Johnboy.

[Arnie]

Hi Johnboy,
need your advice,do you know of a good variety or varieties of tomato suitable for sundrying.

all the best for the new year.

Kevin

[Johnboy]

Hi Kevin,
I have got grave doubts if it is possible to sun dry tomatoes in the uk. However I could be completely wrong. Allan is the Tomato King so lets hope he picks up on this thread.
I really have no idea which would be the best for your need.
May I wish you a Happy New Year and may all your growings be fruitful!!

[Allan]

Yes I've arrived. I haven't tried anything like that. All our kept tomatoes are frozen which apart from texture is 100% the same as fresh tomato, strongly recommended if at all possible. If it must be dried I suggest one of the big beefsteaks sliced up to a reasonable thickness as you tend to get a smaller number of seeds. Try Black Russian, few seeds, excellent flavour but it could never be sold as whole fruit, the skin is readily split. I will come back here if I find any more.

[Allan]

You really should look on Google, there is loads of info on the topic, more than I could possibly find out otherwise.

[Tigger]

Also - take a look on Sarah Raven's site. She's knowledgeable on tomatoes. The guy in Herefordshire featured in one of last autumn's KG issues who has the national collection of vines also grows heritage tomatoes, so he might be a useful contact.

[Deb P]

The Simply Vegetables catalogue from Plants of Distinction is offering seed of the variety 'Sun-Dried' which is sold for this very purpose, I've got some on order!

[Arnie]

Hi all
Thanks for your replys, Allan how do you frezze dry toms please,Deb I had the simply veg catalouge they were in last years but I could not find them in this years catalouge and I have binned it . Tigger I will have a look at Sarah Ravens site.

Thank you once again

Kevin

[Tigger]

Had a look in some of my books - Principe Borghese seems to be the favourite for cooking and drying.

[Arnie]

Thanks Tigger for info, chantel has just posted a reccomdation for seeds of italy and the first on the toms list was Principe borghese at £1-49 for 300 seeds.
So that's me sorted

Thank you very much


Kevin

[Allan]

Kevin, we freeze them as they are, never used the freezing as part of a drying process.

[Allan]

For those equally baffled. Sarah Raven's site is The Cutting Garden. No mention of Sarah in the title. It's mostly a list of seeds for sale.

[Tigger]

Can I suggest you request a catalogue rather than traipse through each page on the web (of Sarah Raven's site). It's much easier.

[Wellie]

Hi all,

No-one may agree, but I grew Roma (plum type with loads of flesh and very few seeds and alledgedly great for drying) two years ago in my grown-up-girls-greenhouse. They are a 'bush-type' habit, so not the neatest if that bothers you... but they were true to form and produced abundant quantities of juicy plum toms that dried extremely well in a very very very low oven. Which then freeze extremely well for intense tommy flavour when needed later.
Wellie
x

[Johnboy]

Hi Wellie,
Kevins question was for: oh read it properly!!
Since when did the sun shine in you oven!!
I am perfectly aware that it shines from other places for me and you! [/b]

[Johnboy]

Hi Wellie,
Dunno what happened there but it wasn't meant to be underlined sorry 'cos it looks sooo--- rude!