I love Opalka! Have grown them twice. This year, they are still producing (picked 10 today, some of them pretty small), though the plant is looking sad. They make the best tomato juice, complex and rich. I also like them fresh. None of the other paste tomatoes I've grown have come close. They also keep well, so you can wait a week or so to process them.

I also grew Heidi this year. Good flavor, but not as wonderful as Opalka. The plant was twice as wide and dense as any others I planted and when it finally started producing, yielded a lot at once and produced steadily. I took out the plant last week so I could plant something else.

Polish Linguisa had a great flavor, but did not produce a lot this year.

If you;re still looking for paste varieties please click on the link I put below. If you go to the bottom of this first page and enter "paste tomatoes" in the search feature, there are 534 matches. LOL

Ignore the first two threads and start with the ones outlined in blue.

And you might want to look at some other seed sources as well, maybe tomatogrowers.com b'c they also show pictures, but there are many very good seed sources.

Yes, I've grown Opalka, I'm the person who introduced it, along with Heidi. And for those who do want paste tomatoes I think they are both just wonderful.

And there are many others I might mention, but I really want to say that most folks I know do not use paste tomatoes to make sauce.

The reason is that as a group they don't have the best of tastes, are more susceptible to BER as well as Early Blight (A. solani), so they use any great tasting, meaty, regular variety for sauce.

For sure it's your decision as to what you want to do re sauce, but I thought I'd share an alternative with you re non-paste tomatoes.

Carolyn

Here is a link that might be useful: GW Search for paste tomatoes

I am a huge fan of Opalka. It is the best 'paste' tomato I have ever had. Hardly any seeds - and thin skinned - dry but still appealing - I highly recommend it - it tastes great, it makes a great salsa, sauce, tomato salad (tomato, basil, fresh mozarella & dressing). It's just a wonderful tomato. And the fact that it looks so different - BONUS! :) It's just a fantastic tomato.

Thanks Carolyn and others,

The main reason I was looking at a paste tomato for sauce is to cut down on the amount of water and cookdown time. Just using regular tomatoes last year I was getting 1/4 of the amount of sauce I started with. I had read that Opalka had a great flavor so thought it would make great sauce too and provide a lot more sauce when run through our juicer. Have you or someone you know used them for canning the peeled tomatoes? Has anyone else used them for sauce?

Have you or someone you know used them for canning the peeled tomatoes

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Not me and no one I know. They've used Opalka mainly for sauce or sometimes cut up for fresh salads. I think there are others that are better for canning, but that's a different issue.

I'm surprised you got so little sauce using non-paste varieties. Did you use MEATY, non juicy ones? I ask b'c it only takes a bit more to cook them down to the consistency that you might want.

But nothing at all wrong with Opalka OR Heidi as v good tasting sauce varieties for those who prefer to use paste types.

Carolyn

I can sauce and have used both non-paste and paste types. I like using opalka for canning... but I like opalka for everything (fresh eating, salsa, salad, sandwiches, etc.). I recommend Opalka highly - for everything. You mention using your juicer - you won't need to (I'm not sure why your using your juicer, but I'VE used it to cut down on the amount of seeds - and you won't need to do this with opalka - just remove the skin, cut it up and throw it in. I've cut open an opalka and found literally 4-5 seeds in it.) If your looking for suggestions/recommendations - opalka is right on. It's super.

and you won't need to do this with opalka - just remove the skin, cut it up and throw it in. I've cut open an opalka and found literally 4-5 seeds in it.) If your looking for suggestions/recommendations - opalka is right on. It's super.

*****

And with so few seeds can you imagine how many plants I had to grow to get enough seeds when I initially listed it in the SSE Yearbook? LOL Another one that is very low on seeds is Lillian's Yellow Heirloom, but I'm not suggesting that one as a paste tomato.

Carolyn

Carolyn, I don't know HOW one would be able to offer Opalka seed - because there's so few. Thankfully you did grow lots of them and offer them - because it's one of the best tomato varieties I've ever grown. It's a staple in my garden! Thanks!

Tom-

I love opalka and I've used it in canning and fresh sauce. It does make a great sauce. I also like them stewed up with garlic, peppers, onions and basil. They're very sweet.

The only thing I can say about using Opalka (for canning) is When you put it in the boiling water it floats - I'm not talking a little bit - it FLOATS... so often times one side of the skin doesn't come off as easy because it has had limited contact with the boiling water. I think this is due to Opalka having so FEW SEEDS... lots of open space and NO SEEDS... I just use the spoon and push them under water for 30 seconds and it seems to help. But if you can and haven't tried opalka - try opalka... it's a keeper (no canning pun intended).

Tom-

Caroylyn, how did you get into the business of introducing Opalka? Didn't they come from Europe?

Caroylyn, how did you get into the business of introducing Opalka? Didn't they come from Europe?

*****

I've introduced several hundreds of heirlooms, and no, it's not a business. LOL

Wherever I was living I'd make contacts with those who were maintaining family heirlooms, whether originally from Europe, or not.

Opalka, for instance, I got from Carol Swidorski, a fellow teacher whose family bought it from Poland to Amsterdam, NY in about 1900.

Omar's Lebanese I got from an adjunct teaching A and P who was called home to Lebanon b'c his father had died. When Omar returned I was surprised he brought with him the seeds for the variety I named after him b'c he'd been telling me about them for quite a while and how they grew in the hill towns where his family had a summer home.

Sandul Moldovan is from a family newly migrated to the Albany, NY area who brought the seeds with them.

