(Photo: Henry Hargreaves for New York Magazine)

Cherry tomatoes are the M&M’s of the tomato world—compulsively edible, and, at their best, nearly as sweet. And when it comes to cherries, the Sun Gold variety, a popular hybrid developed in Japan, effortlessly dominates. Off the charts in sugar and acid, it swept the top spots in our undercard match, a “dessert course” to the main event. Eckerton Hill’s “amazing” Sun Golds took first place, followed by Keith’s Farm’s, with S. & S.O.’s and Windfall’s tying for third. Avid grower Goldman, in particular, was besotted with Windfall’s juicy little flavor bombs, which she nibbled contemplatively, scrutinized for color (some pink at the top and bottom made her question their classification), and rated as “excellent.” She was so taken with them, in fact (Sun Gold or no), that she asked if she could pocket two to take home—“for the seeds,” she explained, in the manner of a true tomato obsessive. “I have no shame.”

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