This year I am growing plants for myself and for some of my family. I will be limited on my growing space this year. I opted for practical varieties, like ones that would be good for sauces and eating raw, but I also wanted some that had a wow factor.
Here is my list of varieties that I have chosen and some research I found on each one.
Slicers: for sandwiches and eating raw
- Abe Lincoln – Classic tomato, good acidity. Amazing in tomato sauce, paste, or even home-made ketchup.
- Amana Orange – Light-orange, irregular shaped (fluted) heirloom tomatoes that can grow to 2 pounds or more, with an average diameter of 5 inches. Excellent sweet, almost tropical fruit flavors.
- Black Beauty – Striking blue-black skin and very meaty, deep-red flesh. Intensely tomato-y, smooth and savory taste, with earthy tones. Perfect for sandwiches, slicing, garnish and cooking and market sales. Averaging about 6 ounces. 80 days to maturity. Bred by Brad Gates at Wild Boar Farms.
- Cherokee Purple – Productive plants producing loads of 12 oz.-1 lb. An old Cherokee Indian heirloom, pre-1890 variety; beautiful, deep, dusky purple-pink color, superb sweet flavor, and very-large-sized fruit.
- Delicious – Plant produces good yields of 1 to 2 lb scarlet red beefsteak tomatoes. It has the rich old-fashioned tomato flavor. Perfect for sandwiches, salads, slicing, tomato juice, and canning. This tomato held the Guinness World Record as largest tomato ever grown at 7.75 pounds.
- Old German – Yields moderate crops of 1-2 lb. beautiful yellow tomatoes with red mottling and striping on the outside and throughout the flesh. Deliciously sweet and well-balanced fruity flavors.
- Rumpelstiltskin -Fairly new open pollinated variety. This dwarf plant was bred by Blane Horton. Produces medium 4-6 oz beefsteak, flat yellow tomatoes.
- Siberian -Siberian produces tomatoes with ripening as early as 55 days. Fruits grow to 3-5oz. Unlike most tomatoes this variety sets fruits in cool weather, even at just a few degrees above freezing.
- Thorburns Terra Cotta – First released in 1893 by James Thorburn. “With honey-brown skin, orange-pink flesh, and green seed mass” (Baker Creek). Comes from Dr. William Woys Weaver’s seed collection. Flavor is said to be outstanding.
Cherry: for salads and snacking
- Dancing with Smurfs – Purple vines, round, red with strong blue cap. A true blue cherry tomato variety with small fruits that ripen to a deep purple-blue in sunlight. Nice cherry tomato flavor, good production. Dusky blue-green stems and foliage.
- Fruit Punch – The flavor is both sweet and fruity.
Paste: for sauces and storing
- Amish Paste – Yields tons of medium sized perfectly red tomatoes weighing around 2-3 oz each. The tomatoes are acidic making them great for pasta sauce, tomato paste, ketchup, and canning.
- San Marzano – Each plant produces medium 3-5 ounce tomatoes. Flavor is acidic; making it great for canning, tomato paste, pizza sauce, pasta sauce, and even fresh eating in salads! Gourmet and home chefs seek out the San Marzano for its amazing flavor and perfect texture.
- Opalka – Red, paste tomatoes with 5-inch long fruit shaped like a banana pepper with a pronounced tip on the bottom. Fruit has very few seeds, is extremely meaty and loaded with rich sweet flavors lending to its sauce appeal.
*I will be doing a review over which paste tomato I prefer at the end of the season!*
Eager Gardener 