Pat Kiewicz wrote:
Steve Bonine said:


I'm a couple of state over, in south-east Michigan. I've tried *lots* of
tomato varieties.


I am 15 miles W of Pat, and let me mention that in a cool summer,
cherry tomatoes and the ultra early ones perform better. I grow Yellow
Pear and Stupice besides the regular tomatoes, but I am aware there are
better cherry tomatoes than the former. Stupice is generally considered
one of the best of the early season ones. Of course, neither compares
to a good main season tomato tastewise but the kids like YP and Stupice
is pretty good.

San Marzano paste tomatoes are superior in the paste category IMHO,
long, dry and tasty, and we end up using lots of them fresh. The rest
is blanched and frozen in ziploc bags. I mention all this because they
are heirloom, and by now I am growing 50% San Marzano (and plan to
increase). They make better fresh pasta sauce (raw tomato pasta sauce,
SM blended with basil and garlic, is divine), salsa, bruschetta, tomato
chowder, stew, vegetable medley, eggplant parmesan, anything cooked
tomatoes, and of course in the winter you appreciate them even more.