This year we planted a bunch of San Marzano "Italian" type tomatoes.
Yesterday my DH picked the first two apparently ripe ones. Both had
very firm flesh on the inside with almost no liquid or seed. And they
were at least one third hollow! In fact, the inside reminded me a lot
of a red pepper since it was so hollow. I have not seen this before in
any tomato. Does anyone know if this is a characteristic of this
particular tomato or some kind of growing problem? Our San Marzano
plants are just filled with unripe fruit--- more than I have ever seen
on any tomato plant of any variety. I have not tasted them yet. So
weird.....

In article
,
Phaedrine Stonebridge wrote:

This year we planted a bunch of San Marzano "Italian" type tomatoes.
Yesterday my DH picked the first two apparently ripe ones. Both had
very firm flesh on the inside with almost no liquid or seed. And they
were at least one third hollow! In fact, the inside reminded me a lot
of a red pepper since it was so hollow. I have not seen this before in
any tomato. Does anyone know if this is a characteristic of this
particular tomato or some kind of growing problem? Our San Marzano
plants are just filled with unripe fruit--- more than I have ever seen
on any tomato plant of any variety. I have not tasted them yet. So
weird.....

I grew them once and they looked like the standard plum tomato. I
haven't any idea why the ones you grew are hollow. Or, maybe it's just
mine that were weird and you're are normal :-)

marcella

Phaedrine Stonebridge wrote:

This year we planted a bunch of San Marzano "Italian" type tomatoes.
Yesterday my DH picked the first two apparently ripe ones. Both had
very firm flesh on the inside with almost no liquid or seed. And they
were at least one third hollow! In fact, the inside reminded me a lot
of a red pepper since it was so hollow. I have not seen this before in
any tomato. Does anyone know if this is a characteristic of this
particular tomato or some kind of growing problem? Our San Marzano
plants are just filled with unripe fruit--- more than I have ever seen
on any tomato plant of any variety. I have not tasted them yet. So
weird.....


That's normal for some Italian paste type tomatoes. I don't recall San
Marzano actually being hollow, but I haven't grown them in about 10
years. The "Sausage" tomatoes I grew last year were mostly hollow with
the seeds in just a dab of thick concentrated jelly. They were
wonderful for cooking thick sauces.

Best regards,
Bob

--
"Stealing a Rhinoceros should not be attempted lightly" --Kehlog Albran

Phaedrine Stonebridge wrote in message ...
This year we planted a bunch of San Marzano "Italian" type tomatoes.
Yesterday my DH picked the first two apparently ripe ones. Both had
very firm flesh on the inside with almost no liquid or seed. And they
were at least one third hollow! In fact, the inside reminded me a lot
of a red pepper since it was so hollow. I have not seen this before in
any tomato. Does anyone know if this is a characteristic of this
particular tomato or some kind of growing problem? Our San Marzano
plants are just filled with unripe fruit--- more than I have ever seen
on any tomato plant of any variety. I have not tasted them yet. So
weird.....

Yes, they tend to have space in them.
That is why they are the best sauce tomato, no juice, all meat.

In article ,
(simy1) wrote:

Phaedrine Stonebridge wrote in message
...
This year we planted a bunch of San Marzano "Italian" type tomatoes.
Yesterday my DH picked the first two apparently ripe ones. Both had
very firm flesh on the inside with almost no liquid or seed. And they
were at least one third hollow! In fact, the inside reminded me a lot
of a red pepper since it was so hollow. I have not seen this before in
any tomato. Does anyone know if this is a characteristic of this
particular tomato or some kind of growing problem? Our San Marzano
plants are just filled with unripe fruit--- more than I have ever seen
on any tomato plant of any variety. I have not tasted them yet. So
weird.....

Yes, they tend to have space in them.
That is why they are the best sauce tomato, no juice, all meat.


Cool, that's what I was hoping.

In article ,
zxcvbob wrote:

Phaedrine Stonebridge wrote:

This year we planted a bunch of San Marzano "Italian" type tomatoes.
Yesterday my DH picked the first two apparently ripe ones. Both had
very firm flesh on the inside with almost no liquid or seed. And they
were at least one third hollow! In fact, the inside reminded me a lot
of a red pepper since it was so hollow. I have not seen this before in
any tomato. Does anyone know if this is a characteristic of this
particular tomato or some kind of growing problem? Our San Marzano
plants are just filled with unripe fruit--- more than I have ever seen
on any tomato plant of any variety. I have not tasted them yet. So
weird.....


That's normal for some Italian paste type tomatoes. I don't recall San
Marzano actually being hollow, but I haven't grown them in about 10
years. The "Sausage" tomatoes I grew last year were mostly hollow with
the seeds in just a dab of thick concentrated jelly. They were
wonderful for cooking thick sauces.


Well I do feel better now. I feared we did something wrong. And I am
looking forward to canning them. Say, how do they do in salsa (canned)
or taco sauce?

Today we had a whopper of a storm here. Two trees down and a few of our
bean tripods. Hopefully the beans will survive. But the trees will
have to be removed. All the corn was flattened as well. I hope it
springs back up.

Phaedrine Stonebridge said:

In article ,
zxcvbob wrote:

Phaedrine Stonebridge wrote:

Well I do feel better now. I feared we did something wrong. And I am
looking forward to canning them. Say, how do they do in salsa (canned)
or taco sauce?

Should be great in any kind of sauce or salsa.

Today we had a whopper of a storm here. Two trees down and a few of our
bean tripods. Hopefully the beans will survive. But the trees will
have to be removed. All the corn was flattened as well. I hope it
springs back up.

Corn won't spring back up unless it's tiny. Best get out there and prop it up.
(I have to do that sometimes.) If the corn is just leaning, a strategically placed
wad of compost might be enough to keep it upright. Otherwise, put a stake
at each end of a row and run some twine between them, looping the twine
around each cornstalk to hold it upright. (This is a two-person job.) With
blocks of corn you can run twine in a criss-cross pattern to prop the corn up.
Even the twine-braced corn will appreciate some compost packed around
the bottom of the stalk.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)