I purchased two tomato plants last spring that were simply marked
"Dufresne". No one has been able to tell me much about them except that
they are listed as "endangered" and that they are a Quebec heirloom. There
is almost no information about them on the web and there are contradictory
statements about them there (some pages say red, some say pink, for
example). They have recently set fruit in Canada Zone 5a, which I believe
is 3a US.

Can anyone tell me the basics of this heirloom variety? Colour? Days to
maturity? Size? Taste?

I know there is also a "Dufresne #2". I know nothing about this one,
either.

The only possible source I have found for Dufresne is through "Seeds of
Diversity Canada".

On Sat, 05 Jul 2003 20:58:44 GMT, Ryan Vandermaas
wrote in rec.gardens.edible:

I purchased two tomato plants last spring that were simply marked
"Dufresne".

I wish I could help you. I also live in Canada Zone 5a and purchased two
Dufresne plants last spring. Mine have also set fruit and I am unable to find
much information about them. Not much help, but perhaps we could share any
information we receive in private?
--
Gardening Zones
Canada Zone 5a
United States Zone 3a
Near Ottawa, Ontario

I didn't know that the zones in Canada and the US are different. I live in Toronto
, Canada classified as zone 5. Where can i look up the differences between the two
countries and why would they not class them the same and stop the confusion.




Jim Carter wrote:

On Sat, 05 Jul 2003 20:58:44 GMT, Ryan Vandermaas
wrote in rec.gardens.edible:

I purchased two tomato plants last spring that were simply marked
"Dufresne".

I wish I could help you. I also live in Canada Zone 5a and purchased two
Dufresne plants last spring. Mine have also set fruit and I am unable to find
much information about them. Not much help, but perhaps we could share any
information we receive in private?
--
Gardening Zones
Canada Zone 5a
United States Zone 3a
Near Ottawa, Ontario

On Sat, 05 Jul 2003 16:58:30 -0400, Jim Carter
wrote in rec.gardens.edible:

but perhaps we could share any
information we receive in private?

I found this on the "Seeds of Diversity" site. http://www.seeds.ca They
are comments from several people:

Dufresne: [Pink/Purple] Nice flavour. Good producer. An heirloom variety
developed by "le Frere Savignac", a renowned plant breeder. I have a
symbolic affection for this precious variety.

Dufresne: [Pink/Purple] Large, round fruit is sweet and flavourful. Soft,
juicy texture.

Dufresne: [Pink/Purple] Indeterminate. Medium sized pink fruit has very good
taste. Very productive. Heirloom variety developed by Frere Savignac. Days
to
maturity: 75 - 80

Dufresne: [Pink/Purple] Large, round fruit is sweet and flavourful. Soft,
juicy
texture.

Dufresne: [Pink/Purple] Indeterminate. Medium sized pink fruit has very good
taste. Very productive. Heirloom variety developed by Frere Savignac. Days
to
maturity: 75 - 80

Seed Availability:

STATUS DISTRIBUTION
Endangered Poor


Currently propagated by Seeds of Diversity's seed-savers.
Not known to have been sold commercially in North America for over 20
years.
Not maintained by the Canadian gene bank.
Not maintained by the U.S. gene bank.

"Andy Petro" wrote in message
...
I didn't know that the zones in Canada and the US are different. I live in
Toronto
, Canada classified as zone 5. Where can i look up the differences between
the two
countries and why would they not class them the same and stop the
confusion.



I had posted a link in another tread in response to your question about
zones. If you go to the backyard gardening link, it talks a bit about the
two (actually 3) different classification systems used in the US. You can
use the info to do further research, if you desire. From what I've seen,
I'm zone 3 in both the USDA and the Canadian classification system.

rona

In our last fun filled episode, Sat, 05 Jul 2003 16:58:30 -0400,
Jim Carter proclaimed:

On Sat, 05 Jul 2003 20:58:44 GMT, Ryan Vandermaas
wrote in rec.gardens.edible:

I purchased two tomato plants last spring that were simply marked
"Dufresne".

I wish I could help you. I also live in Canada Zone 5a and purchased two
Dufresne plants last spring. Mine have also set fruit and I am unable to find
much information about them. Not much help, but perhaps we could share any
information we receive in private?


Eeeek! No...I love hearing about heirloom tomatoes and peppers,
please post about them here.



Pam, purdy please?



--
"Maybe you'd like to ask the Wizard for a heart."
"ElissaAnn"

On Mon, 07 Jul 2003 10:57:14 -0400, Pam wrote in
rec.gardens.edible:

Pam, purdy please?

Well, just for you, Pam. :-)

Sometimes folks are a bit shy about responding on a newsgroup and that is what I
meant about sharing information that we receive privately.

Ryan and I seem close to each other and I suspect it was the same person who
started both our plants, Greta Kryger. You can see her web site at
http://www.seeds-organic.com/ , which is a commercial site specialising in
heirlooms. She is about 1hr drive from me and I hope to buy directly from her
next spring.

The "Seeds of Diversity" site is one of the best I have seen for descriptions of
little known heirloom varieties. http://www.seeds.ca . Click on the "Heritage
Varieties Database".

More than you wanted to know, but I am one of those people who leaves no thought
unspoken. :-)

What country/state/province are you in?
--
Gardening Zones
Canada Zone 5a
United States Zone 3a
Near Ottawa, Ontario

On Mon, 07 Jul 2003 10:57:14 -0400, Pam wrote in
rec.gardens.edible:

Eeeek! No...I love hearing about heirloom tomatoes and peppers,
please post about them here.

Some entries on Seeds of Diversity tear out your heart. There are far too
many entries that look like this:
=========================
Tomato : Ace, royal

Seed Availability:

STATUS
Apparently Extinct

Not currently propagated by Seeds of Diversity's seed-savers.
Not known to have been sold commercially in North America for over 20 years.
Not maintained by the Canadian gene bank.
Not maintained by the U.S. gene bank.
=====================================
There are too many such entries in the data base!

In our last fun filled episode, Mon, 07 Jul 2003 11:55:10 -0400,
Jim Carter proclaimed:

On Mon, 07 Jul 2003 10:57:14 -0400, Pam wrote in
rec.gardens.edible:

snippety do dah

Ryan and I seem close to each other and I suspect it was the same person who
started both our plants, Greta Kryger. You can see her web site at
http://www.seeds-organic.com/ , which is a commercial site specialising in
heirlooms. She is about 1hr drive from me and I hope to buy directly from her
next spring.

The "Seeds of Diversity" site is one of the best I have seen for descriptions of
little known heirloom varieties. http://www.seeds.ca . Click on the "Heritage
Varieties Database".

Oh, I love browsing heirloom plants. It's interesting to trace
their history and see what people growing them now think
of them. I know I was reluctant to try Brandywines because
I had heard they weren't as heat tolerant as other varieties, and
heat we got plenty of around here. However, I've been
tickled pink by the pink Brandywine's performance. It has
proven to be the most resistant variety that I've grown to the
Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus that comes with the spit! thrips.


More than you wanted to know, but I am one of those people who leaves no thought
unspoken. :-)

Well, that's kinda the whole point of having a gardening group.
We natter on about what we're growing and what works for us,
and pick up a few new ideas from each other. I've got friends
who's eyes glaze over after a few minutes of me pontificating
about the differences between red and chocolate hananeros,
but someone here might find that useful or interesting. And if
they don't they can skip to the next message.

What country/state/province are you in?

I'm in South Carolina, USA, with plenty of heat, humidity,
and mosquitoes to go around.


Pam, USDA zone 8 , if that helps.




--
"Maybe you'd like to ask the Wizard for a heart."
"ElissaAnn"