Tomato varieties with few seeds?

[Zana]

Not sure if I'm posting this in the right area. (and if I am, would a moderator please move it as they see fit.)

A friend of mine asked me if there were any types or varieties of tomatoes that had no or very few seeds. She can't digest the seeds and has to remove them before she can eat any fresh tomatoes. Usually she's limited to using tinned tomato paste as the seeds have been removed.

I couldn't think of any specifically, so figured this would probably be the best forum to ask what you all would recommend. Some of the varieties in my seed bank I haven't grown yet, so I don't know personnally if they'd fit the bill, and I don't think I made a note in my database of which had allot of seeds or not. So, I'd appreciate any input you may have. Thanks.

Zana

[carolyn137]

Zana, the first thing I'd do is to ask your friend to consult a gastroenterologist who ise up to date.

Many years ago it was shown that small seeds such as strawberry, tomatoes, etc, were not strongly involved in diverticulitis which is the enteric condition that in the past has had such warnings re small seeds gettinginto the pouches in the gut wall.

But to answer your quiestion directly, I'd suggest some of the parthenocarpic varieties bred by Dr. James Baggett at OSU such as Oregon Spring. Parthenocapric varieties have practically no seeds with early fruits and not many more with later fruits b'c fruit formation occurs in the absence of normal pollination.

Then I'd suggest almost ANY heart variety b'c they are, for most of them, very low in seed content.

Then I'd suggest any meaty large beefsteak such as Red Penna, Chapman, and many others.

But do suggest to your friend about consulting another gastroenterologist b'c the whole bit with diverticulosis and diverticulitis has changed with more recent studies about the involvement of small seeds.

[Wi-sunflower]

I would also recommend Romas.

When saving seeds I only get about 1/10th the amount of seeds from the same volume of tomatoes.

Carol

[eddie46]

Tomato Sweet Seedless Hybrid
NEW The world’s first seedless tomato!

Burpee is selling this one.

Ed

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by eddie46

Tomato Sweet Seedless Hybrid
NEW The world’s first seedless tomato!

Burpee is selling this one.

Ed

Ed, there's a thread here somewhere that shows sliuces of that tomato and it does have seeds, despite the Burpee claim. In addition, the other claims made for it are beyond what is real as was discussed by several folks in that thread. It was either here or at GW that the thread occurred and I didn't take the time to do a search at either place. Sorry.

Zana, I'd agree with using paste tomatoes b/c they have few seeds but if forced to do so I think there are just a few that have good taste and if one is trying to sub for the better tasting varieties I think I might suggest:

Heidi
Opalka
Mama Leone
Martino's Roma

....for starters

Again, I do wish your friend would look into her medical situation a bit more re small seeds and diverticulitis or even go online and read about it.

[camochef]

Lillian Maciejewski's Poland Pink had very few seeds and was not only meaty with very few seeds and gel, it was also very tasty! A 3/4 lb tomato only had 54 seeds, less than my opalka's or wessel's purple pride.
It also had the smallest core in any slicer I've seen. Add to that the thin skin and you have an ideal tomato that even beat cowlick's this year!
camo

[eddie46]

I grow Opalka, very good and few seeds.

Ed

[camochef]

Zana,
Just wanted to mention that I grew Burpee's Sweet Seedless (hybrid) this year, and like Carolyn says, it does have seeds, they are very tiny, almost like small immature seeds but they could present a problem. It might be easier to eat a tomato like Shannon's South African Mystery Black which has very large seeds that would be easy to pick out.
Also, the Sweet Seedless is a small/medium sized tomato, and IMO just wasn't very tasty. Although it did produce a lot of tomatoes.
Camo

[amideutch]

ASHLEIGH!!!!First 8 off the vine had a total seed count of 15 and they were all in the 1lb range. Ami

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by amideutch

ASHLEIGH!!!!First 8 off the vine had a total seed count of 15 and they were all in the 1lb range. Ami

Absoluutely Ami. Ashleigh would go along with my Chapman and Red Penna mentioned above and even Russian Bogatyr and perhaps Milka's Red Bulgarian and even perhaps Neves Azorean Red , etc., as all having a low seed count.

[travis]

Grew Burpee Sweet Seedless this year. Depends on weather it seems. Some of the tomatoes were filled with large seeds early and then the later ones were nearly seedless with just a few, small, vestigal seeds.

Romeo giant paste tomato has been the tomato with the fewest seeds, less than 20 per tomato, and with the most dense meat for me.

[Wi-sunflower]

even perhaps Neves Azorean Red

I got lots of seed out of the bucket of tomatoes I processed, so that's one I wouldn't put too high on the list of few seeds.

Carol