Apple Lipetsk (Yablochnyi Lipetskiy) Russian Heirloom Tomato Review

One of my absolute favorite varieties (for its taste) is Yablochnye Lipetskie (or Yablochnyi Lipetskiy / Apple Lipetsk, whichever you prefer).

This variety was widely grown in our city about 20 years ago (maybe even more). A friend gave me a fruit, I think it was back in 1996. I saved the seeds and they laid deep inside one of the little boxes with my treasures (tomato seeds, naturally). A few years ago, an acquaintance mentioned that nowadays there are many tomato varieties, but she hasn’t come across anything with the flavor of the “Yablochnyi” (Apple) tomato her mom used to grow. I remembered my seeds, shared them with her, and in 2009 I planted about four bushes myself (their germination rate turned out to be surprisingly good). That year they were low-yielding for me, but the taste hooked me. Now, not only my family has fallen in love with it, but also many friends from the forums.

Indeterminate, the bush has medium vigor (not flimsy, but not very wide either). Mid-season. My fruits are mostly around 200g (7 oz); some are smaller, and larger ones happen infrequently. However, some of our growers have harvested fruits weighing over 400g (14 oz). So let’s consider it medium-large. The yield is also average, it could be higher. The fruits are red, round, some are slightly oval, some have a hint of a “beak” on the end, but not all. The taste is very good, harmonious.

I’ll add a couple of photos “on the vine”:

The taste of “Yablochnyi Lipetskiy” is beyond competition. I also liked it very much. Too bad it was outdoors in open ground — late blight ruined it early, so it didn’t show its full potential. I think it will do better in a greenhouse. Many weighed around 300g (10.5 oz). Yield was average.

I also think that the taste of Yablochnyi Lipetskiy is beyond competition.

How long can it be stored?

Galya, I haven’t had to store it for long (it gets eaten too fast), but when I left it for seeds, it didn’t turn to mush immediately. I think it can sit for a week.

Galochka, how many stems did you prune it to?

Are “Yablochnye” and “Yablochnyi Lipetskiy” different varieties?

kalinka: Are “Yablochnye” and “Yablochnyi Lipetskiy” different varieties?

I grew “Yablochnyi” from Sibsad (Siberian Garden). Nothing special in taste. Red, flat-round. They are different varieties.

Oksana, I tried to keep it to one stem, but some ended up with 2 stems. Honestly, in one stem, the yield will be a bit too low.

Kalinka, unfortunately, I don’t know the original name of this variety. It was grown in our area for over 20 years and people just called it “Yablochnyi” (Apple-like). I think different regions called their own local round varieties “Yablochnyi”.

Galochka, thanks for the reply. 🌺

Yablochnyi Lipetskiy, seeds from Galina.

Here is how it grew for me, though the other girls did much better 😳.

The variety is wonderful! Thanks to Galochka (Esme) for it. Mine got a little sick with Blossom End Rot (BER), but quickly returned to normal. Because of the stupid weather, it started cracking, but the fruits were still large (up to 450g / 1 lb). There aren’t very many of them, but they ripen well. And most importantly, they are delicious. In our family, we prefer tomatoes with a slight tartness, and Lipetskiy Yablochnyi hits the spot perfectly! Couldn’t resize the photo, maybe later.

I already showed it in my thread, but I’ll post it here too. I really loved the taste 👍 and its appearance 😉.
The bushes were vigorous, about 1.6m (5.2 ft) in open ground. The fruits aren’t huge – about 200g (7 oz). The taste is a true tomato flavor (both tartness and sweetness are present and perfectly balanced). I hope next year it shows itself in its full glory!

Nothing to add to what’s been said above, very good, harmonious taste, the most “tomato-y” tomato…. 😋

One of the most productive varieties.

Wow, it really loved the Kuban region! For me, and for my neighbor who has also grown it for years, it doesn’t boast huge yields. We forgive it everything for the taste.

Galochka, thank you for it! 😘😘😘 There was a second stem too, but it broke off 😳

The variety was a success for us too. We rate the taste a 5; we didn’t sell any of these tomatoes, ate them all ourselves. You don’t taste the sweetness or tartness separately, just an overall spicy/complex richness that melts on the tongue. It turned out to be the most richly flavored tomato out of the 88 varieties I grew this year. Ripens fully, no green shoulders at the stem. Simply a Prima. Seeds from Galochka. Outdoors, the bush yielded 3.1 kg (6.8 lbs), and if it wasn’t for late blight in August, it would have given more. 2 bushes were under a poly roof and didn’t suffer. The tomato is dense.

A legendary variety! It has already appeared in Brizhan’s catalog (a commercial seller) using Galochka’s exact description 😄!!!

I didn’t share seeds with Brizhan. God be his judge.

A very tasty variety! 😋👍 Thanks to our Galochka for it 😘 The fruits are red, moderately firm, store well, up to 300g (10.5 oz), round-oval shape. The yield is average, I grew it in a greenhouse in 2 stems.

A true find of a variety for me, too 👍
I grew only two bushes in the greenhouse… it conquered me with both taste and yield! The clusters were full and heavy, I had to tie each one up to prevent them from snapping off… The plants are medium-tall, pruned to 2 stems. The fruits really do possess a unique taste that belongs only to this variety 😋

Thank you, Svetikk 😘 This variety will stay in my collection as a fond memory! 🌺

This is a bush of YL under a poly roof. I wouldn’t have been able to photograph them fully red, as the tomatoes were picked as soon as they ripened. 2 bushes sat and fruited until September 15th in 2014.
In open ground, the YL bush had plenty of free space, so I let it go into 4 stems (2 from the ground and 2 higher up) (photo on page 1), and it pulled off tomatoes weighing 400 grams (14 oz). The variety has huge growth potential, if not in height, then in width.

