Question for canners: Do you grow determinates?

[jenn_sc]

I think this is the year that I'm going to start learning to can. I was talking it over with a gardening buddy the other day, a veteran canner. When he found out I'm not growing any determinates he said I should get some....lots of fruit ripening at once = enough to can.

I was only growing indeterminates, around 30 or so. I had 5 or 6 plants die shortly after setting them out. So today I saw some "Homestead" tomatoes at the hardware store, $1 for a 6-pack, and it said "heirloom determinate". So I plan to replace the dead plants with these.

Does anyone have any commments on growing determinates for canning, and does anyone have experience with "homestead"? For $1 I figured they can't be too bad....and my other heirlooms (15 varieties) WILL be tasty, no matter what. But I do want to can tomatoes for the winter.

Jennifer

[Douglas14]

We can tomatoes, typically growing 40-50 plants/year. Mostly grow indeterminates here. Generally get enough production from these to can all we need to.
If you can a lot, or don't feel you have enough plants for your needs, maybe determinates would be the way to go, to get a concentrated set of tomatoes ripening at about the same time. With determinates, I would think you'd be able to get you're canning done over a shorter period of time, if that's something you'd like. With mostly indeterminates, we can every 5-7 days or so.
I haven't grown Homestead myself.

[feldon30]

First, I can't say I've heard of a determinate version of Homestead. The standard Homestead 24 is indeterminate. I got 30 Arkansas Traveler fruits off 1 plant and they came in almost all at the same time, and I liked the taste!

For canning, I'd probably grow productive oxheart tomatoes like Wes, Linnie's Oxheart, Sarnowski Polish Plum, etc.

But I have not looked seriously at canning and any special needs in variety selection, etc.

[remy]

As far as I can recall Homestead is a determinate bred for growers down in Florida. It was named after Homestead, Florida aka "The Pole Bean Capital of the World" so it is suppose to do very well in a hot climate. I'm guessing Homestead 24 is probably a variety bred from Homestead.

I do a lot of canning. I don't grow many determinates. I grow a lot of tomatoes(some non-tomato growers might say too many,) so there is always enough to can. With a smaller amount of plants, a higher percent of determinates may be the way to go.
Once you get into canning tomatoes, making salsa and other foods will follow.
Remy

[Raymondo]

I like using the hearts for canning - meaty, plenty of flavour, if you pick the right variety. Last season I had lots of Anna Russian so most of them went into the pot for sauce making.

[Ruth_10]

We can a lot of tomatoes. We generally have about 40 plants (a few more this year, ahem) and almost all of them are indeterminates. Last year Picardy was the closest I had to a determinate (I think it's a compact indeterminate). The bulk of the harvest comes in August, so that's when we can.

If you've got room for the Homestead plants, sure, why not? I would mix them in with your other tomatoes when canning, though. That will give you a more consistent product.

I think you will enjoy your canned tomatoes. We use them for sauce for pasta. Just some sauteed onions, garlic, dash of red wine, dash of Worchestershire sauce, salt, pepper, simmer. When ready add a dash of balsamic vinegar and a bit of sugar (optional). Grate some Parmigiano-Reggiano (sp?) on top. We've been eating that meal on a regular basis for years now and we never tire of it.

[Denise_in_MI]

In my tiny little garden, I don't have enough indeterminate plants to produce enough tom's at one time to can. So...I have to buy *gasp* no name bushel's of tom's at the local farmer's market.

Since you are trying canning for the first time, make sure the varieties that you are canning have firm flesh. Something like a Cherokee Purple does NOT do well. Plus, the color of the black tomatoes will make your sauce a funky unappetizing brownish color - use sparingly.

[barkeater]

I had fun a couple years ago with a bumper crop of Aunt Gerties Gold and Yellow Brandywine toward seasons end. The sauce came out a nice pastel orange the same color as this smily:

[elkwc36]

I've heard good things about Homestead 24 but have never grown it. Every seeds source of mine lists it as Det. or semi-det.. As I don't grow many determinates one reason I have never grown it. JD

[dice]

There was an original Homestead, from which quite a
few selections or newer varieities have been made over
the years (including Homestead 24):

http://t-garden.homeip.net/mwiki/index.php/Homestead

[gardengalrn]

Jennifer, there are lots of opinions on this In the past I've grown enough indets to have a sizable amount any time I wanted to can and to can what I wanted for the year. I liked the variety of different types that I throw into the pot and there is nothing more eye-pleasing than the yellows/oranges/golds canned up.

[eyolf]

Its probably hard to find a tomatoe that doesn't can well. A lot will have to do with local conditions and personal preferences, but let me also say that varietal differences bewteen fresh tomatoes often dissappear in the winter out of a jar.

Determinates were first bred for food companies who really did want to get their production costs down...pick a field once or twice, then be done. That may or may not be as important to the home canner.

My absolute favorite home canner is a little-known indeterminate PL variety called Madbury Pink PL: not very remarkable fresh, but late in the season each vine will have about 10-12 lbs of ripe 5oz oblate fruits that fall into youir hands with a gentle tug. very easy to pick. The fruits keep well inside or out, and it takes little more than a stern gaze after blanching to slip the skins. They are seldom disfigured, and so can be dropped whole, once de-skinned, into a narrow-mouth jar. A bsuhel of these makes two canner-loads of tomatoes in a very short time.

these qualities may or may not be useful to a commercial canner.

[caascher2]

I was able to can tomatoes last year with my plants and I only had 12 indeterminates. I got enough tomatoes to make spaghetti sauce and salsa. There are only 2 of here at my house so I don't need massive quantities of sauces, etc. It was fun and I mixed up a variety of tomatoes which made the sauces have a great flavor in my opinion. I am planting more plants this year and plan on canning a bit more spaghetti sauce.

[feldon30]

Another interesting topic:
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=8569

[jenn_sc]

Thanks for the comments, everyone!

I lost a few plants due to inadequate hardening off/late frost (my indeterminates) so I had about 6 empty spaces to fill. I did not have any extra....DH got a bit carried away promising plants to anyone who showed an interest

I got a 6 pack of the Homestead plants that I happened to see at a hardware store. I figured it would be nice to try a few determinates for once, although with 38 tomatoes planted, I don't think quantity is going to be a problem :wink:

I'm growing lots of yellow/gold/bicolor varieties this year, and I hope to have lots of pretty jars with these mixed with reds/pinks. I have Aunt Gerties Gold, Regina's Yellow, Kellogg's Breakfast, Peach/Rouge D'Irak..and some Aunt Ruby's for some green. And lots of potato-leaf pinks, too I mainly bought the Homesteads for filler, and as an experiment with determinate productivity.

Jennifer