'Powerful' cherry tomato judged best tasting

WEEPING WATER – Evelyn Meier entered the best tasting tomato at the Cass County Fair Wednesday, but gives all the credit to her husband.

Gene Meier has been growing a cherry tomato, which is no longer commercially available, from seed the past 15 years. The judges Wednesday were unanimous in the description “powerful” to the taste.

Meier: “My husband taught me everything I know about tomatoes. He raises them all from seed and the heirlooms especially because you can’t purchase them now, so 15 years plus of raising them, he knows what he’s doing. I follow his lead.”

 

2021 Miss Cass County Jami Twomey made the final decision.

Twomey: “You have the best tasting tomato according to me.”

Meier was awarded $100 for the first-ever best tasting tomato contest at the fair. Prices of $50 and $25 went to second and third.

Bae Brummond, who works at Campbells Nursery in Lincoln, and her grandma Judy selected the finalists.

Judy said Brummond recruiter her after her other friend backed out, but Bae says her grandma is on the A-team.

Brummond: “She has some experience in life and I think she’s grown some tomatoes in her time. Yeah, I think we’re going to make a good pair.”

They said the tomatoes were judged on uniformity, color and the absence of blemishes. During the competition, tasters talked about what would be good on BLT.

 

 

Remarks for tomato entries included nice flavor, sweet, quite good and solid, not messy.

With the event returning next year, this year’s Fair Queen Josie Cade may be asked to put her food judging to the test in 2023.