Heirloom Tomato Review

THE SANDWICH

these are beefsteak - tomato sandwiches that can't be beat!

I prefer Pantano Romanesco above all other slicing tomatoes, than I opt for any pink variety - they both have less seeds and more thick flesh for a rich slice...see the list below for varieties I planted that I would plant again!

THE PICKLED GREEN TOMATO

any tomato will do that is a beefsteak variety - smaller - like the Cour di Bue or the Pantano - the recipe calls for salting the tomato slices, doing a vinegar bath, placing in jars/no lid with oil, garlic, oregano, dried hot red pepper

TOMATO SAUCE

any tomato will do, if cooked properly, roasted paste tomatoes are the best, but any tomato, cooked, and drained in the refrigerator overnight, will equal a paste consistency.  we freeze lots of tomatoes for a frozen product I developed in 2005 - farmers market frozen foods!

MARKET TOMATOES

.............................................................our farm stand does sells few tomatoes locally - no one pays what it's worth to grow them - yet, I do it for the love of growing them.  Next year - we are taking a year off from tomatoes - after 25 years.  Here, I am selling them for only 50 cents each - less than $1 per pound.  

This is a list of varieties we planted this year and the ones that I would plant again - my favorites on this list are Pantano Romanesco, Pineapple, Cour di Bue

TOMATO VARIETIES - plant again - YES/NO
Pearly Pink - cherry YES
Pineapple - beefsteak YES
Amish Paste - paste YES
Pincipe Borghese - cherry YES
Martino's Roma - plum YES
Gezahnte - paste NO - pretty fluted look but not special taste
Cour di Bue - beefsteak YES
Pink Brandywine - beefsteak YES
Pink Ponderosa - beefsteak
Plum Tigris - plum NO - pretty stripes but tough skin
Pantano Romanesco - my favorite YES YES
Black Elephant - got seeds, no plants ?
Rio Grande - beefsteak YES
Beefsteak NO - more seeds and pulp than other varieties