Tomatoes Used For Paste

halapenio · September 11, 2009

Hi Guys

I am from South Africa and have been searching High and Low for good canned tomatoes but I cant seem to find any thats even remotely tasty.
The US has nice products but unfortunately we dont find them here. I have heard of a product called escalon 6 in 1 tomatoes but unfortunately we wont find that here in SA. Lots of people in the US recommend this product.

Let me first start out by briefing you on what I require the tomatoes for.
I want to make Pizza Sauce. I beleive the best tomatos for pizza sauce is the plum variety. After googling I also found a website called tomatofest that sells heirloom variety tomatoes and I never knew they also have tomatoes used for making paste. Now it makes my task even more harder.

I have tried many canned tomatoes but I find them very acidic and sour. Adding of sugar didn't help much either.
I want a sauce thats has naturally sweet tomatoes, not the sourish type. Maybe if I can replicate something like escalon 6 in 1, that would work well.

I dont know what seeds to buy and what enviroment these type of seeds need to grow in but all I know is it need to be as organic as possible. I am trying to avoid using these Genetically Engineered Seeds. Natural is best.

I'm really looking forward to hearing from everyone.
Regards
Halapenio

Wi-sunflower · September 11, 2009

"Plum" is another word used to describe "Roma" type tomatoes. "Paste" would also be a descriptor.

Basically what that means is the tomato is USUALLY more long than round and can be the typical "plum" shape that the commercial canning companies use. Those tomatoes will have a thick wall and not as much juice as "eating" tomatoes. That's good as then you don't have to cook it so much to get rid of too much watery juice.

They also have a whole lot less seeds than most other varieties. When I save for seeds, I get about 10% the seeds by volume from the Romas as I get from my other varieties.

Some of the more modern Roma types are known for not having good taste until you cook them. They are also mostly "determinate" varieties as the canning companies want to only go thru the fields once or twice and be done with it.

The older varieties are mostly "indeterminate". That means you will get less tomatoes all at 1 time, but you will get tomatoes spread out over a longer time. Many of them are also decent tasting when eaten uncooked too. I made some fresh tomato juice from Roughwood Golden Plums last nite and it is thick and delicious.

Something else you might want to look for would be the Oxheart types. To me they seem to be like a cross between a Roma and a Beefsteak. They are BIG like Beefsteaks, but less seedy and drier like the Romas. Many are over a pound each and are known for being sweet. Especially the Pink varieties.

I'll let others give you some variety names as I'm not a big tomato eater and my taste in tomatoes tends toward the orange and pink varieties.

Carol

TZ-OH6 · September 11, 2009

I'm sure many people will tell you what their favorite canning and/or paste tomatoes are but if you are looking for something a little different than a tomatoey tasting red, two that I grew this year that surprised me with their sweetness and fruity flavor were Orange Banana and Roman Candle.

RJ_Hythloday · September 11, 2009

I'm not overly impressed w/ Roman candle, I'm growing it this year. But I have been impressed w/ it as one part of my sauce. I've made home made pizza sauce and marinara for pasta. I've found the best tasting sauce has many varieties of tomatoes as opposed to just one or two.

mjc · September 11, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by RJ_Hythloday

I'm not overly impressed w/ Roman candle, I'm growing it this year. But I have been impressed w/ it as one part of my sauce. I've made home made pizza sauce and marinara for pasta. I've found the best tasting sauce has many varieties of tomatoes as opposed to just one or two.

Yeah, just like good cider...a blend is better than a single variety.

stormymater · September 11, 2009

Rio Grande has been enormously productive for us - even grown in the miserable "12 gallon" growbags & soil with a way high pH. No BER at all, 2 - 3 quarts of tomatoes/plant, fruits are duck to goose egg sized, red, dense, meaty & tasty. Will be growing these again next year using either 20 gallon pots or raised bed space. They are rugged productive plants with great maters.

AZRuss · September 11, 2009

Some of the best tomatoes I've ever used in sauces are canned San Marzano DOP tomatoes imported from Italy. They are used by some of the finest Italian restaurants in the U.S. They're expensive when you can find them locally, and outrageous if you order them because of shipping costs. If there are any Italian markets where you live you might get lucky. The San Marzanos shipped to the US are packed in a puree to avoid a stupid duty tax if they arrive packed in juice. Frankly, I think the puree adds to the luxury of these wonderful imports.

For freshly grown tomatoes, though not a "paste" type, Rutgers is a terrific canning/sauce tomato and the seeds are available everywhere. Also this year I made a discovery because I was overrun with Stupice tomatoes--they are wonderful when cooked into a sauce. I can also recommend Martino's Roma and Heidi as paste tomatoes. Stormymater has piqued my interest in Rio Grande for next year--sounds great!

tuttimato · September 12, 2009

Processing varieties are my main interest as well. This year I grew San Marzano Nano, Chico III, Martino's Roma, Opalka, Purple Russian and Cuor di Bue. They all performed well. Practically any tomato works in the sauce pot. The larger fruited hearts are less work and tend to be very meaty. Most vendors will say a variety is sweet but I'm convinced weather and soil has a lot to do with it.

