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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Jul 5, 2022 18:19:00 GMT -5
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jul 6, 2022 10:57:55 GMT -5
That is an interesting variety. It looks like a good candidate for fresh (raw) salsa. I usually use regular tomatoes in my salsa for better flavor; Romas are bland raw, which makes for mediocre salsa. But regular tomatoes are very juicy and make the salsa too soupy unless I cut them and then drain them some.
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Post by mgulfcoastguy on Jul 6, 2022 11:37:10 GMT -5
hairymooseknuckles, Interesting but I will probably just repeat the two paste tomatoes from this year. Mom likes the San Marzano and I like the Speckled Roman. The big tomato named Horizon was the result of free seed and was appropriately priced, nobody really liked it.The Speckled Roman is supposed to make great salsa btw Laura_in_FL,
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Post by paulf on Jul 6, 2022 11:57:53 GMT -5
I agree with Laura. You want bland or tasteless tomato products, use a bland or tasteless variety and most Roma types are just that. You want some flavor use the varieties that really taste good. For us all the big, juicy tomatoes, especially heart-shaped varieties makes wherever you use tomatoes taste better.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Jul 6, 2022 12:01:23 GMT -5
That is an interesting variety. It looks like a good candidate for fresh (raw) salsa. I usually use regular tomatoes in my salsa for better flavor; Romas are bland raw, which makes for mediocre salsa. But regular tomatoes are very juicy and make the salsa too soupy unless I cut them and then drain them some. You could put them in a salad spinner and whirl that juice away. Hahahaa! I know, I know, I’m a knucklehead.
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Post by octave1 on Jul 6, 2022 13:55:15 GMT -5
Those tomatoes remind me of several other varieties that exhibit the same growing habits and flavor profile, such as Federle, Polish Linguisa, Opalka, Sausage, San Marzano Redorta and Jersey Devil. Since I am a fan, I grew all of them, and aside from some minimal shape/size difference, they all taste the same and are produced by the same kind of spindly, wilting-looking, indeterminate plants. In my zone 5b they are late varieties, so I am thinking they may be better suited for places like Texas and Florida, but they are also very productive and even if the harvest starts in September, the yield is quite abundant.
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Post by Hensaplenty on Jul 6, 2022 19:29:33 GMT -5
octave1, I am growing Opalka and Hog Heart paste this year. Both have been plagues with blossom end rot even though they get calcium nitrate. Hog Heart has been more productive, and I did save seeds, but I'm pretty sure I'm done with paste tomatoes. This is my 2nd attempt with Opalka. First time, I think I got one tomato off the plant.
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Post by octave1 on Jul 6, 2022 21:25:08 GMT -5
Hensaplenty , yes Hog Heart is another of those funny shaped tomatoes, but I never grew it. I am surprised Opalka did not do well for you. My Opalka tomatoes did have some blossom end rot, but it was minimal when compared with what more common varieties like Roma and San Marzano get. Generally speaking, these tomatoes (Opalka and such) seem to be a bit more finicky than most, and may require some extra TLC at first as well as more frequent waterings, but eventually the plant grows really large and produces plenty. Also, in my experience, blossom end rot has more to do with watering (moisture) than calcium content in the soil.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jul 7, 2022 12:05:21 GMT -5
In addition to erratic watering, BER can also be caused by too-low pH. If the soil pH is too low, the plant cannot uptake calcium no matter how much calcium there is in the soil. Sometimes, the reason that lime or dolomite fix BER is *not* because of the calcium it adds to the soil, but because it raises pH.
Ideal pH for tomatoes is 6.0-6.5 (some sites say 6.8). Below 5.8, you start to have calcium uptake issues and get BER, no matter how much calcium is in the soil or how consistently you water. Elongated tomatoes are the "canary in the coal mine" because they get BER more easily than round tomatoes in marginal conditions.
The problem is, lime takes months to work in the soil, so is better added the previous fall or very, very early in the spring, so it has time to work before the plant starts fruiting. So, if BER is a problem this year, you should have your soil pH tested this summer or early fall to see if low pH is the problem. That gives you time to apply lime this fall and fix it for next season.
However, a soil pH that is too high causes a different set of mineral uptake problems in tomatoes. So you shouldn't just assume that you need lime or guess at the amount to apply.
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