Hard Roma tomato

11 years ago

last modified: 11 years ago

this is my first year growing Roma tomatoes.

the "plum" type tomato i usually purchase at the local market can be eaten raw/sliced and they are fairly juicy.

this Determinate Roma tomato plant i have doesn't seem to be that way. the tomatoes are rock hard/firm even when very red. so it looks like these for cooking only..?

normally i can tell when a tomatoe is ready to pick not only based on color, but by touch as well.

how do i know when these Roma are ready to pick? they remain hard so i guess as long as they are red they're ok to pick?

does anyone have a recipe how to i turn them into a spaghetti sauce? if they aren't juicy how do i turn them into a sauce? adding water? O_o

Featured Answer

digdirt2

11 years ago

Sadly you have had to discover why so many of us won't bother to grow Romas. Never have understood their appeal for some.

Yes, Romas are a hard, dry paste tomato. While most all paste tomato varieties tend to be dry there are literally hundreds of varieties of paste tomatoes that are jucier and better tasting than Roma IMO but some swear buy them despite their lack of flavor and their tendency toward BER.

Apparently some like them because they are so dry. That way when they puree them for a sauce they don't have to do any cooking down to thicken the sauce. But the sauce they make has little flavor on its own and depends on the seasonings you add for taste. There are many discussions here and on the Harvest forum about how to make a much better flavorful sauce using other varieties.

But yes you can turn them into fresh or frozen tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce by peeling and pureeing them in a blender, food processor, or with a tomato mill. Which you use all depends on if you want the seeds removed or not. The pureeing, the processing releases whatever water they may contain so normally you don't have to add water although some will add a bit of wine if necessary.

If you are wanting to can your sauce, and if you want actual spaghetti sauce (contains many more ingredients) then come over to Harvest (the food preservation forum here) for all the details on how to do it.

Dave

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Comments (7)

stevie
Original Author
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
ah well that explains everything, i was beginning to think there was something wrong with them..i guess i'll turn them into some paste or something. i hear they freeze well too.

and yes, i've also discovered they seem to be BER prone. i had to chunk around 10 of them away even though soil condition seem good, because they were right next to another tomato variety (Big beefs) which got the same care and didn't have a single BER tomato on it.

a bit unfortunate since the plant is extremely prolific. the plant is small (only around 24" tall) yet has around 30-40 pretty large 3" tomatoes on it. if i decide to grow next season it won't be more than 1 plant lol.. perhaps i will try to find another prolific plum variety that has a bit more juice going on so they can also be sliced up.

Thanks
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digdirt2
11 years ago
The best use I have ever found for them is dehydrating. They dry well and it intensifies what flavor they do have. Use the search to pull up the posts by 'brokenbar' on drying and preserving them.

Dave

For next year, if you want a paste, look into San Marzano varieties or Amish Paste that are often available as transplants and if you grow your own from seed, Margherita, Opalka, Mariana, Rocky, or Howard German to name a few.
stevie thanked digdirt2
Seysonn_ 8a-NC/HZ-7
11 years ago
Yeah. Actually it is a plus , IMO, if you want to make sauce or can them whole.

You can always improve the taste sauce by adding various herbs and spices ( Italian or other kinds) .

Sey
digdirt2
11 years ago
<You can always improve the taste sauce by adding various herbs and spices >

That's my point. Tomato sauce should taste like tomatoes, good tomatoes. Why bother to make tomato sauce if all you can taste is the herbs and spices you had to add?

Dave
Diane Corriveau
6 years ago
My roma tomatoes are soft. I was wondering if they are still edible
Justin Yates
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
It depends on the Roma variety, and also...the weather. If your tomatoes are to hot or not watered enough, they will have thicker harder skin this goes for all varieties. The plants do this to help reduce evaporation and protect the seeds within the fruit. You will find when it gets real hot, suddenly your plant stops producing fruit or slow way down, this is heat stress. I grow tomatoes in pots, that way when July/August hit I can move them, to cut back on the amount of sun and heat they endure. The appreciation they show is very obvious. I use Roma for sauce. As far as not having flavor....never had that problem, where I live (Maine) Roma is a favorite of many. What are you guys using for a grow medium or ferts? What many gardeners don't think about is you are not caring for a plant, you are caring for the plant environment. The better it's environment the happier the plant. The plant doesn't need your help, it just needs a proper and consistent environment. The environment you provide will determine how your plants, veggies and fruits turn out. The individual varieties have their own characteristics, but that doesn't mean that is always how that plant or fruit will be. This is because it all depends on environment. It is up to you to learn what each particular variety prefers.

Thats my two cents, I am horticulture professional if that matters. I plant somewhere around 100,000 plants a year ranging from veggies to annuals and perennials. I am also knowledgeable in regard to trees and shrubs.