Guest post by Taylor Markey

More than 250 people attended Washington Gardener Magazine’s 12th Annual Tomato Taste at the FreshFarm Silver Spring Market on Saturday, Aug. 24.

Attendees tasted and voted on their favorite tomato variety. “Red Grape” took the top spot with twice as many votes as “Sun Gold” in second place.

Following “Sun Gold” were “Chocolate Cherry,” “Field Red,” “Juane Flamme,” “Black Cherry,” and “Cherokee Purple.”

“Red Grape” had a total vote of 60 votes versus “Sun Gold’s” 30 votes. The other five tomato varieties had vote counts in the 20s, each one separated by just a few votes.

The winning tomato is a firm cherry-type that has a bright, clear, red color and a sweet taste. It came in second place in last year’s event, followed by “Sun Sugar.”

Attendees also had the option to color or draw their own tomatoes and to take free tomato seeds, locally focused tomato growing tips, and tomato recipes.

At the end of the event, the magazine pulled a name from the tomato taste ballots listing the attendees’ favorite tomatoes. The winner, Heather Dylla of Silver Spring, won a gift bag filled with gardening tools, tomatoes, market goods, and market money.

Taylor Markey is an intern this fall semester with Washington GardenerMagazine. She is a senior journalism major at the University of Maryland.

Top photo by Kathy Jentz. Photo below of Washington Gardener editor/publisher Kathy Jentz (left) with Heather Dylla by Taylor Markey.