Brandywine
(Beefstake) Brandywine is a beefstake cultivar favoured by home gardeners for its superior “traditional” flavour. Fruits of this cultivar weigh at about ~1 pound.
“Brandywine skin is somewhat fragile so the tomato is not suitable for shipping and the indeterminate growth habit stretches ripening time over several weeks so they are not desired by canners. They are best suited to home gardens or local growers. Growers will need to support the vines because of the heavy fruits.” (‘Unique history of Sudduth Strain Brandywine Tomatoes’, Newark Advocate, Pat Smith, August 31, 2016 1)
Days to Maturity:
General History
According to tomato collector, Craig Le Houllier PHD.,
“The first listing of the red, regular leaf, authentic strain of Red Brandywine was in 1988 – listed by Steve Miller, who got the variety from Tom Hauch of Heirloom Seeds. (In his seed catalog, Tom states that this tomato originated with Chester County, Pennsylvania farmers in 1885).” (‘Brandywine and Company – What We Know and What We Don’t (One Person’s Opinion)’, Craig LeHoullier PHD., October 15 2002 2)
Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello corroborates this origin,
“The Brandywine Tomato is considered the most esteemed late 19th century heirloom tomato, named for a stream in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Brandywine tomatoes have potato-like leaves and large, meaty, reddish-pink fruit, and an indeterminate growth habit.” (Monticello Shop, 2025 3)
Sudduth Strain
Brandywine ‘Sudduth Strain’ was first introduced to the market and to the US based Seed Savers Exchange by passionate tomato and heirloom seed collector Ben Quisenberry. Quisenberry, located in Syracuse, Meigs County, Ohio on the Ohio River, ran and operated a mail-order seed company (name unknown) himself. 1
He received seed of Brandywine Sudduth Strain from Dorris Sudduth Hill, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. According to Pat Smith of the Newark Advocate,
“Dorris Sudduth Hill grew up in Pennsylvania near a river named Brandywine. Her seeds likely came from there and it is possible that she was Amish since the maiden name “Sudduth” means “South Dutch.” The Sudduth family had been growing the tomatoes and saving the seed since the 1800s.” (‘Unique history of Sudduth Strain Brandywine Tomatoes’, Newark Advocate, Pat Smith, August 31, 2016 1)
In 1982 Quisenberry donated seeds of Brandywine Sudduth Strain to the Seed Saver’s Exchange. It has since been offered annually by the Seed Saver’s Exchange catalogue, and by gardeners in the Seed Savers Exchange yearbook. The Sudduth Strain is offered by large seed companies, including the Johnny’s Selected Seeds and Johnson & Stokes catalogues. 1, 2
Quisenberry continued to encourage gardeners to grow and save endangered heirloom seeds until his passing in 1986 at the age of 99. 1
According to LeHoullier,
“Johnson and Stokes […] introduced a variety called Brandywine. […] An old Burpee catalog (1892) described it [Johnson and Stoke’s ‘Brandywine’] as a red tomato that is “inferior to Matchless” (a red, medium large sized Burpee variety).” (‘Brandywine and Company – What We Know and What We Don’t (One Person’s Opinion)’, Craig LeHoullier PHD., October 15 2002 2)
Resources
Articles on Brandywine and Brandywine Sudduth Strain: