AMKuska's 2022 Garden

[meadow]

There are several versions of San Marzano in circulation. I grew the original Roma-type one in the 80's; it was larger & more productive than Roma (and did surprisingly well in part shade) but IMO just OK taste-wise. San Marzano Nano is an indeterminate tomato with 2-3 ounce sausage-shaped tomatoes; it had a great yield, but I didn't (and still don't) have the equipment to process them efficiently. San Marzano Redorta is indeterminate, and has elongated 6-8 ounce tomatoes with few seeds & really great flavor. SMR is the only one I still grow. It is late, but since it tends to ripen about the same time as my heirloom peppers, it is well suited for making canned salsa.

I didn't realize there were several strains of San Marzano. That is really good to know!!

 

[AMKuska]

So even cooked they were awful? Okay, that's a bit different than fresh. Sounds like they didn't develop any sugar levels, or have a very high Brix. Not enough hot, bright sun can do that, and yeah, I'd say you're right that late maturing affects flavor too, for the worse. That's a tricky thing with paste types, many of them are later maturing by nature. I have a lot of them in my tomato collection and many are just right on the line when it comes to maturing. I don't know much about gardening in your area, but you might be better off with a tomato type you can bottle but isn't a romano/paste type. As @Zeedman suggested, oxhearts are a great option to consider. I don't find them as productive but they can be earlier and they are often nice and meaty, better flavor. You could also try next year some organic molasses water with your plants, seems a popular choice for many tomato growers, and it might make up for some of the lower brix due to environmental conditions.

When my kids were younger I did everything garden related as quickly as possible. I froze all my tomatoes whole, and they are really good that way. I would run them under water, the skins fall off, then throw a bunch on a glass baking dish with peppers, onions, celery, few herbs, olive oil, put them in the oven a couple hours and done. It saved me blanching, burnt fingers and sterilizing and the taste was honestly better than my stepmum's bottled tomatoes! I could actually taste the 'garden fresh' still in there!

Oh, you just opened up a whole world of reading to me. Never even heard of Brix till I just googled it. I'd be happy to try an oxheart or a non-paste type, I just figured that's what you needed for sauce. Also, yes they were still awful cooked. Normally when I make sauce the tomatoes start out 'meh' and then smell/taste amazing after they've cooked awhile. I assumed it would be the same this time. I was wrong.

I also freeze tomatoes I can't use that way! So yummy and quick when it's time.

 

[digitS']

AMKuska, I know little about paste tomatoes. It does seem that the term "saladette" has lately come to be interchangeably with paste. Perhaps that means that the Porters that I've grown so long and the Lunch Box F1 that I grew for several years rate as paste tomatoes. Okay but I doubt if they would be a first choice of chefs for cooking purposes.

One reason that I didn't grow pastes was that nearly all are late maturing. A few years ago, I took the plunge and ordered seed for an heirloom, Heinz 2653.

It had the earliest days-to-maturity that I could find for that group. I was pleased with them, taste etc. However, they ripened their crop the week before the first frost. I have plenty of other tomatoes and little time for processing by then!

They might do well for you. They were nicely flavored. Fedco had them but say they are not yet available LINK. There may be other sources.

Steve

 

[flowerbug]

i haven't found any paste tomatoes that i like but i have to admit that i also have not looked very hard. we're happy with the beefsteaks and flavor as i really want the umami flavor that comes from the gel and i'm quite ok if there's a lot of juice. it gets soaked up by pasta in the end or is used in soups anyways. we're quite willing to add some tomato paste from cans if we want a thicker sauce. it's ok. not too often we do that though.

sorry @AMKuska that you had such a bad experience. we had one season where there was some strange infection in the tomatoes where they went from perfect red and ripening to spotted and rotting within a few days time. we ended up throwing away hundreds of lbs of tomatoes that season and it was very discouraging. we've kept at it though and no regrets at all. even with all the work of processing it's well worth the flavor and results when it does finally work out.

 

[Zeedman]

It tasted like I had lumpy vasoline in my mouth. -.-

Some things can't be unseen - or unthought. Ugghh. (reflexively rinsing out mouth with caustic cola)

Believe me, after a disappointing year for tomatoes, I understand your frustration. Had it not been for one variety at home (simply named "Purple", from SSE) which did incredibly well, last year would have been a bust for me as well.

 

[Cosmo spring garden]

I bought a variety of paste tomatoes from totally tomatoes that I really liked and it did amazing. It is a hybrid tho. It's called early resilience hybrid paste. It's a large fruit with thick flesh and the plants are kind of bushy and were loaded with tomatoes. I plan to plant them again next year.

Early Resilience Hybrid Tomato, Hybrid Tomato Seeds: Totally Tomatoes

(VFFA GLS LB) 115 Days. 2020 AAS Winner! An excellent variety for the home canner! Large, blocky Roma tomatoes weigh up to 3-1/2 oz. each, are 2 in diameter and have uniform maturity. Great tasting fruits have a deep red interior and good quality flesh with the perfect balance of sugar to acid...

www.totallytomato.com

 

[Cosmo spring garden]

I agree that San marzano didn't live up to the hype for me either.

 

[AMKuska]

0Well if you can make sauce out of any tomato, I might try Early Girl.

I bought a variety of paste tomatoes from totally tomatoes that I really liked and it did amazing. It is a hybrid tho. It's called early resilience hybrid paste. It's a large fruit with thick flesh and the plants are kind of bushy and were loaded with tomatoes. I plan to plant them again next year.

Early Resilience Hybrid Tomato, Hybrid Tomato Seeds: Totally Tomatoes

(VFFA GLS LB) 115 Days. 2020 AAS Winner! An excellent variety for the home canner! Large, blocky Roma tomatoes weigh up to 3-1/2 oz. each, are 2 in diameter and have uniform maturity. Great tasting fruits have a deep red interior and good quality flesh with the perfect balance of sugar to acid...

www.totallytomato.com

Actually someone else recommended those to me just recently! Maybe I'll give them a try.

 

[digitS']

Tomatofest has this listing:

Tomato Varieties for Cooler Climates

Tomato Varieties for cooler climates. These "cold climate" tomatoes are varieties that are better suited to colder growing climates. Many of these varieties originate from the cooler growing areas in Russia and other northern growing areas.

www.tomatofest.com

I have grown several out of all these.

• Azoycha
• Boxcar Willy
• Bloody Butcher (every year )
• Earliana
• Fireworks
• Gold Dust
• Kimberley
• Legend
• New Yorker (@Nyboy 's own)
• Sandal Moldovan
• Taxi
• Yellow Pear

None specifically for sauce.

Steve

 

[baymule]

My hands down all time favorite is Cherokee Purple. It will always have a place in my garden. I like to try other varieties but none ever match up to Cherokee Purple. Fresh, dehydrated (great to crumble over winter salads) canned into sauce, they are my favorite. In Lindale, I used cow panels raised a foot off the ground, wired to T-posts. I left them up, never took them down. The vines would grow over the top, fall over, hit the ground and start back up, just so you know, they GROW.