Sweet 100s Cherry Tomatoes
Estimated Inventory, 12 ct : 0
This item was last sold on : 11/19/24
Description/Taste
One of the best-known cherry tomato varieties, Sweet 100s cherry tomatoes are a hybrid bred for their sweetness. They are scarlet red in color and one inch in size, with a rich, sugary taste. The Sweet 100s tomato plant can get to be very large, up to four feet across and ten feet high, which is why staking or caging is recommended to prevent sprawling and to let light into the interior clusters. This variety has a reputation for being overwhelmingly prolific, with most plants producing not one hundred, but rather hundreds of fruit in long, grape-like clusters. Sweet 100s plants produce in a wide variety of climates, as they are extremely drought and heat tolerant, and the indeterminate plants will continue to produce up until frost if kept consistently watered and fertilized.
Seasons/Availability
Sweet 100s cherry tomatoes are available year-round.
Current Facts
Some tomato aficionados are so enamored with the sugary flavors of Sweet 100s cherry tomatoes that they refer to them as “vine candy” and eat them straight off the plant. Sweet 100s have become a staple in the home garden not only because the tomatoes are so tasty, but also because the plants produce such large quantities for a long time throughout the season. The strong traits of Sweet 100s have been replicated in other tomato varieties as they have been used for breeding hybrids such as the peacevine cherry tomato, rideau sweet, and super sweet 100. The tomato is in the genus Solanum, along with the potato, and was first botanically referred to as Solanum lycopersicum. However, this designation was later changed to Lycopersicon esculentum, Lycopersicon being derived from the Greek word meaning “wolf peach,” and esculentum simply meaning edible. After years of horticulturists' preference for the name Lycopersicon esculentum, there are those now promoting, with strong DNA evidence, the return to the original classification.
Nutritional Value
Tomatoes contain vitamin A, which is good for eye, heart, lung, and kidney health, and vitamin B-6, which supports cognitive development and aids in immune function. Tomatoes offer a good amount of vitamin C, although Sweet 100s cherry tomatoes in particular have a higher dose than other varieties. Tomatoes also have a broad range of phytochemicals, such as lycopene, which can help protect against some forms of cancer and heart disease.
Applications
Sweet 100s are famous for their flavor, and are best eaten fully ripe right off the vine. While these delectable tomatoes are most often used fresh for snacking or adding to salads, they are also suitable for cooking, freezing, and even pickling, and they can be used in any recipe that calls for cherry tomatoes. Like other cherry tomato varieties, they are sweet, sturdy and resilient, keeping their shape in salads, pasta and casseroles. They sauté and grill up wonderfully, and they can add a pop of color to every dish. Store Sweet 100s cherry tomatoes at room temperature until ripe, after which refrigeration can slow the process of decay.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
The name Sweet 100s is a marketing name aimed at giving this tomato variety a memorable presence to consumers. One rumor suggests that Sweet 100s got its name during field trials in California, when a gentleman wearing a white shirt picked a sample of cherry tomatoes from row 100. The seeds and juice spurted all over his clean shirt as he ate the fruit, and he laughed it off saying, "Boy, that 100 is a sweet little devil," from which came its name.
Geography/History
The Sweet 100s cherry tomato is a hybrid that was developed by Northrup-King Seed Company, which is now a division of Syngenta. Sweet 100s revolutionized the cherry tomato world with its terrific yields of up to fifty fruits per cluster, and its novel, sweet taste when it was introduced in 1978. Hybrid tomato parentage is typically highly guarded, as the tomato seed business is very competitive, however there is strong speculation that the heirloom tomato Gardener’s Delight was used to breed the Sweet 100s variety.
Featured Restaurants
Restaurants currently purchasing this product as an ingredient for their menu.
| Pali Wine Company | San Diego CA | 310-893-0038 |
| Espadin | Temecula California | 951-383-5585 |
| The Lion Share | San Diego CA | 619-564-6924 |
| Park Hyatt Aviara | Carlsbad CA | 760-448-1234 |
| Pascucci Pasta | San Diego CA | 619-285-8000 |
| The Seabird Resort | Oceanside CA | 951-704-9703 |
| Terra Restaurant | San Diego CA | 619-293-7088 |
| Farmer and The Seahorse | San Diego CA | 619-302-3682 |
| Blue Water Estate Services | Rancho Santa Fe CA | 858-720-9831 |
| Le Coq | La Jolla CA | 858-427-1500 |
| Marriott Courtyard Nolen | San Diego CA | 619-544-1004 |
| 31ThirtyOne by Deckman | San Diego CA | 619-495-9814 |
| Lodge at Torrey Pines Main | San Diego CA | 858-453-4420 |
| US Grant Hotel Grill | San Diego CA | 619-232-3121 |
| Artifact at Mingei | San Diego CA | 619-846-2164 |
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Sweet 100s Cherry Tomatoes. One
is easiest, three is harder.Podcast
