Like a Visit from an Old Friend

Finally able to do a big garden again this year and so looking forward to tomatoes from these plants – 90% germination from seeds saved in 2022. Variety is “Rosaria’s Giant” , a large dense paste tomato brought over from Italy in the early 1900’s by a woman named Rosaria. She gave seeds to her son-in-law who (in his 80’s) gave seeds to my former boss, who (in his late 60’s) gave seeds to me. Seems similar to the Redorta variety of San Marzano, but with slightly larger fruits – mine are typically 8-10oz with 12-14oz fruits not uncommon. Indeterminate, I get two large harvests in July and August, and a smaller one in September here in zone 5. Amazing flavor! Makes a great passata/sauce, a pot of tomatoes only needs a tablespoon of sea salt to season, they’re that good… going to start selecting/refining genetics this year so I can give away seeds in the future to keep this variety going.