Do you want to grow your own tomatoes formaking salsabut you’re not sure how topick the right variety? Technically, you can use anytype of tomatoto make a paste,sauce, or salsa, but thebest tomatoesforsalsa-makingor canningsaucesare thick-walled, have few seeds, and are meatier than other tomatoes.
These denser tomatoes make your work easier as you’ll need fewer tomatoes and less time to make yoursauces. Among tomato nerds like us, we call canning tomatoes with these qualitiesplum tomatoesorpaste tomatoes.
Whattype of tomatois best for salsa?
Paste tomatoeshave characteristics that are desirable for makingsaucesand salsas. These tomatoes have lessjuice, gel, and seeds which cuts down on processing time.
They’re also often grown ondeterminate, bushy plants that have high yields in a short period of time. This is desirable since you want to be able to preserve the crop in batches.
Some saypaste tomatoesare mild inflavor, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. Theflavorwill be somewhat intensified as you condense the tomato into asauce, and a mild tomato makessaucesthat don’t overpower theflavorof the rest of youringredients.
One variety ofpaste tomatoesthat many people are familiar with is theRoma tomato. Romas are a greatsalsa tomato, and you’ll see lots of similar varieties of tomatoes referred to as Roma type.
Another commonly recommendedpaste tomatois the San Marzano. San Marzanos are praised for theirflavorandtexturewhich are ideal for homemadetomato paste,sauce, or salsa.
The problem withpaste tomatoes
The thing you don’t really hear talked about is that home gardeners often find that these tomatoes are hard to grow.
That’s because they’re very prone to diseases that can wipe out an entire crop which is terrible when you’re trying to grow food for your family.Paste tomatoesare also notorious forstruggling with blossom end rotwhich makes the tomatoes unusable.
We’ve grown dozens of varieties ofpaste tomatoes, and we know that some plants will get blossom end rot (BER) on every single fruit. It’s incredibly frustrating!
Blossom end rot is a complex disease processthat has a lot to do with how you grow your tomatoes, but sometypes of tomatoesare more prone to the disorder than others.
For example, elongated tomatoes with pointy ends (like San Marzano) are very prone to BER whereas cherry and heart-shaped tomatoes are very resistant.
Growing tomatoes for canningsaucesand salsas
For best results growingpaste tomatoes, make sure you’re burying your tomato stems as deep as possible leaving only 2-3 sets of leaves above ground. Mulch the base of your plants heavily to help block weeds and prevent moisture loss.
The way you fertilizethem will affect their growth. To make healthy plants that bear lots of fruit, fertilize at planting with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer and then switch to potassium-rich fertilizer when they start making tomatoes and repeat as needed every 4-8 weeks.
It’s incredibly frustrating as a family that eats A LOT of tomatoes, that we haven’t found a really good producer in thepaste tomatocategory.
So I went on the hunt for some paste varieties of tomatoes that are resistant to disease AND least likely to get BER. These suggestions are from seed companies and fellow tomato nerds who grow and trial manytypes of tomatoesto find what works the best.
Some are hybrids and some areheirloom tomatoes. If you’re not sure what that means, check out this video:
Best hybrid tomatoes for canning
Big Mama– A beast of a tomato made for dicing, this is a very popular variety for homecanners. Known to be a great producer of meaty gargantuan fruits some say this is thebest tomatofor salsa.
Little Mama– Grow an impressive cluster of small roma-type tomatoes on indeterminate plants with this variety. It’s said to be easy to grow and a heavy producer.
Granadero f1– an indeterminate variety, this hybrid has a killer disease package. It’s a heavy producer of extremely uniformmedium-sized tomatoes with greatflavor.
Pozanno F1– another indeterminate that has incredible resistance to diseases and is not prone to blossom end rot. Has the classic San Marzano shape but doesn’t give in to long, hot summers.
Gladiator hybrid– if you’re looking for a largerpaste tomato, consider growing this indeterminate variety by Burpee. This is a Roma type, but quite a bit larger and, despite its large size, is supposed to be good for patios and smaller gardens.
Whatheirloom tomatois best for salsa?
Heirloom tomatoesare great because they provide tried and true harvest for yoursalsa canning. Here are some greatheirloom, or open-pollinated, varieties that you can choose from.
Amish Paste Tomato– praised for its sweetflavorand heavy fruit set, this classicheirloom tomatois an excellent choice for your favoritesalsa recipe.
Marzano fire– A striking yellow-striped red tomato that has shown great disease resistance. This variety, bred in southern California by Fred Hempel, is loved by many who grow it.
Rio Grande– bred to be tolerant of both hot and cold temperatures, this determinate plant sets lots of red, 6-8 oz tomatoes. The thick meaty tomatoes have a mildflavorbut are great for canning into paste, salsa, andsauces.
Saucey tomato– An early producer of heavy yields of small red meaty tomatoes with greatflavor. The fruit keeps well on the vine so you can harvest all at once.
Goldman’s Italian American tomato– a very large thick-walled pear-shaped tomato that is great for canning. A uniqueheirloom varietythat has an excellentflavorfor saucing.
Santa Maria– a somewhat rare indeterminate Italianheirloompaste tomatothat has an excellent sweetflavor. It’s meaty and has few seeds to make canning easier.
Heidi– Excellentflavorand resistance to blossom end rot are the winning features of this tomato. Although the tomatoes are on the small side, the plant is very productive.
Oroma– A very dense, not too juicy, long-holding tomato originally released by OSU. Has excellent resistance to BER despite its oblong nippled shape. I’ve heard great things about this nearly seedlesspaste tomato.
San Marzano Redorta– large Italianheirloompaste tomatowith a greattasteand impressive disease resistance.
Can you use anytype of tomatoesfor salsa?
Sure! Feel free to mix thetypes of tomatoesin yoursauceorhomemade salsa. If you don’t have enough Roma-type tomatoes, don’t hesitate to chop up a heftybeefsteak tomato.
One of the best things about growing your own tomatoes for canning is that you can mix in several different varieties to make your salsa. This can improve theflavorandtextureof your home canned goods.
Are green tomatoes good for salsa?If you’re talking about green-when-ripe, then sure! They make a beautiful salsa, though theirflavortends to be more tart but I encourage you to try it. However, green tomatoes as in unripe tomatoes are not recommended for fresh eating.
Aregrape tomatoesorcherry tomatoesgood for salsa?They’lltastegood, but it will take a lot of tomatoes and chopping to get enoughsauceor salsa to preserve.
So if you’re looking for the besttypes of tomatoesto mix together for salsa, I recommend trying a few different varieties and seeing which ones you like the best. Experimenting with mixing differenttypes of tomatoesto addsweetness, acidity, andtextureto your favorite recipes, is just one of the pleasures of making it at home.
You could also try adding some of your favorite flavored slicing tomatoes or roast somecherry tomatoesto addflavorto yoursauce. You can alwaysfreeze some tomatoesas the harvest is coming in and use them later on when you’re ready. There’s no right or wrong combination of tomatoes for makingsauce, just use what you like to eat.
What is the difference betweenRoma tomatoesand regular tomatoes?
Paste and Roma-type tomatoes are best for salsa because they have a denser fruit with lessjuiceand fewer seeds. When you dice other tomatoes, you end up with a big mess of seeds,juice, and gel. All of that part gets removed if you’re makingfresh tomato salsa. With less of that wasted portion and a thicker, firmer flesh, thesetypes of tomatoesprovide more meat for your recipes.
AreRoma tomatoesgood for slicing?
Although they’re not categorized as a slicing tomato, they are great for this purpose. For the same reasons mentioned above (less seeds,juice, and gel), you will enjoy adding fresh slices ofRoma tomatoesto your salad or sandwich.
Got another paste tomato to recommend?
Share it in the comments!
