Delicious List of Tomato Varieties
There are literally hundreds of tomato varieties to choose from, all with different flavors, harvest seasons, and appearance. While there is bound to be some disagreement as to which are the most delicious tomatoes, there are many varieties of tomatoes that most agree have good flavor. Determining which tomato varieties are the best for you is a matter of personal taste and how you plan to use them.
Beefsteak/Slicing
‘Big Beef’ is a reliable, flavorful hybrid that produces lots of large red fruit. ‘Mortgage Lifter’ will produce some of the largest tomatoes possible. ‘Big Rainbow’ has the added benefit of being attractive; as its name implies, it goes through a variety of colors as it’s ripening, giving it a striped appearance. ‘German Green’ and ‘Ponderosa Pink’ are two other delicious and colorful varieties. ‘St. Pierre’ is a French variety, and considered by many to have an exceptional taste. ‘Brandywine’ is also renowned for its flavor, but can be difficult to grow.
Cherry
‘Currant Red’ and ‘Currant Yellow’ offer clusters of tiny fruit perfect for snacking. ‘Tommy Toe’ also produces small fruit and, though not as small as ‘Currant’ varieties, this plant has a long harvest period. ‘Sweet 100’ and ‘Sweet Million’ are two productive hybrids that have a good, sweet taste. ‘Sun Gold’ is an early season producer whose yellow fruit has a wonderful, bright flavor.
Salad
‘Early Girl’ is a good choice for a reliable, slightly acid hybrid variety. ‘Cherokee Purple’ is a popular heirloom that brightens salads with both its color and sweet flavor. Other heirloom tomato varieties noted for their flavor are ‘Djena Lee’s Golden Girl,’ early season ‘Tigrella,’ and the fuzzy-skinned, fruity tasting ‘Garden Peach.’
Cooking
‘San Marzano’ tomatoes are well known for their delicious flavor in sauces or when dried. ‘Amish Paste’ is another good choice for sauce and also for canning. ‘Principe Borghese’ is very productive and its fruit is seedless, making it great for drying. ‘Opalka’ is good for sauce or eating fresh, and ‘Dona’ is an early French variety good in salsas or for canning.
