Tomatoes are one of the most popular things to grow in one’s vegetable garden. And althought I am not a fan of raw tomatoes, I still make room for tomatoes for the purposing of making sauce. Last year, I tried some Roma tomatoes, but I didn’t really have a lot of success. So this year I wanted to try something different. So this past spring, I picked up some San Marzano tomatoes plants from my local farmer’s market. I have seen these tomatoes before in cans at grocery stores. Most of the canned tomatoes aren’t labeled by variety, so seeing a tomato that is market in a can by it’s variety, makes me think that these may be some pretty good sauce tomatoes. Also the high sticker price on the cans, makes me really think these have to be good tomatoes or the public is having the wool pulled over their eyes.
Some background on the San Marzano:
Origin: Napes of Italy. Italy is where they became famous by the legend goes that they got their first seeds from the king of Peru. This happened in 1770, so this definately qualifies San Marzano has an heirloom variety.
Vine Type: Indeterminate
Days to Maturity: 85 days
Shape: Plum
My Growing Experience this Year (2010)
These tomatoes have done very well in my garden. One plant has produced enough tomatoes to cover several pizzas. As the calendar is ready to turn over to September, the plant continues to grow and produce more fruit. The tomatoes tend to produce in bunches which makes for easy picking. The flavor of the tomato is sweet and low on the acidity. I have made some of the best tomato sauce with these tomatoes. I will definately grow this again next year, in fact I am going to try and save some seeds for next year.
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