Italian tomatoes

[clkeiper]

I had a customer stop yesterday looking for indeterminate slicer Italian tomatoes. clue me in on what they are please. I had costoluto genovese but that was NOT on his list of wants. must be indeterminate.

[nyrfan]

Italian Heirloom, offered by SSE, is one but, in IMO, it's flavorless.

[Father'sDaughter]

I suggest going to Tania's Tomato base and entering the words "slicer Italian" in the search box - http://tatianastomatobase.com/w/inde...ecial%3ASearch

[pmcgrady]

Goldmans Italian American?

[Worth1]

From a fast Google search you would think Italians didn't slice tomatoes.
Worth

[ako1974]

Originally Posted by pmcgrady

Goldmans Italian American?

This is the one I thought. Baker Creek has it.

[clkeiper]

Originally Posted by Worth1

From a fast Google search you would think Italians didn't slice tomatoes.
Worth

thanks Worth... that was what I was thinking. I went to Italian Seeds and there were many NOT Italian varieties to chose from... huh? a few pastes and one called Marnande? and another one that started with an M....

this is why I was asking here. going to tatianas is okay but that doesn't tell me what you all would grow or have grown or what your opinions were on a specific variety.

thanks nyrfan... that was what I wanted to know.

pmcgrady, have you grown this? flavor/texture?

[zipcode]

The ribbed pear shaped ones are quite big to be called slicers. They go by the name of oxhearts for some reason (cuor di bue). Search for 'Cuor di Bue Albenga' for example. There are quite a few hybrids as well in this shape, they look awsome, but usually a lighter colour, more like an unripe red tomato. I tried once one from someone, was pretty good.
Yeah, Italians don't really need big tomatoes for their food, fresh it's usually in a salad, and otherwise tomato sauce all day, and sometimes cooked in pieces.

[Father'sDaughter]

I think what your customers want will be determined by what their definition of an Italian eating tomato is. For example, before I began exploring varieties, my idea of an Italian tomato was the red beefsteak with the "old fashioned" tomato flavor I remembered my dad always growing from the seeds brought over by my family (they've since been lost).

If your customers are more open to something other than red beefsteaks, and will accept some nice pink or heart tomatoes, then there are two on the list at Tania's I would recommend --

Cuor Di Bue (the pink heart, not the one labeled Cuore that's a paste). I'm growing it for the third year.

Sorrento which is a pink beefsteak and has become one of my mother's favorites after I shared seeds with my dad.

If you think they're after the "traditional" red tomato, the one I've grown is Belmonte. It is a red beefsteak with "old fashioned tomato flavor."

Or, George Detsikas Italian Red seems to be very, very popular here. I got seeds for it late the one year I grew it so I can't give a personal opinion on it.

There are a few others on the list that I plan to grow some day...

Italian Heirloom was disappointing compared to everything else I've grown to date, so it was permanently crossed off my list. Goldman's is a piriform (pear shaped) paste.

Hopefully others will chime in with info on the other options.

[gdaddybill]

Tomande is the best F1 hybrid "Italian Beefsteak" that I've tried.

[clkeiper]

thank you thank you! I will put some of them on my list for next year, but I will ask him or call him and ask what he is actually thinking of for an italian slicing tomato. maybe he has a specific variety in mind, maybe not. but i will grow something anyway.
Has anyone grown the Marmande?

[slugworth]

Last year I had super marmande but it wasn't too super.
We had a heatwave/drought so that probably had a negative effect.
This year I am trying mrs maxwell's and gilbertie.

[oakley]

If he is looking for something from past memory it may not be attainable. It could be
like the infamous JerseyTomato from so many friends youth. Or the HatchChili.

If you could time travel the exact tomato or corn cob from that exact moment from
years ago, they might say oh that is almost close but not it at all.

Franchi has a good line-up even from the various regions. My local nursery has a big
seed rack from Franchi. I grew Pantano for a few years until the seeds were used up.
Good but did not make the cut of favorites. http://www.growitalian.com/tomato-pantano-106-64/

I bet anyone wanting a solid good 'tomato flavor' tomato would love it.

*i buy a big crate of a JerseyBeefsteak type every Fall to make a winter sauce...usually
10$ for 25-30 lbs end of season. A good solid meaty tom great for a rich red sauce.

A co-worker friend loves my smoke/roasted tomatillo mixed hot pepper salsa and always
jokes it would be perfect with Hatch chilis. So for his birthday i ordered a box from
Hatch and made a big batch of salsa, (didn't tell him)...then handed him the rest of the box...

[Worth1]

So if an Italian eats a tomato does it make the tomato Italian?
Worth

[OzoneNY]

Originally Posted by Worth1

So if an Italian eats a tomato does it make the tomato Italian?
Worth

No