Raw tomatoes are a vile, deplorable fruit. They taste like I would expect poison to taste like. I grow a variety of tomatoes each season for the purpose of canning in the fall. My husband likes to eat raw tomatoes because he has what I can only assume is a questionable palate.
Here's the low down on the tomatoes I grow:
Amish Paste: These are new this year for us. They are juicy and meaty which is why I decided to give them a try. They are specifically recommended for sauce.
Beefsteak: I've been growing these beauties for several years. Big and meaty. Great for canning.
Brandywine: Smaller than the beefsteak, nice for canning. More like your average tomato.
Early Girl: I grew these for several years but decided they weren't really what they claim to be, at least in my experience. They are supposed to be the sluts of the tomato family but mine never put out early.
Large Red Cherry: The handsome husband enjoys snacking on the large red cherry tomatoes for some reason. That's the only reason I grow one of these each season. They are about an inch and a half to two inches in diameter.
Roma: We started growing Roma tomatoes a couple of years ago because my husband thought they would make a nice addition to the spaghetti sauce that we make. I'm not sure I can tell the difference but they are nice for canning. They aren't as juicy as some of the other varieties and help to bulk up your sauce a little bit.
Tips for growing tomatoes that I have found helpful would be to plant the stem deep when you transplant to the garden. Leave just an inch or two below the leaves exposed. Tomatoes do best when they have a stronger root system. It's also been very helpful for me to pick off the "suckers." That is the little sprout between the stem and the leaf. When you keep the plants from getting too bushy, it forces them to produce more fruit. I pinch them off with my fingers or snip them with a scissor. Add compost to the soil when you transplant these hungry plants.
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