Paste tomatoes

I've had Roma and they were fine, sort of blah. This year I'm trying a few Amish paste. I'm not a real fan of paste tomatoes...to me they lack a good tomato flavor like a beefsteak variety has.
 
San Marzano & Roma with the San Mazano my favorite of the 2, only because it is larger.
I don't care much for tomatoes but I do make a lot of salsa and these are great because of little juice.
WR those roasted tomatoes look great, I'd try them before you turn them into sauce!!!

THANX RICH
 
Don't really have a fave but I have a group that I think is the LEAST (well, the least among heirlooms/ops which is all I would ever grow) that would be Green Sausage/Greensleeves, and indeed any green when ripe paste. Normally green is my top color for tomatoes, and I freely admit that, for things like salsa and brushetta, green pastes are just fine.

The problem comes in in sauce, or anything else where the tomatoes are going to encounter heat/cooking. Red tomatoes turn orange red, yellow turn orange, white turn yellow, pink turn red purple turn dark red; all fine. Green turn an olive khaki the color of oxidized guacamole (or spoiled pesto) that is too off-putting to be appetizing.

I imagine Green grape has the same problem, which is why I never understood the people who suggested making ketchup out of it, since I imagine it would have the same problem (not to mention that, being a cherry, it would be really watery and take a LOT of extra time to cook down) Unless they know something I don't (maybe all the vinegar and sugar keeps it from oxidizing and changing color.)
 
For some reason I can't grow paste tomatoes. I have no problem growing others. I've tried San Marzano and one called paste? They got blossom end rot, never fully ripened, and didn't produce much.

I thought I would try them to thicken my salsa but ever since I gave up on them, my salsa has been just fine. Figure that one out. I'm still using only heirlooms for my salsa.

Mary
 
Pulsegleaner said:
Unless they know something I don't (maybe all the vinegar and sugar keeps it from oxidizing and changing color.)
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We use lemon juice concentrate (instead of vinegar) with all our processed tomato products to prevent oxidation. Two tablespoons per quart will allow the natural flavors to shine through...
 
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@w_r_ranch the pictures are great, maybe a few directions to go along with them? Recipe also? I think I am about to have the best tomato year since we moved and I will be canning a LOT! :drool

I planted Rosso Sicilian this year. Already I have small, fluted tomatoes on the vines. I am waiting on tomatoes!! I planted San Marzano one year and made sauce, it was too sweet for spaghetti sauce. I am still looking for that perfect paste tomato.

I accidentally found a good way to process tomatoes last year. I froze them until I had enough to process. As they thawed in the pot on low heat, the water cooked out first and I poured it off. I saved it, canned it and it became my "water" for cooking dry beans, soups and stews in. It saved me time in cooking the tomatoes down, stirring and stirring over the stove.
 
Steve mostly can't resist commenting in a tomato thread ...

baymule said:
I planted San Marzano one year and made sauce, it was too sweet for spaghetti sauce.
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That's interesting. The lack of sweetness is why I don't grow paste tomatoes.

And yet, I grew Heinz 2653 and was happily surprised by their sweetness. Fedco describes them as "amazingly early" but I felt that it was just a late fall frost that allowed me to get a good harvest from them.

It's a determinate so I don't think it's what you want, Seed'. Still, I was happy that I grew it that season.

Steve
 
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