'Minsk Early' Tomato

Solanum lycopersicum Origin: Minsk, Belarus Improvement status: Cultivar Seeds per packet: ~30 Germination tested 10/2024: 85% Life cycle: Annual EFN EXCLUSIVE. 'Minsk Early', or 'Minskiy Ranniy', is one of the earliest tomatoes you'll ever find. We're eating them by the handful come July every year. Picked at peak ripeness, this small to medium-sized tomato has a lovely sweet-tart flavor and a pleasing texture. It's very productive too, on compact plants. (Do not confuse with 'Orange Minsk,' a completely different heirloom. 'Minsk Early' is bright red.) I (Nate) consider this an ancestral variety since my great-grandparents Molly Klebanoff and Elia Wolfsohn emigrated from rural Belarus, outside Minsk, to the US in 1905. They were fleeing anti-Jewish violence stirred up following the failed First Russian Revolution begun in January of that year, which Lenin later called "The Great Dress Rehearsal." The notorious Bloody Sunday kicked things off on January 22nd (or Old Style January 9th)