Member discussion regarding the methods, varieties and merits of growing tomatoes.
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February 17, 2024 | #16 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Victoria, Australia
Posts: 870
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http://www.tomatoville.com/showpost....3&postcount=38
the above link contains some thoughts by a member here, Brokenbar, who grew/grows only for making sauce. there are other comments and references to other varieties that you may find interesting in other posts there as well. |
March 26, 2024 | #17 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Appalachian Mountains NC
Posts: 151
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Lol, I was just coming on to say the same, if you do a search on here for brokenbar, she had an excellent list of tried and true tomatoes that she recommended for drying and sauce. I still grow several of her favorites, including Costoluto Genovese, because they cook down for sauce without having to simmer for hours. I think of her every summer when I pull out her recipe for dried tomatoes.
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March 27, 2024 | #18 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Zone 6 - CT
Posts: 155
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I make sauce and salsa every year from my garden. I toss in most of whatever I am growing. There's always a few hearts (Kosovo is a staple for me) and beefsteaks. One year I grew lots of yellow, orange tomatoes and had a funky looking, very tasty sauce!
I would recommend Cuore Antico di Acqui Termi. It is an amazing tomato - as a paste, yes, but edible on it's own as well. I grew it last year for the first time. Here it is next to Howard German. I do not have seed this year, but if you check back with me in the fall, I hope to have more. |
March 27, 2024 | #19 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Floyd VA
Posts: 771
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Some 90% of my tomato production goes into sauce and salsa, the balance for tomato/bacon sandwiches and caprese salad. Kosovo is my staple tomato: large, tasty, meaty, early, and productive, typically averaging about 25 pounds per plant. I usually grow a few Brandywine Sudduths and experiment with various pastes, and these also go into the sauce, but this year I am going with all Kosovo. It checks all boxes!
My standard batch of sauce contains 60 lbs of tomatoes, half fresh and half frozen. The frozen tomatoes lose 75% of their weight in the form of water upon thawing and draining, yielding a sauce so thick you can stand a spoon in it. This is added to the fresh tomatoes after they have boiled down, thus reducing the boiling time for the total sauce by about 2+ hours and giving a fresher tasting, brighter red sauce. I do the same for the salsa. the fresh tomatoes get milled before the boil, and the frozen tomatoes get milled after thawing. The final tomato sauce contains roasted garlic, basil, salt, sugar, and citric acid. Simple and tasty! The final salsa gets onions, garlic, and hot peppers along with basil, oregano, cumin, salt, sugar, and citric acid. All veggies and herbs are homegrown organically. 1st photo frozen tomatoes after thawing and draining. 2nd photo frozen tomatoes after milling. Last edited by TomNJ; March 27, 2024 at 11:53 AM. |
March 27, 2024 | #20 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: N.C.
Posts: 1,827
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Impressive!! I never had a mill before and it takes a loooong time to boil out the water. And it STILL comes out watery!
What type of mill do you use? Thanks! Greg |
March 28, 2024 | #21 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Floyd VA
Posts: 771
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I have the Victorio Model 250 and have used it for 15 years with no issues. It separates seeds and skins from the juice and is a great work and time saver. Along with my All American 30 qt double stack pressure canner these are the best two items I ever bought for canning. It comes with three different size screens for different degrees of texture, and can be used for many different fruits and vegetables. I wash, trim, and mill my tomatoes before cooking, although some do the milling after cooking.
https://www.harvestessentials.com/vi...uce-maker.html https://www.amazon.com/Deluxe-Strain...hEALw_wcB&th=1 |
March 28, 2024 | #22 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: washington
Posts: 498
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I have a victorio as well but did not like it because of the aluminum coming in contact with the tomato acid,that's not a good combination, so I made one just like it out of stainless steel and then attached a motor to it,works great. Now we do something even easier, we use a vitamix and blend skins and seeds and all for I think 45 to 60 seconds and it makes the smoothest creamiest soup ever without a trace of skins or seeds,it's so much easier and we make a lot of soup! This is just a small batch,we usually do 120 lbs if tomatoes plus all the extras and seasonings.
Last edited by biscuitridge; March 28, 2024 at 07:51 PM. |
March 28, 2024 | #23 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: N.C.
Posts: 1,827
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Nice!! Thank you!
Greg |
March 29, 2024 | #24 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Zone 6 - CT
Posts: 155
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My mother was a professional shopper drawn to TOL products with big price tags. When she died, my dad sent me her Champion 2000 commercial juicer with all the attachments. I still have my old juicer/mill similar to what is shown above but has not been used since the Champion joined my household.
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