🍅 Quick take: Cuostralee is a classic French heirloom indeterminate variety that produces beautiful, oblate red beefsteaks. It is a late-mid season producer with fruits ranging from 8.8 oz to over a pound (250-500 g). Growers praise it for being completely fuss-free, highly productive, and delivering an excellent, sweet, meaty flavor with very few seeds. Full summary ↓
Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 4 Experience)
Indeterminate variety, mid-season leaning toward late season. Yields are great. The fruits are oblate red beefsteaks, averaging around 8.8 oz (250 g). They are juicy, delicious with a nice sweetness, and have very few seeds inside. I grew this one outdoors. Definitely growing it again next year, but I think I’ll put it in the greenhouse.
I really liked this variety too. It might not look super unique, but it’s delicious, highly productive, and seemed totally fuss-free to me.
Mine were quite a bit larger, pushing 14-17.6 oz (400-500 g).
Full Summary: Plant, Yield, Taste and Vigor
- 🌿 Plant: Indeterminate. Produces classic oblate red beefsteaks. Fruit sizes can vary depending on the grower, ranging from 8.8 oz (250 g) up to much larger slicers over 1 lb (400-500 g).
- 📈 Yield: Very good. It is a reliable and heavy producer, though it leans towards a late-mid season harvest.
- 👅 Taste: Classic beefsteak profile. Juicy, sweet, and delicious with very little seed mass.
- 🛡️ Vigor & Resilience: Described as completely “fuss-free” and low maintenance. Does well outdoors, though growers in shorter seasons (like Zone 4) might prefer putting it in a greenhouse to maximize the late-season harvest.
🍅 Grown Cuostralee? Share your zone and how it did for you in the comments below, and add your photos!
👨🌾 Editor’s Note: A French Classic
Cuostralee (sometimes spelled Cuostraleé) is a legendary French heirloom that was introduced to North American seed savers years ago by Carolyn Male and Joe Bratka. It is widely considered one of the best large red beefsteaks out there, often compared favorably to Neves Azorean Red and Brandywine for its intense, robust flavor and massive size.
Cuostralee (sometimes spelled Cuostraleé) is a legendary French heirloom that was introduced to North American seed savers years ago by Carolyn Male and Joe Bratka. It is widely considered one of the best large red beefsteaks out there, often compared favorably to Neves Azorean Red and Brandywine for its intense, robust flavor and massive size.