Gogosha is from a former student whose family bought them with them when they came from the Tarnipal region of the Ukraine to the US.

Tadesse and Whuhib are two excellent ones from Ethiopia that I got from an Ethiopian student, Tadesse Wuhib, when he returned from a visit home to Ethiopia. Tadesse is an MD with CDC in Atlanta and his Uncle is still the Bishop of Ethiopia as far as I know.

Heidi I got from a former student who brought them back with her after a Xmas visit home to Cameroon and I named the variety for her; her name is Heido Iyok.

Chris Ukrainian I got from a maintenance worker who was working in the woman's bathroom at work and I asked him where he was from b'c I didn't recognize his accent.

And on and on it goes. Just making contacts and following up.

Carolyn, and then I'd send the best of what I grew in any one year to a few seed places that I trust so they would be more available to the public than just listed in SSE Yearbooks if their trial of them went OK.

Ohiogrower,

Carolyn is the "tomato lady." Lol! We're very lucky to have her here. See the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: 100 Heirloom Tomatoes

Heido Iyok.

*****

And make that Heidi Iyok.

Heaven knows it's misspelled in several listings in the SSE YEarbooks and elsewhere and upon rereading found that I'd not caught that typo. Sigh.

The misspelling is usually Lyok for Iyok.

I got a nice orange habanero from Heidi as well.

Carolyn

"Chris Ukrainian I got from a maintenance worker who was working in the woman's bathroom at work and I asked him where he was from b'c I didn't recognize his accent. "

Carolyn, I don't recall these stories in your book - I hope you have this all written down and plan on sharing them at some point. It's interesting and facinating and well, funny... Are you writing all this down - because if you are, sign me up, I'd like to know the history of these heirlooms - family loveapples... FACINATING!!!!!!!!!!1

Carolyn, I don't recall these stories in your book - I hope you have this all written down and plan on sharing them at some point. It's interesting and facinating and well, funny... Are you writing all this down - because if you are, sign me up, I'd like to know the history of these heirlooms - family loveapples... FACINATING!!!!!!!!!!1

*****

Some of the histories/backgrounds are in the book, most aren 't.

There was a real squeeze for space b'c each of the books in that Smith and Hawken series had to be the same number of pages. I had to fight like whatever to get the seed source section in the back, that is, where I got my seeds from, which is important.

The rest of the stories are up here, said Carolyn tapping her head. LOL

Carolyn

I understand the squeeze for space in a book about 100 heirlooms... and the importance of seed source section in the back... but to me, the stories are just important and it would be a shame for that to be lost... people end up making stories up and what not and the interesting people and places they came from are lost. I'm interested and I would imagine other people would be interested... it'd be nice if on this forum or something you could share an interesting story each week or something on the heirlooms you've introduced. The story - people - places - ?? I think it would be fun...

*****
I hear you Tom, I do.

If I were to do it it would be at another place where I post, you know where, since several requests were made there first.

Maybe when the snow flies.

Right now I'm desperately trying to meet a deadline for revamping some tomato blurbs at a website and the catalog deadline for same is just a week away and I'm only up to the orange/yellows doing for now just the ones I know off the top of my head.

Then after that project someone else has asked me to review his website listings.

And yesterday I found out my car inspection sticker expired in August when I had lots of other health issues on my mind and so the few times I've been able to drive out I've been driving illegally. LOL They'll pick up the car next Tuesday for me to do that and all the other routine stuff. I don't drive in the winter per my surgeon's admonition......Carolyn, take no risk behaviours, if you fall don't tear anything, break it, and make it a clean break and not a compound fracture. LOL

So I stay put when the white stuff is on the ground and the car stays in the garage the whole winter but someone takes it out for a stroll for me from time to time.

Then we've got my one cat who went AWOL for 7 weeks, I thought she was dead, but she came back, a bag of bones, flea ridden and with tapeworms ( Uggghhh) and it's been barf city here for the poor dear; I've had her for 7 years since I moved here and this has never happened before. I had to go begging to get someone to get her to the vet and my other cat needs to go too, but there's the challenge since she runs and hides whenever someone is here. And I, being in my walker, cannot catch a cat, stuff it in the carrier and drive to the vets as I used to.

Confession: The BNP Paris Master's Tennis is also on this week, on the Tennis Channel, so I'm a goner there as well. LOL

So I wrote more in this post than I probably should have, but whatever. LOL

Carolyn

I don't know where else you post - but may be post it in both places if you ever get around to being able to post at all? Have you ever thought about dictating your tomato stories into a micro casette or something? Don't tell anyone, but I'm pretty good at dictation (and I'm willing and happy to do so) at least it would all be down in black and white... you could do what you wanted with it from there.

Being busy as you are, I know we should all thankful that you get back to us at all - but you know, Americans all want MORE MORE MORE... Tomato stories would be GRRREEAT!

i am growing roma toms right now but would like to try other toms for making a sauce i found this thread verry interesting thanx will try and find some opalka .
and you could always wright another book with all kinds of stories of how you got the seeds carolyn. i for one would buy it in a heart beat something titled "How i became known as The tomato Lady " or somethng along those lines.

It looks like the overwhelming vote is Opalka. I grew them for the 1st time this year and agree they are great for salsa and sauce. One other that I've found very good, and large is Big Mama. Sorry that some of you may take exception since it is a Burpee hybrid.
John A

I have grown both Rocky and Opalka and they are superior IMHO but I will try Heidi per Carolyn's advise to test the flavor although I think they are smaller than I really want to deal with but if they have superior flavor then it's well worth it.