Schematic diagram, not a photo. A reference illustration is in progress.

No. 030 · heirloom

German Pink

German Pink is an indeterminate heirloom beefsteak with deep pink fruit. It ripens in about 85 days.

Typebeefsteak
Habitindeterminate
Days to maturity85
Fruit size16 to 32 oz
Colordeep pink
Difficultymoderate

Flavor

Described as having a big, sweet-tart flavor with rich, sweet notes and a meaty, nearly seedless texture. Flavor is subjective, so treat this as the recurring catalog and grower description rather than a measured claim.

Origin

A Bavarian heirloom beefsteak brought to the United States in 1883 by the great-grandfather of Seed Savers Exchange co-founder Diane Ott Whealy, and one of the first two varieties in the SSE seed bank.

What it does well

  • Large one to two pound meaty beefsteak fruit
  • Crack resistant and nearly seedless with few blemishes
  • One of the two founding Seed Savers Exchange varieties with deep heirloom provenance

Where it frustrates

  • Long season at about 85 days to maturity
  • Big indeterminate vines need staking or caging for support

Like German Pink, but...

Sold out, or after a change? The closest alternatives, and how they differ.

Brandywinebut a sweet-tart pink rather than the classic rich Brandywine flavorMortgage Lifterbut pink instead of pinkish red and tied to Seed Savers history

Where to buy seed

Sources