{"id":4272,"date":"2026-10-02T18:40:01","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T18:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/?p=4272"},"modified":"2026-10-02T18:40:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T18:40:12","slug":"giraffe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/giraffe\/","title":{"rendered":"Giraffe (Zhiraf) Winter Storage Tomato Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n<div class=\"kk-star-ratings kksr-auto kksr-align-left kksr-valign-top\"\n    data-payload='{&quot;align&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;4272&quot;,&quot;slug&quot;:&quot;default&quot;,&quot;valign&quot;:&quot;top&quot;,&quot;ignore&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;reference&quot;:&quot;auto&quot;,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;count&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;legendonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;readonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;score&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;starsonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;best&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;gap&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;greet&quot;:&quot;Rate this&quot;,&quot;legend&quot;:&quot;0\\\/5 - (0 votes)&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;24&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Giraffe (Zhiraf) Winter Storage Tomato Review&quot;,&quot;width&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;_legend&quot;:&quot;{score}\\\/{best} - ({count} {votes})&quot;,&quot;font_factor&quot;:&quot;1.25&quot;}'>\n            \n<div class=\"kksr-stars\">\n    \n<div class=\"kksr-stars-inactive\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"1\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"2\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"3\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"4\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"5\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n<div class=\"kksr-stars-active\" style=\"width: 0px;\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n                \n\n<div class=\"kksr-legend\" style=\"font-size: 19.2px;\">\n            <span class=\"kksr-muted\">Rate this<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"tldr-box\" style=\"background: #f4f9f4; padding: 20px; border-left: 5px solid #4CAF50; margin-bottom: 30px; border-radius: 4px;\">\n<h3>\ud83d\udccc Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zhiraf (Giraffe)<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\ud83c\udf0d <strong>Origin:<\/strong> A well-known commercial variety bred specifically for extreme long-term winter storage.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83c\udf3f <strong>Plant Habit:<\/strong> Indeterminate (tall) and very late-ripening (130-140 days). Highly resistant to Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) and leaf mold.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83c\udf45 <strong>Fruit Characteristics:<\/strong> Round, yellow\/orange fruits weighing around 4-4.5 oz (120-130 g). Because it contains the <em>nor<\/em> (non-ripening) gene, the fruits never turn red and stay incredibly hard. <strong>They can be stored in a box for up to 6 months!<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc45 <strong>Flavor Warning:<\/strong> Universally panned for its taste. While it is praised for its ability to survive in a cellar until spring, the flavor and texture are considered completely bland, hard, and inferior even to cheap winter supermarket tomatoes. Best used strictly for pickling or canning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"add-review-cta\" style=\"margin: 20px 0; padding: 15px; background: #f9f9f9; border-left: 4px solid #4CAF50; border-radius: 4px;\"><strong>\ud83c\udf45 Grown this variety?<\/strong> <a href=\"#wpdcom\">Click here to add your own photos and review below!<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">S<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Sweet (Svetlana) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (8,792 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Belgorod Region (USDA Zone 5)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Description from the seed packet: A late-season (130-140 days from sprouting to fruiting) indeterminate (unlimited vertical growth) variety recommended for high tunnels and open ground. The fruits are round, weighing 4-4.5 oz (120-130 g). The unique feature of this variety is that the fruits never turn red; they stay yellow and can be stored for up to six months. Excellent for pickling and marinating. Planting scheme is 16&#215;24 inches (40&#215;60 cm). The variety is resistant to Tobacco Mosaic Virus and leaf mold. Yield is about 10 lbs (4.5 kg) per plant.<\/p>\n<p>Photo by: Nadija<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/31\/11966-200814161457.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/31\/thumb_11966-200814161457.jpeg\" alt=\"Zhiraf Giraffe yellow long keeping tomato\" width=\"89\" height=\"160\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">Z<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">zena13 (Kseniya) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 User (2 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Unknown<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>There are such conflicting reviews about this variety online! So what does it actually taste like?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">M<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">mopsdad1 (Mikhail) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (6,123 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Stary Oskol (USDA Zone 5)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Compared to this thing, those plastic cardboard tomatoes they sell at the supermarket in winter are the absolute gold standard of flavor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">A<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Artemiy (Artemiy) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 User (506 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Vladimir Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>It contains the <em>nor<\/em> gene; tomatoes with this gene are never tasty. All these commercial attempts at breeding long-storage winter tomatoes failed miserably, especially here in Russia, where it&#8217;s much harder to &#8220;feed&#8221; people tasteless, plastic vegetables.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"editor-note\" style=\"background: #eef7ff; padding: 15px; border-left: 4px solid #2196F3; margin-top: 15px; font-size: 1.2em;\">\n<p><strong>\ud83d\udc68\u200d\ud83c\udf3e Editor&#8217;s Notes &amp; Genetics:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The &#8220;Long-Keeper&#8221; Mutation (nor gene):<\/strong> Artemiy brings up a fascinating piece of tomato genetics. Varieties bred to last all winter in a cellar (like Zhiraf, Long Keeper, or Reverend Moro&#8217;s) carry mutations like the <em>rin<\/em> (ripening inhibitor) or <em>nor<\/em> (non-ripening) genes. These genes literally block the tomato from completing its natural ripening process. While this allows the fruit to sit in a cardboard box for 6 months without rotting, it also means the tomato never fully develops the sugars, volatile aromatic compounds, or soft texture of a normal tomato. As Mikhail joked, they taste worse than a cheap winter supermarket tomato!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ud83d\udccc Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zhiraf (Giraffe) \ud83c\udf0d Origin: A well-known commercial variety bred specifically for extreme long-term winter storage. \ud83c\udf3f Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and very late-ripening (130-140 days). Highly resistant to Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) and leaf mold. \ud83c\udf45 Fruit Characteristics: Round, yellow\/orange fruits weighing around 4-4.5 oz (120-130 g). Because it contains the &#8230; <a title=\"Giraffe (Zhiraf) Winter Storage Tomato Review\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/giraffe\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Giraffe (Zhiraf) Winter Storage Tomato Review\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61,4],"tags":[169,33,43,406,1097],"class_list":["post-4272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-orange-and-yellow-tomatoes","category-paste-canning","tag-bland-tomato","tag-indeterminate","tag-late-season","tag-long-keeper-tomato","tag-winter-tomato"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4272"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4272\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4275,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4272\/revisions\/4275"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}