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Favorite salsa tomato?

I'm talking Mexi-style uncooked salsa.  I usually buy seedlings from the nursery, but this year I'd like to start from seed.  I'm not a tomato expert, so, what do I want to grow?  Thanks.
 
Roguejim said:
I'm talking Mexi-style uncooked salsa.
 
Pico de gallo? Pretty much the only Mexican salsa w/tomatoes. And Roma (or other plum varieties) are the best. They have little water and thick walls. And are flavorful. You need the thick walls for a nice square dice, and the low water so they don't turn to mush and stay firm. Since they are small and narrow, there is not a lot of waste, it is mostly wall.
 
So nobody is gonna agree with me, the only Mexican to comment on "Mexi-style" salsa. LOL! Just kidding guys, its good advice. I'm no chef by any means.
 
He ' s asking for tomato, not tomatillo. Those are different fruits and therefore salsas. Salsa Verde is good aswell, but nothing like a normal red salsa.
 
Pretty sure he's looking for a red tomato to dice for pico style salsa Snake.
 
I only grow a few varieties, but Roma is my favorite for sauce - but they take a while. Just like I grow some early jalapeños, I also grow early girl tomatoes to get some "early" summer salsa action.
 
texas blues said:
There is only one.
 
Roma.
 
And a San Marzano  will cover not only your salsa but your italian stuff too.
 
I actually don't agree. For fresh salsa the San Marzano is way to dry and don't have much flavor like when it's cooked into sauce or salsa. I've quite a few tomatoes now and for fresh use I found the Sacharnaja Sliwa Krasnaja the best for both raw and cooked salsa. Also the Black & Red Boar is excellent. I can send them to you if you wanna try.
 
Roguejim said:
Yeah, I was asking about "red" tomatoes, thanks. Aren't Romas dry?
 
Romas do indeed have a higher 'meat' to 'gel/seed' ratio and are certainly less juicy than pretty much any slicing tomato.  I prefer roma (or marzaon - basically any 'paste' type tomato) for sauces and salsas, though I agree they really shine when cooked.  For a basic salsa cruda any nicely ripened red tomato is going to be infinitely better than store bought.  :)
 
I've been growing 'Roma VF' and San Marzanos for the past 3-4 years specifically for that usage and Black Krim, Brandywine, Hillbilly for slicers.  
 
I will certainly try Romas, but it may be that I actually prefer a slicing tomato, in all its juiciness. I can understand how a slicer might produce a watery salsa cruda, but I suspect that would only be a problem if the salsa was allowed to sit around, which sort of defeats the purpose of making a salsa cruda in the first place, i.e., to be eaten fresh. I guess a tomato comparison is in order.
 
Roguejim said:
I'm talking Mexi-style uncooked salsa.  I usually buy seedlings from the nursery, but this year I'd like to start from seed.  I'm not a tomato expert, so, what do I want to grow?  Thanks.
 
 
Roguejim said:
I will certainly try Romas, but it may be that I actually prefer a slicing tomato, in all its juiciness. I can understand how a slicer might produce a watery salsa cruda, but I suspect that would only be a problem if the salsa was allowed to sit around, which sort of defeats the purpose of making a salsa cruda in the first place, i.e., to be eaten fresh. I guess a tomato comparison is in order.
 
If you think there's a lot of peppers out there, tomatoes will drive you batshit lol.
 
I think SnF has the best answer...."For a basic salsa cruda any nicely ripened red tomato is going to be infinitely better than store bought.", except about the being red part. :)
 
Here's some for you to consider:
 
early (50-70)
bloody Butcher (red)
Stupice (red)
Moskvich Organic (red)

mid (70-80)
Old Brooks (red)
Eva Purple Ball (pink)
Arkansas Traveler (pink)
Jaune Flammee (orange)
Super Sioux (red)
Zinfandel (red)

late (80+)
Brimmer (Pink)
Old Virginia (red)
Orange Beef Heart (orange)
Hillbilly (bi-color)

paste
Schlueter's Paste (indet,late)
Speckled Roman (indet,late)
San Marzano (det)
 
Oh, and I don't do hybrids, so no help there.
 
If you have any ?, let me know and, since I'm sending you an envy already, if any of these interest you send me a PM. I've got seeds for all of them.
 
Lime and salt break the tomato down that's why you want firm thick-walled. Plus many tomatoes have too much goop already.
 
I don't find Roma's dry. Firm, yes. They have their juices though. You don't want a pool of water at the bottom of your salsa, you want it more like a moist/juicy mixture. Romas will do that for you. They hold the water in well.
 
queequeg152 said:
lovely marzano cultivar. very productive.
blast its face with calcium though.
 
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8859-pozzano.aspx
 
That looks interesting - might give it a try. They call it an "F1" (like a lot of stuff on their website), but it appears to have been around a while. Are they cloning from the original cross? Are subsequent generations showing deviations? Maybe it means something else, but I couldn't find any description on their site.
 
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