'Bukovinskij' Tomato

Solanum lycopersicum Origin: Ukraine Improvement status: Landrace Seeds per packet: ~30 Germination tested 10/2024: 88% Life cycle: Annual EFN INTRODUCTION. 'Bukovinskij' (or 'Bukovinskii Mestnyi') is a lovely tear-drop-shaped tomato from Ukraine, likely from the mountainous Bukovinsky Pass region in southwestern Ukraine's Carpathian Mountains. This is one the largest pear-shaped tomatos we've seen, and one of the most crack resistant and best tasting, with rich red flesh. Many of the world's best-tasting tomatoes hail from Ukraine, so we shouldn't be surprised to have stumbled on this one. We got our stock seed from the USDA's National Plant Germplasm System, which labels it 'Bukovinskii Mestnyi' (meaning "Bukovinsky Local"), though the original records state that it was simply called 'Bukovinskij', so that's the name we're using. Ironically enough, this tomato was donated to the USDA in May 1962 by the legendary Vavilov Institute, the national agricultural institute of the USSR, just