What exactly is so special about its taste?

Andrey_K: What exactly is so special about its taste?

It’s just delicious, that’s all! 😄 I once asked Galina (Esme) if the smaller fruits were good for canning in jars? She replied — it’s a pity to waste them in jars… and that’s exactly how it turned out. An excellent salad variety, which also stores well 👍

It has a very tomato-y and rich flavor. Fans of both acidic and sweet tomatoes will not pass up this variety.

Season 2014, I hope it acclimates over time.

Andrey_K: What exactly is so special about its taste?

May I… say something. I didn’t taste anything special in it. Probably just haven’t acquired the taste for it yet 😳

I really liked this variety. The seeds were from Lena from Kostroma (ElenaN) and Lena from New York. Huge thanks to them! 🌺

It’s a very tasty variety. It’s what I would call a harmony of taste: the sugar-acid-tomato ratio is ideal.

I remember it for its sweet taste, without any sharp tartness, very juicy. My husband and I first tried Yablochnyi Lipetskiy, and then immediately tried “Konus”. We both puckered up from Konus, it seemed so sour after Yablochnyi L.

Yes, a tasty and worthy variety. In addition, it turned out to be one of the earliest among the larger ones in open ground. But there are downsides, unfortunately — not very productive and all fruits had tiny black micro-cracks near the stem. Maybe this season’s weather affected it, but you can see it in some catalog photos too.

It turned out not to be early at all for me. I just picked the first fruit, while my other varieties have been fruiting for a month. So it’s mid-late for me. I’ll try to adapt it.

I like that it stubbornly develops the cluster without dropping blossoms. I don’t know what to say, but in terms of color-shape-size-taste, it is 1:1 identical to ‘De-Barao Kabardinskiy’ for me. Very similar. Next year I will plant them side by side, but for now I am completely baffled and suspect they might be the same variety 🤔

I didn’t like the variety. Suffered heavily from Blossom End Rot (BER), despite three calcium treatments. Yield is average. It is tasty, though.

mopsdad1: Suffered heavily from BER…

Mikhail, I had 3 fruits on the bush and 2 of them had BER. Taste-wise it’s not a bad tomato.

For me, the taste was ordinary. Yield is weak. It didn’t get sick with anything. Should I plant it again – I doubt it…

LenaA: For me, the taste was ordinary. Yield is weak…

Same here, it’s not my tomato, I don’t plan to plant it anymore.

My father called today from Kaluga. He has 28 fruits on his Yablochnyi Lipetskiy!!! 🙌 He counted them at my request 😄 He hasn’t tasted it yet — it’s just starting to turn red. He grows it in a homemade contraption like a hoop house made of old plastic wrap and pieces of agro-fabric with tons of gaps. My dad is 81 years old.

Learn, you amateurs! 🫣

Svetikk: My father called today from Kaluga. He has 28 fruits on his Yablochnyi Lipetskiy!!! …

Impressive!

You can, of course, do a rain dance (literally: dance with a tambourine) to beat the BER, but for me, it’s not worth it. I counted 18 fruits on mine. I threw away over a dozen with BER. Outdoors, 11 fruits. Tasty – yes, but there are varieties and hybrids that are just as tasty but far less problematic. Like ‘Rome’, for example. First it disappointed me, now it’s the leader.

I will definitely keep it for next year — for me, the most important thing is the combination of good taste and early ripening. I have no BER on it, and I’ll try to increase the yield.

I picked the first absolutely ripe fruit from it outdoors in open ground on July 2nd. Among the larger ones, only ‘Pink Flamingo Heart-Shaped’ beat it; I picked the first of those on June 30th.

Tried growing it for the first time in a glass greenhouse. We had abnormal heat this year. The yield wasn’t huge, but no worse than others. In 2 stems — about 15 fruits weighing 200 – 300 grams (7 – 10.5 oz). Firm, beautiful, the taste is very bright, pleasant. Loved them. Out of 2 bushes, there was only 1 fruit with BER and some fruits had small cracks near the stem. But that doesn’t scare me. Will definitely repeat in 2016!

Interesting, I have a very high risk of BER here, I can’t normalize the soil acidity at all, it’s too big of an issue, and yet not a single fruit on this variety had it. Why? As an explanation –
– the variety responded well to preventative dolomite lime mixed with wood ash.
– watering is well-regulated and I use peat mulch (for moisture retention).
– my climate suits it.

This year I had BER on only one variety, 2 fruits at once, everything else managed perfectly. But I add a very significant amount of dolomite lime in the fall and spring, up to 400 grams per running meter (about 14 oz per 3.3 ft) of the row (rows every 60 cm / 2 ft). And I am very happy with peat mulch, it perfectly distributes moisture over the surface of the bed and is always damp, which is ideal on my sand.

Maybe this variety is simply too sensitive to drying out?

My Yablochnyi Lipetskiy tomatoes drop off the vine when they ripen. Maybe that’s why they are “Apple” tomatoes 😂 Now I walk around and preemptively touch the ripe ones 😄

I had BER on the very first little, crooked fruit, no big deal. The rest were fine, but had green shoulders, not fully red. The taste is ordinary tomato, a bit too acidic for me. The clusters are beautiful and impressive. I will plant it, but mostly for cooking, not salads, and for gifts 🙂

Season 2015, Greenhouse: