[KYHeirloomer]

Give me a few more clues as to what you like, Allie, in terms of taste profiles, colors, shapes, and sizes and I'll see what I can do.

You might also try and find a copy of Carolyn Male's "100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden." Although the book is seriously flawed in some places, none of that should touch you. And the information you want is all in there.

[allie]

Thanks for the book recommendation. I'll see if my library can get it for me.

As far as taste, well, I'd love to have early tomatoes that are good for using in salads or on sandwiches. Hearty tomato taste, large enough for a slice to fit well on a typical bun or slice of bread. I don't like a lot of the green core, not sure how to get around that but I can't stand the texture of it so refuse to eat it and I don't like a lot of waste. Is that just a part of the tomato itself or is it something to do with the soil in which it's grown?

For canning, some of the tomatoes we canned from our own plants last year were really watery. I'd like something that's more substantial. I do can some in puree or juice but mostly prefer to can in quarters for use in stewed tomatoes, soups, etc.

It's hard for me to put into words what the perfect tomato for me consists of. I hate the watered down flavor of storebought tomatoes so want a good tomato taste. I don't know anything about the different colored ones....orange, green, striped, etc. as I've only ever eaten bold red colored tomatoes.

[KYHeirloomer]

In practical terms, Stupice is probably the earliest tomato you'll be able to grow. Unfortunately, like most early season tomatoes, it's on the smallish side: 3-4 ounces, growing in clusters of three to five.

Matina is another early season red, weighing in at 3-5 ounces, in clusters of five to nine.

Sophie's Choice is an exception to the small size of early tomatoes. It runs 6-8 ounces. It's a bit on the sweet side, compared to Stupice, which has a good, balanced tomatoey flavor.

Anna Russian comes in a little later (officially described as "early mid-season" and is more heart-shaped than round. It's large---often in the 1-lb range.

For canning you want to choose a true paste or plum tomato. They are typified by having a relatively dry flesh, and small seed cavities. Best bet for those is to contact Marianne Jones, at Mariseeds.com. She's collected plum and paste tomatoes for several years and can make recomendations.

As to the core: It's the nature of the beast. Some tomatoes have heavy cores, some have hardly any at all. While I agree with you about waste, for those with heavy cores I just cut them out before slicing.

[allie]

Thank you for your suggestions! I'm copying this and will be doing some checking to see where I can find them and more research on growing them.

I'm really thankful to you both for this discussion. It's been a learning experience!

[ChuckBartok]

Some knowledgeable "mater experts here.

Allie, if you are looking for consistent production of
good tasting tomatoes, may I suggest Early Girl, Champion
and Stupice.

Early Girls and Stupice (from the Ukraine and cold hardy) will
be vigorous and early fruit set. Th Early Girl produce a consistent
6x6 tomato size for us, Stupice an bit smaller, great for Salads.

My restaurant clients love Stupice.

The Champion and other Hybrid Varieties known as
slicers are a bit later and larger.

You may enjoy watching our series on youtube.com/cjbart2

Look for PlayList Growing Tomatoes for Health and Wealth