Cherokee Purple

Cherokee Purple is a beefsteak heirloom tomato reputedly passed down from the Cherokee people of Tennessee and introduced to the seed trade in 1990 by Craig LeHoullier. It produces large, flattened fruit weighing 8 to 12 ounces with dusky rose-purple shoulders shading to brick red. The flesh is dense, meaty and low in acid, making it one of the most celebrated slicing tomatoes among home gardeners. As an indeterminate vine it fruits over a long season and benefits from staking. Widely grown across the United States, it remains a benchmark for rich, old-fashioned tomato flavor and is a staple of heirloom trials and market stands.