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liznbeatle

what variety do you like best for tomato sauce?

liznbeatle
17 years ago

I would like to grow and make a really good pasta sauce. I had some success with roma and yellow pear this year. What varieties do you find make the best sauce?

Comments (15)

  • david52 Zone 6
    17 years ago

    I'm rapidly becoming a fan of the 'ox heart' varieties of tomato. Big, prolific plants, big fruit, few seeds, and a lot of flavor. There are several named varieties out there, and the 3 or 4 I've tried all seem to be pretty good.

  • ksrogers
    17 years ago

    My preference is several plum types, of which there are many to choose from. Opalka, San Remo, San Marzano and the super San Marzano are all good choices.

  • gardengalrn
    17 years ago

    I'm also a big fan of the oxheart types. The rule of thumb is really to find a variety that you think tastes the best and use it regardless of whether it is a "paste" type or not. You can cook it down a little longer. I usually mix a bunch of types together, whatever happens to be ripe. Lori

  • gran2
    17 years ago

    I far prefer the Romas for ease in prep, no water and firm flesh, less mess, tiny seeds. I do agree with Lori that a blend of different varieties gives a nicer, richer flavor. Just be wary of the yellows because of the difference in acidity. Not to say don't use, just be aware and make allowances in processing.

  • readinglady
    17 years ago

    Just as a clarification, current tomato processing guidelines calling for additional lemon juice or citric acid do allow for variations in varieties of tomatoes. (I am speaking of properly ripe tomatoes, not those from diseased or blighted vines.)

    Yellow tomatoes aren't necessarily lower acid, though they may seem that way to our taste; rather, they are higher in sugar.

    I have mixed yellow and red tomatoes when canning; the effect can be very pretty. However, with sauce mixing such tomatoes can result in a muddy, unappetizing color.

    Carol

  • gran2
    17 years ago

    When we talk sauce, are we talking spaghetti type sauce? If so, that darkens a bit, and pale and blotchy spag sauce does sound nasty. I always toss in grape jelly or a few chocolate chips to reduce the bite, and that does a good deal for evening and "richening" the color.

  • zeedman Zone 5 Wisconsin
    17 years ago

    All of my tomatoes have been OP, so I can't vouch for the hybrids.

    I'll second the motion for oxhearts, they have found a permanent place in my garden. Some of the best eaten fresh too, and very few seeds. "Hungarian Heart" and "Sojourner South American" are both very good, and high-yielding.

    Very similar would be the "banana" types. They are elongated paste tomatoes with pointed ends, larger & later than most pastes, and with fewer seeds. "Federle" and "Gilbert Italian" are two of the best. Really good for salsa too, since they tend to ripen along with the peppers in late summer / early autumn.

    "San Marzano" can be good, but there are many strains out there using the same name, some of which are inferior - it's a crap shoot. Your best bet is one of the named strains, such as "Super Marzano" or "San Marzano Redorta".

    There are _hundreds_ of other "paste" tomatoes out there, with great variations in quality. Checking with your local Extension agent, or Master Gardeners, might give you a list of the best cultivars for your area. Or, you can just try 1 or 2 new ones each year.

    Many of the smaller, otherwise unremarkable tomatoes can make great sauce; it depends on your taste, and what the sauce will be used for. One I grew last year, "Landis", made a surprisingly good sauce. And the acid/sour tomatoes can actually be preferable when you want a strong flavor, or as a blend with sweeter tomatoes.

    I agree with those who shy away from the yellows; I haven't had much luck with them either. They usually are either too sweet, or tasteless. I did find one heirloom, "Yellow Pasta", that makes a wonderful, deep-yellow sauce with a sweet but rich flavor. I hope to make a good yellow ketchup from it next year.

    No one has yet mentioned the purple or "black" tomatoes; they are strong, often with fruity, unusual flavors. I haven't tried canning them as sauce yet, but they cooked down to a rich, dark broth in several dishes prepared by the spouse.

  • david52 Zone 6
    17 years ago

    I made sauce last year using just "black" tomatoes, Carbon and Cherokee Purple. The sauce had a wonderful color, but I didn't think the taste was all that distinctive, but then with all the garlic, onion, and other stuff it could well have been masked.

    Aunt Gertie's Gold, a yellow beefsteak tomato, seems to be tangy-er than many yellows, and makes a pretty good fresh sauce, although I haven't canned it.

    I had a dozen or so ripening indoors, and a few weeks ago tried to do a pizza sauce. This was unpopular. The indoor ripening process seemed to enhance the bright colors and diminish the flavor, a blindingly yellow pizza that could have been used as a safety vest, with no taste.

  • John__ShowMe__USA
    17 years ago

    Tomatos were my first love even before my real passion (now) hot peppers. Never met a paste tomato that was worth the effort taste-wise & have grown quite a few. Why bother?? Cook down a good tasting tomato to paste consistency and be ahead in the game.

    I like david52's choices. Cherokee Purple is a must grow and I like AGG. If you are into drying toms then SunGold is my fav. For eating, sauce or whatever, is Marianna's Peace. The MP does better for my mom in Minnesota than here in Missouri. It was developed in California I think and was like $25 for maybe 6 seeds to start with. And well worth! (IMO)

    jt

  • sautesmom Sacramento
    17 years ago

    Where did you get seeds for "Yellow Pasta" tomatoes? I want some! :)
    Carla in Sacramento

  • ksrogers
    17 years ago

    Tomato Growers catalog and web site, as well as Totally Tomatoes catalog and web site. Both offer hundreds of tomato, and even pepper seeds.

  • zeedman Zone 5 Wisconsin
    17 years ago

    Sautesmom, the "Yellow Pasta" was offered in last year's SSE Yearbook of seed listings. It most closely resembles "Banana Legs", and may in fact share some of its lineage, since they are similar. Apparently, I was the only one last year who sent for it... a Google search just points back to me. I'll have to take good care of it!

    David52, the black/purple tomato I refered to is "Purple Russian". The flavor was very fruity, with a strong flavor that to me resembled passion fruit. But despite its "paste" shape, it was very juicy... you would really need to cook it down to make a thick sauce. It is available from several sources.

  • sautesmom Sacramento
    17 years ago

    So, zeedman, didja, like, save any seed from Yellow Pasta?
    Maybe you'd be interested in swapping some?? I grew 105+ kinds of tomatoes this year, but there's always room for one more!
    :)
    I did search on Google too, and the only person who listed it there said he would only swap for certain varieties, and I don't have the ones the wants.
    Carla

  • trisha_51
    17 years ago

    We had some volunteer 'black' tomatoes, so i cooked some up for juice. DH didn't care for the flavor. I think i used 'big boy' this summer for juice; less work involved! And he likes the flavor. Next year I am going to have lots of volunteer tomato plants! :)

  • gardengalrn
    17 years ago

    I made a delicious sauce out of Aunt Gertie's Gold and Kellogg's Breakfast, both yellow/orange types. Just something different and unique, I thought. I agree that the blacks/purples don't make an attractive sauce but I do find the taste wonderful. Although I don't have much luck growing them in my garden, Cherokee Purple and Chocolate are amoung the best tasting tomatoes there are, IMO. Lori