Dining and Cooking
Question on tomatoes
In Canning

Question on tomatoes


First question: Are these considered plum tomatoes? Included picture of a bowl of the oblong, smallish tomatoes with US quarter on top for scale. They’re much larger than our cherry toms but definitely smaller than the recipe I’m targeting contemplates.

I’d like to use them in the Ball Roasted Leek and Tomato Soup recipe. It calls for 8lbs plum tomatoes, cored and quartered (about 24 medium). This is nearly 8 lbs before coring and is well over 50 toms.

Second question: I presume the weight specified for toms (or any ingredient) is after the directed treatment? So I would want 8lbs after coring? Thinking splitting in half would be best if I can use these.

by Starliteathon

5 Comments

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  2. VogUnicornHunter

    These are grape tomatoes and won’t yield the same result. The flavor profile of these is much more bright and better for fresh eating. Plum tomatoes (romas are a plum tomato variety) have far less water, more pulp, and they’re more mellow in flavor, which makes them better for cooking. If you use these you’ll end up with a very tart and possibly watery soup.

  3. VeRbOpHoBiC1

    You need some Roma tomatoes!

    Romas are all I grow, and make the best sauces and salsas. Less water content so more “meat.” I don’t weigh mine but I get about a half cup (once cut up) for each medium tomato.

  4. grannygrower

    The weight is before coring. I couldn’t find the Ball recipe in my books, and only found a Bernardin one mentioned but no actual recipe. As you’ve been told, these are grape tomatoes. Substituting these for Romas means A LOT more seeds in the end product, and more liquid overall. If the recipe calls for peeled tomatoes (which nearly all safe tomato recipes do), that’s a lot of work with those yummy little guys. It’s a step that can’t be skipped due to potential harmful bacteria on the skins. If not, that’s an awful lot of skin in a soup and, imo, would result in a yucky end product. I usually dehydrate cherry and grape tomatoes for tomato powder. Those are some amazing looking tomatoes btw.