Hopkins Revolutionary Tomato

Hopkins Revolutionary tomato is a yellowish-orange beefsteak variety. It's a regular leaf indeterminate. It's a rare Appalachian heirloom variety. The fruits can weigh up to 1 pound-1.5 pounds, but the average weight is between 8-10 ounces. Hopkins Revolutionary is a Hopkins family heirloom. It's the namesake of Hopkins County, Steuben's Lick, Kentucky. Steuben's Lick is named for the Prussian soldier Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin, Baron von Steuben. He was born in 1730, in Prussia, which is what present day Germany was known as. He came to America in 1777 to aid the cause of the Revolution. Baron von Steuben instructed George Washington's army at Valley Forge and was appointed the first Inspector General of the Army. Baron von Steuben died in New York in 1794. Hopkins Revolutionary was named after Samuel Hopkins, who was born in Albermarle County, Virginia, in 1753, Samuel was the son of Dr. Samuel Hopkins and Isabella Taylor Hopkins. He played substantial role in the Revolutionary War. Hopkins settled in Kentucky in 1797. There, he embarked on an impressive political career. Hopkins served in both houses of the Kentucky legislature, was a U.S. Congressman, and served as a presidential elector, voting for James Madison in 1809. During this time he served as an agent of the Transylvania Company, and Hopkins was instrumental in the surveying and establishing Henderson County.

Photo is courtesy of Tomato Jim Wyant.