Rutgers just created the sweetest tomato in New Jersey history

If you thought Jersey tomatoes couldn’t get any sweeter, Rutgers just proved you wrong.

Meet Scarlet Sunrise!

It’s a brand-new bicolor grape tomato that’s as pretty as it is delicious. Golden with a little reddish blush, it kinda looks like a Jersey Shore sunrise. And you can actually taste it for yourself at Rutgers’ annual Tomato Tasting on Aug. 27 in Pittstown.

According to a press release, this beauty took almost 10 years to perfect. Rutgers researchers Peter Nitzsche and Tom Orton basically played matchmaker between two very different tomatoes: one firm and flavorful, the other sweet but prone to cracking.

After years of crossing, backcrossing, and probably way too many moments of “Is this even going to work?”, they nailed it! The new creation is sweet, crack-resistant, and gorgeous.

Scarlet Sunrise was supposed to debut in 2020, but, you know… pandemic.

Now it’s finally ready for its big moment, and Rutgers is teaming up with growers to get it out into the world. In a market where Jersey farmers are always competing with California and Mexico, flavor is the edge. And this tomato’s got it.

If you’re into food, gardening, or just bragging that you tasted something before it went big, the Tomato Tasting is worth the trip. You can try dozens of varieties, hop on wagon tours, talk to the experts, and maybe even leave dreaming about planting your own Scarlet Sunrise next year.

Bottom line: Jersey grows the best tomatoes. Always has, always will. Scarlet Sunrise just keeps the streak alive.