What is your favourite Tomato?

I usually just buy a few tomato plants that are available at our local grocery store.
This year I’ve selected a few varieties – from currant sized to beefsteak. We like to “walk by and pop a cherry tomato” in our mouths and then we like the beefsteaks for a good toasted tomato sandwich.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

a nice big garden ripened red one…..............

beefsteak is my favorite

-- Central northish Ontario

When I lived in little Italy in TO, and had nothing but a vegetable garden in our tiny back yard we always planted 3 kinds; cherrys (usually sweet millions) in pots on the patio for easy access; then beefsteak for eating raw; and roma’s for making sauce.

-- Life could be short!

Beefsteak every year.Romas for sauce making.Grape tomatoes,just a few plants for snacking.We grew a tomato years ago,from plants we got from an elderly couple who had a plant sale.They said these were a low acid tomato with very good flavor,but I don’t remember the name.It turns out,these were the best Tomatoes we ever grew.They actually were heart shaped,and very tasty.

-- Southwestern Ontario Canada Zone5b

I’s sure like to know the secret of the Roma tomatoes.
They don’t do well lfor me out here on the prairies.
I am stumped right now.

Bob

-- I am a strong believer in luck and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. Alberta Canada Zone 3A or maybe 3B

Sweet Million F1 for snack, and then beefstake and roma for salads, cooking et al

I ‘ll be starting the tomatoes mid-April

-- Hooked on Gardening.....Ontario zone 5b

tomatos are a vine. I pick off all the leads except the main one so that the plant grows as tall as it can in one season. I also give the plant quite a bit of room which cuts down on molds and bugs. As the flowers grow I also pick off a lot of the flowers so that the tomatos that are growing…....grow faster.

I grew Roma last year as well as several others and gave away bushel baskets of produce that we couldnt possibly use.

-- Central northish Ontario

Shoot I never get Romas. I’ll give your method a try this year.
My beefsteaks hit 2 lbs on occasion but Romas Grrr!

We don’t have bushel baskets out here, only Easter baskets .
Our crops are so small that we can only give one tomato away at a time hence the Easter baskets.

I guess it’s the thought that counts.

Bob

-- I am a strong believer in luck and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. Alberta Canada Zone 3A or maybe 3B

its snowing out, coming down in thick blankets and blown about…............grrrrr, flipping cold too

what do penguins grow?

-- Central northish Ontario

As far as tomatoes, lots of roma, Sweet 100’s and beefsteaks and then we always try a few others (my husband is in charge of tomatoes).

As far as weather right now, still only cloudy and getting colder so I think I will go for my pm walk early today!

What a change: this am’s walk felt like Spring was here and now winter seems to be coming back!!!

And greenthumb, the penguins probably grow “snow balls”!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

I am guessing that Heinz57 is not a tomato variety? haha

I am trying to grow beefstakes for my first ones, so we will see how this goes.

-- Bill - Turlock Ca - http://www.brookswoodworks.com

This is one of my first heritage plants.

I bought 6 varieties to try this year and will try to kkep my progrres posted over the season.

Marianna’s Peace is a late season, indeterminate, potato-leaf variety (80-85 days) that produces relatively lower yields of 1-2 lb., pink/red, beefsteak-styled fruit. It’s plant and fruit structure and the taste of it’s fruit remind me of an old favorite, Brandywine. The sugary nectar of it’s creamy, dense, flesh also reminds me of Sandul Moldovan, another great tasting variety originally from Moldova. Overall, it’s flavors are exceptionally rich, with good sweet/acid balance and luscious complex flavors reminiscent of the finest of those “old-fashioned” tomato flavors, the memories of which is the stuff-of-dreams for all tomato lovers. In my taste trials with friends and chefs in 1999, “Marianna’s Peace” was judged the “best tasting” tomato.

Cheers
Bob

-- I am a strong believer in luck and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. Alberta Canada Zone 3A or maybe 3B

I dislike tomatoes, but should look into the different kinds to see if I can find one palatable to me. Then again, I’m judging off of grocery store garbage.

Marianna’s Peace, huh.. Hmmm..

Any recommendations on a sweat tomato with low acidity?

-- Planting Daylilies in Kentucky, zone 6b

Scott if you have only had tomatoes the at the store then you have every right to reject them as a food stuff.

These heirlooms are different!

Part fruit , part vegetable, part aphrodisiac.

p.s. I am also grown Brandy wines this year.

Bob

-- I am a strong believer in luck and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. Alberta Canada Zone 3A or maybe 3B

do grocery store tomatoes count as “tomatoes”?

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

my favorite tomatoe is the on my sandwich

-- Central northish Ontario

Deb, recently the hothouse tomatoes that come with the vine attached seem almost palatable.
Given our long winters these become a treat. The rest of them are packed green and “ripenend” in a warehouse with eythlene oxide gas.
A store bought tomato is like a store bought leg.
It looks like a leg but you can’t dance with it. <g>

GT yer pulling my leg now arn’t you? <g>

Bob

-- I am a strong believer in luck and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. Alberta Canada Zone 3A or maybe 3B

haha good point re: dancing.
And I agree about the vine attached ones. almost tasty!

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

beef steak is my fav

I’ve tried others but we have such a short growing season. I get my best bang for my buck with BS

The freeze well, they are large in shape iniform, a jiucy and sure tasty tom

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

This is what
I am growing this year as this is my first year gardening I may have bitten off more than I can chew but hear I go…..

Chadwick Cherry- Indeterminate- Known for their great taste
Cherokee Purple- Indeterminate- fruits are a dusky rose colour and have a delicate mild flavour- dates prior to 1890
Black Plum- Indterminate- flavour is outstanding yeilds are huge.
San Marzano- Indeterminate- moderately productive- Elongated red paste type- good for canning, sauces or drying

Started all these plants a week and a bit ago. So we will see if my brown thumb can turn green.

-- Living on the level... Central Ontario...1.25 hrs from TO.......Zone 5a

I’ll be interested in how your do with yours. Can you start a blog and keep a semi record of your methods so we can compare notes in the fall?

Bob

-- I am a strong believer in luck and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. Alberta Canada Zone 3A or maybe 3B

Scott, you’re best bet for getting into tomatoes is to go cherry! A personal favourite is Sweetie, but there are good yellow cherries too (avoid the yellow pear shaped cherries, skins way to tough!) We had one last year and it was great, but came mislabled, too bad too cause I would like to grow it again! We grow like 24 standard toms (beefsteak class, aswell as slicers and early’s), and 12 or so cherry types.
Sib ;)

Gotta be beefstake for those wonderful toasted bacon and tomato sandwiches.And little cherry tomatoes for popping in the mouth and salads.(lol)

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

I agree!

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

I guess the real question is if you’re looking to find out what class of tomatos are preferred or what cultivar/hybrid/whatever named variety is?
Sib ;)

Actually Sib, I am looking at the fruit from a pure culinary aspect.

In other words what feels and tastes best to a person “with no sight”.

We are becoming attached to the glitz of life and losing a lot of the substance in the process.

Cheers

Bob

-- I am a strong believer in luck and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. Alberta Canada Zone 3A or maybe 3B