Productive variety for canning

[fredx]

Soliciting folks here for varieties that produce large volumes of tomatoes for canning( we live in florida)

I will be getting them for a friend-- not myself

Thanks in advance

K

[Sun City Linda]

Old Brooks was a most pleasant surprise for me this year and although I don't can I am told it is an excellent canner due to fairly small (4 oz) size and high acid content. I found it to be very productive, setting in groups of 4 or 5 almost non stop. The tomatoes were juicy, tangy with no core or shoulder waste. No disease either. Most list it as resistant to both early and late blight.

[fredx]

Thanks Linda for your suggestion

Hope a few others will post as well

K

[newatthiskat]

You might try Atkinson (Very good flavor). Also I know some might disagree but Italian tomato tree produced the most I have ever had.
Are they canning whole, diced, sauce, or salsa? believe it or not I found a difference. Don't want a huge tomato if canning whole
Kat

[b54red]

If you are growing indeterminate plants any of the very productive hearts like Kosovo or Anna Russian would do nicely. Big Beef is a tomato machine as well as Jet Setter and both are disease resistant hybrids.

Determinate plants will produce more fruit at the same time so might be better for canning. Varieties like Amelia are highly disease resistant and very productive. Bella Rosa is a very heavy producer as is Floralina which was specifically created for Florida growing conditions.

Bill

[Redbaron]

As a general rule when looking for a canner you like, pick a determinate. Determinants are good canners because they tend to set their fruit all at once. I tried a new (to me) determinate this year called The miracle BPF that exceeded all expectations. An old standby is the determinate "Improved Rutgers". Campbells 146 is another. Either one or all 3 should be a good choice for heirloom canners. For canners that are specifically adapted to Florida growing conditions of weather, pests, and diseases, contact your county extension agent. They can probably find you a good hybrid adapted for your part of Florida. Just keep in mind that they might not taste as good as an heirloom. But as many people at Tomatoville have mentioned in the past, what good is the added flavor of an heirloom if the plant dies without producing enough fruit to can?

I personally am growing many varieties just to find the ones that grow good for me here in Oklahoma, then next year I will concentrate on those mainly!

PS Floradade is one that could work too.

[fredx]

Thanks to all who have posted suggestions

This is a good start- the determinate is a great idea , but harder to find

Thanks again

K

[z_willus_d]

Originally Posted by Sun City Linda

Old Brooks was a most pleasant surprise for me this year and although I don't can I am told it is an excellent canner due to fairly small (4 oz) size and high acid content. I found it to be very productive, setting in groups of 4 or 5 almost non stop. The tomatoes were juicy, tangy with no core or shoulder waste. No disease either. Most list it as resistant to both early and late blight.

Wouldn't the juiciness of the tomato get in the way of simple canning? I'm assuming that the tomatoes would be sauced or salsa'd or chopped before canning. I find that juicy tomatoes make the process much more difficult, since you don't really want a watery product most times.
-n

[z_willus_d]

Depending on how many plants you're planning and how large your processing setup is, you can probably get away with indeterminate better. By my experiences, I'm actually looking for more of a gradual fruit yield rather than a big deluge over a brief period. It's much easier to manage the canning in a series of large batches rather than one enormous 500lb dump. That is, assuming you have the typical kitchen and setup. Now if you're only going to plant a handful of plants, then determinate would yield probably just the right amount for a decent batch. You just have to plan out and know what you're going for.

First thing there, how many plants. 2nd- how are you canning? Sauce, salsa, chopped, whole, etc.?
-n

[Moshou]

I can recommend you ROMEC, a Romanian autumn tomato, determinate, late maturity, 4-5' height, fruit: red, ovoid, 3-4oz, few seeds, tasty; good autumn tomato for processing and canning
http://www.rosiidingradina.ro/romanesti/romec

You must wait to harvest, but you will be glad at final.