Dedicated tomato growers are always excited about trying out new varieties. They are interested in all the details. Where did it come from, how do you grow it, will it grow in our area and, of course, how does it taste?

Another segment of the population is just concerned with the biggest, brightest and best tasting of the tomato world. These people aren’t concerned with the behind-the-scenes culture of that red slice of heaven in their BLT.

At the end of the season, the two groups inevitably gather at the virtual water cooler and end up discussing the pros and cons of the characteristics that make the best-tasting tomato. This year the conversations center around the merits of the Indigo Rose tomato, a new variety developed by horticultural professor Jim Myers and his team at Oregon State University.

After listening to conversations, I have decided there have been many misconceptions of the place Indigo Rose has in the gardening/culinary world.

In defense of Indigo Rose, it was never touted to be the world’s largest or best-tasting tomato. None of the reputable seed catalogs advertised it as such, nor did any of the garden-related magazines rave about exceptional flavor. I am not very tolerant of criticism, especially when all the facts aren’t known.

The merits of Indigo Rose are that the tomato was bred to contain high levels of antioxidants, increasing its value as a health benefit.

“It is the first improved tomato variety in the world that has anthocyanins in its fruit,” according to Myers. Anthocyanins are in the class of flavonoids — compounds found in fruits, vegetables and beverages that have potential health benefits.

The research began in the 1960s with wild tomato species from Chile being crossed with species from the Galapagos Islands. Some wild species have anthocyanins in their fruit, but until now tomatoes grown in home gardens have had the pigment only in their leaves and stems, which are inedible.

Myers emphatically states these are not genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Blueberries have a higher concentration of anthocyanins, but tomatoes are consumed more frequently in the United States, so it makes sense to look at the possibility of the additional health benefit.

Gardeners who tried Indigo Rose agree the thick stalks were exceptional, as was the productivity. In our short season, it would have been better to remove some of the fruit to allow full ripening to the larger fruit. In news releases from OSU, the first ripe date was listed at 91 days after transplant. Catalogs list the mature size of the fruit as being about 2 inches, which I found to be the norm.

Myers cautions not to pick the tomato too soon. Indigo Rose must be allowed to ripen fully for complete development of sugars and acids. Myers admits it is easy to harvest too early because the usual visual clues won’t be there. The tomatoes will be purple where exposed to light. They are ripe when their color changes from a shiny blue-purple to a dull purple-brown. The fruit also softens similarly to regular tomatoes, and the bottom of the tomatoes will turn from green to red when ripe.

I checked out some of the websites and found some comments that help to understand the new tomato.

Organic Gardening’s test gardeners reported: “Indigo Rose has sweet flesh with acid seeds and a bit of an earthy musk essence. Earlier in the season its flavor was boring, but now it is very good.” “Sweet and flavorful in a roasted ratatouille.” “Not impressed with taste eating out of hand but interested in exploring different things to do with them.”

Gardeners did list that the tomatoes had been used in a Caprese salad, a combination of different tomatoes with a lot of visual appeal, dressed with a tiny drizzle of a good balsamic vinegar, which brought out the sweetness of the tomato.

Several references were made suggesting slow oven roasting would concentrate the flavors and really bring out the sweet, plumy flavors.

I did a taste testing with friends, and one friend commented that with her allergy to an acidic tomato, maybe Indigo Rose would allow her to enjoy a tomato without a reaction.

I am willing to give them another planting next year, planting a little earlier and definitely controlling the fruit production.