📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Kubansky Smuglyi (Dark Kuban)
- 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial heirloom. The name translates to “Kuban Swarthy” or “Dark Kuban” (referring to the Kuban region in Southern Russia and the dark color of the fruit).
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). A very compact and well-behaved plant, topping out at around 20 inches (50 cm). It has sparse, modest foliage that hides the heavy clusters of fruit deep inside the canopy.
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Dark brownish-purple fruits. They are extremely uniform, typically weighing between 2.8 and 3.5 oz (80-100 g). Excellent resistance to cracking and splitting.
- 👅 Flavor & Use: Very sweet and juicy, making it superb for fresh salads. Its thick skin and uniform size also make it an outstanding candidate for whole-fruit canning, as it holds its shape perfectly without bursting.
Determinate, about 20 inches (50 cm) tall, mid-season, dark-fruited. Juicy and sweet (excellent in salads). Very uniform fruits, about 2.8 to 3.5 oz (80-100 g), and they didn’t crack at all. The plant and foliage are very modest, with the little beauties hidden deep inside the canopy. It’s a heavy yielder, and they didn’t burst during canning. It is better to pick them just slightly underripe, it doesn’t affect the taste at all. This one unexpectedly surprised and delighted me. I really liked it!
We tried this variety canned in marinade, and it is absolutely delicious! For those who love to take a bite, drink the juice out of it, and then finish the rest, it’s just a dream! I loved this variety in every single way, it has earned a permanent spot on my grow list!
In Irina’s second post, she mentions eating canned tomatoes by “taking a bite and drinking the juice.” This might sound unusual to American growers who mostly can their tomatoes crushed, diced, or as pasta sauce. In Russia and Eastern Europe, the most popular way to preserve tomatoes is to can them completely whole in large glass jars filled with a sweet, salty, and vinegary liquid (marinade) packed with garlic and dill. A perfect whole-canning tomato needs strong skin so it doesn’t explode in the jar, allowing you to pull the whole preserved fruit out in the middle of winter, bite into it, and drink the savory juice inside!
