Tomato Tidbits
Vigorous indeterminate plants produce slightly flattened, 13–14 ounce tomatoes with a purple cast and a good, rich flavor. Shoulders will remain green when ripe. One of the best-producing heirloom tomatoes. Great slicing tomato for sandwiches or served with cheese for a yummy snack!
Named for its shape, not flavor, the Pineapple tomato is a bi-color beefsteak tomato. The flavor improves towards end of season, with mildly sweet with low acidity, somewhat fruity, and includes a hint of citrus. Indeterminate.
A rare family heirloom from Poland, brought to Amsterdam, NY in the 1900s by the Opalka family. Indeterminate, regular leaf plant with wispy foliage produce some of the best tasting, red, paste tomatoes with 5-inch long fruit 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.
Its name is simply Italian for oxheart. These big tomatoes have a bottom-heavy shape reminiscent of a pouch with a gathered top. They measure 3 ½ inches wide and 4 inches long and weigh in just under ½ pound each. Cuore di Bue is one of the tastiest saucing types with dense flesh and lustrous, orangey-red skin. Indeterminate.
The ultimate tomato for tomato paste and sauces. The compact, determinate Roma produces a large harvest of thick-walled, meaty, bright red, egg-shaped tomatoes about 3 inches long and with few seeds. While they can be eaten raw, they are at their best when cooked. A great addition to an omelet!
Photo courtesy of Skagit Horticulture
Beautiful, lemon yellow-skinned tomatoes with wonderful flavor. Lemon Boys are good for slicing, sandwiches, salads, cooking with pasta, and as a bisque. They make an especially striking salsa when combined with red tomatoes. Indeterminate.
Developed by Dr. James Baggett with Oregon State University, Oregon Spring are renowned for their early yields and ability to set easily in cool weather. The early tomato of choice for growers in cold, wet climates or anywhere with a short growing season. Fruits have a mild, sweet flavor and remain nearly seedless until the end of summer. Determinate.
Tomato 'Super Fantastic'
A super (fantastic 😉) big ‘ol beefsteak tomato! The fruit is about 10 oz in size and are produced heavily throughout the summer. These rich, meaty beefsteak tomatoes are very versatile - great for slicing, canning, drying and salsas. Indeterminate.
If you want large, delicious, bright red, high yielding fruits all season, plant a ‘Better Boy’. This tomato is highly adaptable and has very good disease resistance. It also has good foliage protection to prevent sun scald.
Indeterminate Sungold vines are vigorous, early to bear, rich-tasting, juicy cherries are borne on long trusses for seasons long harvests of exceptional quality, superb orange color and the sweetest tomato flavor. This will be your favorite summer snack!
Photo courtesy of Skagit Horticulture
This heirloom cherry tomato features a rich mahogany-purple color and sweetly complex flavor. The round, 1-inch fruits grow in abundant heavy clusters on vigorous, fast growing indeterminate plants. Renee’s Garden Tip: For a delicious side dish, briefly sauté in a garlicky olive oil, then sprinkle with chopped fresh chives and basil.
From tomato breeder, Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms. These rare, crack resistant, elongated multi-colored large cherries grow in clusters. When immature, the fruit is lavender and purple striped, turning to green, redish-brown with blue stripes when fully ripe! Inside you’ll find green flesh with a blushed red when extra ripe. The fruit range from large grape to plum sized, and are delicately sweet.
Determinate tomato plants ripen a heavy crop over a few weeks. Indeterminate varieties bear fruit continuously until frost.
Pick tomatoes when they are as ripe as possible. They should be fully colored and firm and picked regularly to avoid overloading plants.
At the end of the season, when you know there will be a frost, pick all the almost-ripe tomatoes you can, and ripen them in brown bags or spread on newspapers at room temperature. Many cultivars will store for months. Store only sound fruit, at 50-60°F. Do NOT refrigerate and try to avoid having the fruit touch each other.
The foliage of tomatoes is toxic and should not be eaten.
Sources:
- Territorial Seed Company, Renee’s Garden Seeds, Burpee Seed Co., Skagit Horticulture
Reccomended Reading: https://www.almanac.com/plant/tomatoes