. Inside, a beautiful card containing a paper on which a dozen seeds were attached. The seeds of the lost Mon Plaisir tomato. This is what Mrs. Frappier told me when I reached out to her, after receiving her letter: "We use to order our seeds through the WHPerron catalogue, and another company. I think it was called Norseco. We were growing tomatoes in greenhouses in Abitibi, in Matamic close to Lasarre. It was the Frappier greenhouses (serres Frappier) in 1976. We grow a couple seedlings to sell, but it was mostly for vegetable production. I really like those tomatoes, they would make nice long cherry tomato trusses. We stopped producing in the early 2000s, and I had already been saving my own seeds for about 20 to 25 years because we couldn't find the variety in catalogues anymore. I really couldn't find it anywhere. I think it was replaced by either Sweet 100 or Sweet mignonne. I did taste it, but I definitely prefer Mon Plaisir." (Free translation) It is now our turn to share this discovery with you. A huge thanks to the Frappier family for preserving this variety.   Package: 30 seeds

Determinate. This Italian variety gives plenty of long yellow fruits, very sweet but not too juicy. Perfect for sauces and canning. Do not let its funny name scare you. Package: 30 seeds

Back in the 60s, Mr. Réginald Lefebvre owned a farm in St-Rémi, QC. On some day, a couple Spaniards ask him if they can use some of his land to grow their tomatoes. He accepts, and quickly discovers the potential of one of their variety. So much that he begins growing it himself. In 1981, there is no successor to take over and the farm has to be sold. A sad end, but not for the tomato which made history!   Package: 35 seeds

Very ancient variety from the United States. Its skin is a creamy yellow with some pink undertone, and is very soft with a light down. This all makes this tomato look a bit like a little peach. The taste is exceptional, the skin is soft... makes you want to touch AND eat it.   Package: 30 seeds

This dark pink tomato comes from the Lower Saint-Lawrence, more specifically from Rivière-du-Loup. The seeds come from Mrs. Francine Mailloux. She gifted some to René Paquet, who gave them to Michel Richard (Potager d'Antan), who then handed them to me. It is now our turn to share them with you! René describes this tomato as hefty and says that the indeterminate plant will have high yields of pink-fleshed red-skinned fruits. They will usually weight between 400 and 850 grams, but could be even heavier in some cases. To know more, please visit the Potager d'antan website (in French): https://potagersdantan.com/2018/10/17/la-tomate-rose-italienne/   Package: 30 seeds