My plan is to continue trying an assortment of different ones. I will repeat all of those I mentioned above but I was particularly impressed with Martino's and the Cuor di Bue which are also good enough for fresh use.

stormymater · September 12, 2009

I have been eating our Cuor di Bue's fresh - they haven't made it to the pot! Interested in Martino's Romas by reputation but definately will be growing more Rio Grandes next year.

newatthiskat · September 14, 2009

I know it isn't considered a paste tomato but I love tomato sauce made with black krim tomatoes! It has a very rich flavor that adds to the sauce. I like to put in a bunch of different kinds but the black krim adds that extra umph to the sauce in my opinion. I didn't grow any this year because I wanted to try others but it is definately comming back in mass next year

September 11, 2009	#1
halapenio Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: South Africa Posts: 1	Tomatoes Used For Paste Hi Guys I am from South Africa and have been searching High and Low for good canned tomatoes but I cant seem to find any thats even remotely tasty. The US has nice products but unfortunately we dont find them here. I have heard of a product called escalon 6 in 1 tomatoes but unfortunately we wont find that here in SA. Lots of people in the US recommend this product. Let me first start out by briefing you on what I require the tomatoes for. I want to make Pizza Sauce. I beleive the best tomatos for pizza sauce is the plum variety. After googling I also found a website called tomatofest that sells heirloom variety tomatoes and I never knew they also have tomatoes used for making paste. Now it makes my task even more harder. I have tried many canned tomatoes but I find them very acidic and sour. Adding of sugar didn't help much either. I want a sauce thats has naturally sweet tomatoes, not the sourish type. Maybe if I can replicate something like escalon 6 in 1, that would work well. I dont know what seeds to buy and what enviroment these type of seeds need to grow in but all I know is it need to be as organic as possible. I am trying to avoid using these Genetically Engineered Seeds. Natural is best. I'm really looking forward to hearing from everyone. Regards Halapenio

September 14, 2009	#10
newatthiskat Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: texas Posts: 1,451	reply I know it isn't considered a paste tomato but I love tomato sauce made with black krim tomatoes! It has a very rich flavor that adds to the sauce. I like to put in a bunch of different kinds but the black krim adds that extra umph to the sauce in my opinion. I didn't grow any this year because I wanted to try others but it is definately comming back in mass next year

September 11, 2009	#2
Wi-sunflower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 2,591	"Plum" is another word used to describe "Roma" type tomatoes. "Paste" would also be a descriptor. Basically what that means is the tomato is USUALLY more long than round and can be the typical "plum" shape that the commercial canning companies use. Those tomatoes will have a thick wall and not as much juice as "eating" tomatoes. That's good as then you don't have to cook it so much to get rid of too much watery juice. They also have a whole lot less seeds than most other varieties. When I save for seeds, I get about 10% the seeds by volume from the Romas as I get from my other varieties. Some of the more modern Roma types are known for not having good taste until you cook them. They are also mostly "determinate" varieties as the canning companies want to only go thru the fields once or twice and be done with it. The older varieties are mostly "indeterminate". That means you will get less tomatoes all at 1 time, but you will get tomatoes spread out over a longer time. Many of them are also decent tasting when eaten uncooked too. I made some fresh tomato juice from Roughwood Golden Plums last nite and it is thick and delicious. Something else you might want to look for would be the Oxheart types. To me they seem to be like a cross between a Roma and a Beefsteak. They are BIG like Beefsteaks, but less seedy and drier like the Romas. Many are over a pound each and are known for being sweet. Especially the Pink varieties. I'll let others give you some variety names as I'm not a big tomato eater and my taste in tomatoes tends toward the orange and pink varieties. Carol

September 11, 2009	#3
TZ-OH6 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mid-Ohio Posts: 847	I'm sure many people will tell you what their favorite canning and/or paste tomatoes are but if you are looking for something a little different than a tomatoey tasting red, two that I grew this year that surprised me with their sweetness and fruity flavor were Orange Banana and Roman Candle.

September 11, 2009	#4
RJ_Hythloday Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Logan, UT Posts: 207	I'm not overly impressed w/ Roman candle, I'm growing it this year. But I have been impressed w/ it as one part of my sauce. I've made home made pizza sauce and marinara for pasta. I've found the best tasting sauce has many varieties of tomatoes as opposed to just one or two.

September 11, 2009	#6
stormymater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pleasure Island, NC 8a Posts: 1,162	Rio Grande has been enormously productive for us - even grown in the miserable "12 gallon" growbags & soil with a way high pH. No BER at all, 2 - 3 quarts of tomatoes/plant, fruits are duck to goose egg sized, red, dense, meaty & tasty. Will be growing these again next year using either 20 gallon pots or raised bed space. They are rugged productive plants with great maters.

September 11, 2009	#7
AZRuss Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 171	Some of the best tomatoes I've ever used in sauces are canned San Marzano DOP tomatoes imported from Italy. They are used by some of the finest Italian restaurants in the U.S. They're expensive when you can find them locally, and outrageous if you order them because of shipping costs. If there are any Italian markets where you live you might get lucky. The San Marzanos shipped to the US are packed in a puree to avoid a stupid duty tax if they arrive packed in juice. Frankly, I think the puree adds to the luxury of these wonderful imports. For freshly grown tomatoes, though not a "paste" type, Rutgers is a terrific canning/sauce tomato and the seeds are available everywhere. Also this year I made a discovery because I was overrun with Stupice tomatoes--they are wonderful when cooked into a sauce. I can also recommend Martino's Roma and Heidi as paste tomatoes. Stormymater has piqued my interest in Rio Grande for next year--sounds great!

September 12, 2009	#8
tuttimato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Gulf Coast USA Posts: 17	Processing varieties are my main interest as well. This year I grew San Marzano Nano, Chico III, Martino's Roma, Opalka, Purple Russian and Cuor di Bue. They all performed well. Practically any tomato works in the sauce pot. The larger fruited hearts are less work and tend to be very meaty. Most vendors will say a variety is sweet but I'm convinced weather and soil has a lot to do with it. My plan is to continue trying an assortment of different ones. I will repeat all of those I mentioned above but I was particularly impressed with Martino's and the Cuor di Bue which are also good enough for fresh use.