Short Season Sauce Tomatos

Catherine+two · October 3, 2012

I'm looking for a short season sauce tomato. I've been growing tomatoes for years, and have NEVER produced enough for my Sicilian dad to can up a bunch for the winter. He's getting old, and we may run out of time if I don't get serious about the sauce search!

Geographically I'm south of center in the US, but I live on a mountain, so I have to deal with a short season, cool nights, and at almost no time during the summer do we average over 70 degrees F in a 24 hour period. Okay, this year we were a bit warmer, but I'm not counting on that next summer.

I'm not thrilled with paste tomatoes. The early ones always seem to have BER, and they mostly ripen "midseason" or "late season" which translates into late and never here. So I'm looking for some other cooking tomato to work with.

I've really never canned tomatoes or tomato sauce. I've dried tomatoes, and I've used tomatoes in a relish recipe, but not alone, so I'm planting seeds in the dark.

Thanks for your knowledgeable advice.

Catherine

Fusion_power · October 3, 2012

Here are three varieties that will more than suffice.
Heidi
Piennolo del Vesuvio
Costoluto Genovese

This will make a very rich and intense flavored sauce. You might want a sweeter tomato to balance the flavor.

DarJones

Darren Abbey · October 3, 2012

This sounds like a scenario in which breeding your own paste tomatoes might be worth a go, though it would take several years.

The general project outline I imagine is:
1) Gather a range of commercially available paste tomato varieties that are able to ripen.
2) Hybridize widely within the variety collection, saving F1 seeds from each.
3) Grow the F1s, saving seeds from any plants which ripen.
4) Grow lots of F2s, selecting plants to save seed by how well/early they produce.

Father'sDaughter · October 3, 2012

Also look at Russo Sicilian Togetta. I grew both it and Costoluto Genovese this year, and the RST produced ripe fruit earlier than CG, and it produced a lot more fruit overall. About 80 tomatoes from just two plants, as a matter of fact! Plus, I bet your Sicilian father would approve of it!

Douglas14 · October 4, 2012

I've seen Nova listed as an early paste type.
Italian Heirloom may be one to consider trialing. I was very impressed with it's relatively early production of large tomatoes. If you want a lot of large tomatoes that ripen quite early for it's size, it may be hard to beat.

Catherine+two · October 4, 2012

Thanks for the suggestions. the Russo Sicilian Togetta especially sounds interesting!

Catherine

montanamato · October 5, 2012

I think Ludmilla's Red Plum is very early for my short season and I use it for cooking often...Of pastes Ropreco is very early, but tomato size is small too...Never had a paste produce more than Hungarian-Italian paste ( and I have grown a gazillion), however it is a traditional shaped roma....Akers plum pink is super productive, but very light colored flesh for cooking doesn't appeal to me, so we dry or use them in salads...

Jeanne

October 3, 2012	#1
Catherine+two Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: New Mexico Posts: 17	Short Season Sauce Tomatos I'm looking for a short season sauce tomato. I've been growing tomatoes for years, and have NEVER produced enough for my Sicilian dad to can up a bunch for the winter. He's getting old, and we may run out of time if I don't get serious about the sauce search! Geographically I'm south of center in the US, but I live on a mountain, so I have to deal with a short season, cool nights, and at almost no time during the summer do we average over 70 degrees F in a 24 hour period. Okay, this year we were a bit warmer, but I'm not counting on that next summer. I'm not thrilled with paste tomatoes. The early ones always seem to have BER, and they mostly ripen "midseason" or "late season" which translates into late and never here. So I'm looking for some other cooking tomato to work with. I've really never canned tomatoes or tomato sauce. I've dried tomatoes, and I've used tomatoes in a relish recipe, but not alone, so I'm planting seeds in the dark. Thanks for your knowledgeable advice. Catherine

October 3, 2012	#2
Fusion_power Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,250	Here are three varieties that will more than suffice. Heidi Piennolo del Vesuvio Costoluto Genovese This will make a very rich and intense flavored sauce. You might want a sweeter tomato to balance the flavor. DarJones

October 3, 2012	#3
Darren Abbey Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Minnesota Posts: 586	This sounds like a scenario in which breeding your own paste tomatoes might be worth a go, though it would take several years. The general project outline I imagine is: 1) Gather a range of commercially available paste tomato varieties that are able to ripen. 2) Hybridize widely within the variety collection, saving F1 seeds from each. 3) Grow the F1s, saving seeds from any plants which ripen. 4) Grow lots of F2s, selecting plants to save seed by how well/early they produce.

October 3, 2012	#4
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	Also look at Russo Sicilian Togetta. I grew both it and Costoluto Genovese this year, and the RST produced ripe fruit earlier than CG, and it produced a lot more fruit overall. About 80 tomatoes from just two plants, as a matter of fact! Plus, I bet your Sicilian father would approve of it!

October 4, 2012	#5
Douglas14 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: Minnesota Posts: 602	I've seen Nova listed as an early paste type. Italian Heirloom may be one to consider trialing. I was very impressed with it's relatively early production of large tomatoes. If you want a lot of large tomatoes that ripen quite early for it's size, it may be hard to beat.

October 5, 2012	#7
montanamato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Montana Posts: 1,038	I think Ludmilla's Red Plum is very early for my short season and I use it for cooking often...Of pastes Ropreco is very early, but tomato size is small too...Never had a paste produce more than Hungarian-Italian paste ( and I have grown a gazillion), however it is a traditional shaped roma....Akers plum pink is super productive, but very light colored flesh for cooking doesn't appeal to me, so we dry or use them in salads... Jeanne