Yes, I've grown it and see the link below. I think it's far too juicy to be used for sauce with too many seeds,

There's also a Rose de Lucerne, also from Switzerland which is almost identical to the Berne one. It's about the same situation one sees with certain other varieties such as the Fiorentinos from Italy which are named for a geographic area or place name but pretty much all the same,

For sauce I think you'd be better off with some paste varieties or some heart varieties both of which have dense flesh with few seeds or mix some hearts and some dense fleshed beefsteak varieties together b/c most paste varieties IMO experience, are not known for great taste.

There are many threads here about sauce tomatoes if you do a search.

Hope that helps.

Carolyn

Here is a link that might be useful: Rose de Berne

Thanks Carolyn. I am growing Opalka, San Marzano Redorta and Hungarian Heart but like you said they are not generally the tastiest tomatoes. In the past I had used Brandywine in the mix to a good effect but it is not the most productive plant. So this year I am looking for a productive medium size tomato to add to the mix. I was thinking of either Eva Purple Ball or Rose de Berne. If Rose de Berne is too juicy and seedy, what about Eva Purple Ball?

Gary, I agree that Rose de Berne is a round beautiful variety and so is Eva Purple Ball, but I just don't see them as being tomatoes for sauce, that's all I'm saying.

To add taste to a mix of varieties being used for sauce, as I said above I think one should consider some larger more desnse fleshed beefsteak type varieties such as:

Tidwell German
Tennesse Britches
Aker's West Virginia
Red Penna
Chapman
Stump of the World
Omar's Lebanese
Large Pink Bulgarian

.....to name a few

And many many heart varieties of which I could also name a few, if needed.

No two folks make sauce with the same varieties, so all I'm trying to do it to make some suggestions for the original poster.

Carolyn

Yeah, I most decidedly agree that some of the oxers are superior saucing candidates compared to most of the "paste" toms. Now perish that I would change the subject, but in regard to TN Britches (which I intend to try for first time), is it typically a 100 dayer ?

Reggie

If you look in an SSE YEarbook and see what those who have grown it say about the DTM you'll find numbers all over the place but leaning towards late midseason to early Late season. And I define any variety over 80 days as late season.

For me here in upstate NY it was about a 75-80 day variety grown in that particular year.

Below is a link to Tania's tomato data base for this variety so you can see some other reports, some pictures and some seed saources when you scroll down.

Carolyn

Here is a link that might be useful: Tennessee Britches

I love this tomato; it is so sweet and great for slicing; makes a great tomato sandwich. It is reliable (for me anyway) year after year. Haven't had trouble with fusarium wilt on it.

old thread, it bothers me that Hungarian heart got placed with San Marzano in " not tastiest " tomatoes... huh?

@sheltieche Everyone has their opinions. The Italians, for instance, seem to love San Marzano (whether or not for the taste). For instance, it's the only tomato they're allowed to use for Vera Pizza Napoletana. The Wikipedia article on it is kind of interesting. Apparently, Roma is part San Marzano.

I grew Rose de Berne a couple of years ago and loved it.

I didn't have any trouble using either RdB or Eva Purple Ball for making sauce. The skins slipped of easily (after they had been frozen and run under the hot tap). Of course I didn't grow them specifically for sauce-making, I just enjoyed eating them fresh, and froze them when I had too many......

Linda

Rose de Berne is by far the most consistent and reliable variety in my gardens every year. It has produced in different climates (cool summer part shade, hot summer full sun) and is the only tomato bigger than a cherry that I've ever grown that produces as consistently as a cherry! Also tastes good. I grow 30-60 different varieties every year, and it really stands out.

Rose De Berne berries are a, richly flavored, prolific and fairly early half pound confections with abundant foliage. You will devour the first one and the last one ofthe season straight off the vine. They add a nice flavor to a rich sauce but Opalka, Oxheart, Jersey Devil, San Marzano and PASTE SPECIFIC varieties are better sauce options. Roma's are boring and dul.

I use Fishbone meal, Langienite, azomite, worm castings and kelp meal in a 50/50 coir/compost soil with oyster shell for calcium and perlite for water retention. Espoma Tomato-tone is the most complete bagged fertilizer you can use if you don't have time or space for making your own fortified dirt.