As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
I noted this spring that we were going to be trying Rossa Sicilian tomatoes........I do not know why. God just puts things for me to try in my heart and away I go.
It was a really bad year for tomatoes across much of the world. Tomatoes need not too hot, but high heat, not humidity, but moisture, and warmish nights. Screw that up and most will not set on, get end rot or not ripen.
I did not have good fortune with the varieties I tried. TL's purple apple tomatoes or whatever they were called did set on being a hybrid, and interestingly I tried those Keeper tomatoes which are supposed to be picked in October and then will keep in a basement until February are doing quite well......even the one that Baby Daisy kept interest in and June the turkey kept dusting on has some tomatoes, so I am interested in them......and in a bad year, they have tomatoes on.
These Rossa's though I am getting a number of them set on, and in this late heat, they are ripening. They are a hollow tomatoe for salads or sauce, and I like this for gutting the seeds out as many people can not eat the seeds.
The best part is, they have a light fresh tomato taste. Put some salt and pepper on them, and they are really nice eaten halved liked an apple. They are better than anything in the grocery, and while not juicy, they do have a good enough flavor.
I got them for salads, but probably will not have the time to put chicken or tuna in them.
They do have a nice tender skin, which helps in eating and in canning.
I am impressed with them and will be growing them again next year, for the simple reason, they grow in bad tomatoe years and that is the thing I look for.
As a sidenote in this, I just use a spoon to get the seeds out, Put them in a plastic container for a few days to let them ferment the pulp off.......and then wash them off in a metal sieve. I slap them onto a paper plate and write the name on the paper, and that is about it, until I put them into some vitamin or aspirin bottle.
I had a great deal of trouble with many of my tomatoes this year. Heat cold, coons and pumpkin leaves.........Lord did the pumpkins and the corn grow this year. Like boy howdy was that a forest that shut out all life. The Rossa's though did very well and it is always the fact that a bad garden tomatoe is better than a good one in the store........and always better than none at all.
Oh and I do think they would suffice for BLT's too in not being so juicy...........sort of have a Brandywine musty flavor that everyone says tastes smoky....do not get that, but I think this is a pretty good tomatoe variety that at least produces in bad years.
One more thing...........mine did not get deep red color when ripe. Sort of a lightish redddish with a tinge of orange.
agtG
