Quick Summary of Märchenzauber (Fairy Tale Magic)
- 🌍 Origin: A beautiful modern variety originating from Germany. The name translates directly to “Fairy Tale Magic.”
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall vining) and early ripening. It produces lovely, cascading trusses.
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large cherry or small plum tomatoes weighing up to 50 g (1.7 oz). They are stunning bicolors (yellow/orange with pink/red striping) and feature a distinct, sharp little “beak” on the blossom end. The texture is notably crisp and crunchy.
- 👅 Flavor & Storage: Intensely sweet with a strong fruity aroma. It has a phenomenal shelf life. As it sits in storage, it doesn’t rot; instead, it slowly shrivels (like a raisin) and concentrates its sugars, tasting much like sweet winter grapes.
- 🥊 Märchenzauber vs. Artisan Blush: This variety looks remarkably similar to the famous American Artisan Blush (Remi’s Blush) tomato. However, side-by-side growers note two key differences: Märchenzauber has a sharper pointed beak, and it significantly outperforms Blush in long-term storage (Blush tends to lose sweetness and develop off-flavors over time, whereas Märchenzauber only gets sweeter).
Early, tall, indeterminate variety. Beautiful fruits weighing up to 50 grams (1.7 oz). They are bicolors with a little beak, gathered in clusters. They are sweet, tasty, and crunchy with a fruity aroma.
I couldn’t find a single difference between this and Remi’s Blush (Artisan Blush)! Yield, shape, size, coloration, and taste—everything is exactly the same! I actually had Blush growing right next to it, so I could compare them directly!
I got so mad about it being a copycat that I didn’t even bother taking pictures of this bush!
Natalya, I also thought they were identical at first. I grew both varieties this year too. At first glance they looked similar, but Blush does not have the sharp, pronounced beak that Magic has. But that’s just looks—the most important thing is the taste!
Magic is tastier! It is the sweetest out of the whole “Fairy Tale” series, and the longer it sits in storage, the sweeter it gets. Just today, I was finishing off the last of my Blush tomatoes, while my Fairy Tale Magic is still sitting there in perfect condition. The Magic tomatoes have turned into something resembling “Ladies’ Fingers” winter grapes (and as we know, the longer those sit, the sweeter they get!).
Here is my point: when Blush sits in storage for a long time, it develops a strange off-flavor. No, it’s not a rotten taste, but something else I can’t quite describe. It loses its sweetness and just isn’t as sweet anymore… But Magic, on the contrary, accumulated sweetness! I ate both cherry tomatoes today, and honestly, I was surprised. I didn’t expect that from Magic! It preserved perfectly—it shriveled/raisined just a tiny bit, but it is soooo sweeeet!
IMHO, Magic is definitely staying on my permanent grow list!
Fairy Tale Magic (Märchenzauber)
