Back story
Now this is a variety for which, sadly, there is very little origin information available. I grew Smiley for the first time in 2021 as part of Seed Savers Exchange Adapt trials. You can read more about the Adapt trials in an interview I did with Out There Outdoors. As soon as I found out what varieties I would be trailing, I tried to dig up any information I could find on the history of the seeds.
Unfortunately my search for details on Smiley gave me nothing more than an Accession number used to identify the seeds in the SSE database. I would’ve loved to know how this tomato came by such a name. Who treasured and grew the seeds year after year as a family heirloom until they were passed to Seed Savers Exchange for stewarding? And more. But alas, I may never know.
Our experience growing Smiley
It was with eager excitement I planted and tended Smiley that first year. What would the tomatoes by such a bright cheery name look like? What would they taste like? Would they be as special as their name suggested? Would they really put a smile on my face or the face of those with whom I shared them?
Well, Smiley did indeed turn out to be a winner. A beautiful bright red beefsteak style slicer tomato with superb flavor. Mid season ripening and reasonable sized fruits from 7-13 ounces. Slight ribbing on the fruits and the perfect balance between meaty and juicy texture. In my book, this is the ideal slicing tomato for hamburgers and sandwiches. The plants are on the smaller side for an indeterminate tomato, usually reaching about 3-4.5 ft tall. The years we have grown Smiley, we’ve seen very little cracking or scarring on the fruits; most are simply perfect.
