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In the annotations of tomato seed producers, the designation of a variety is often indicated "for conservation". Rarely on which packaging is it written "for pickling" in the appointment, although tomatoes are salted no less often than canned. Pickled tomato varieties often coincide with varieties intended for conservation. More precisely, both operations can be carried out with these tomatoes. Nevertheless, there are small differences between them.
When choosing varieties of tomatoes intended for pickling and canning, they do not pay much attention to the yield. Other criteria are important here.
Tomato varieties for pickling are chosen based on the fruits.
In a good scenario, the variety should produce tomatoes of approximately the same size for uniform soaking with brine during the salting process. The bushes should be harvested together; you cannot store a batch of ripe tomatoes while waiting for the next one to ripen. Tomatoes already harvested can become moldy and ruin the entire pickling batch. For a guaranteed harvest, it is better to choose varieties that are zoned in the area where they will be grown.
The canning varieties must meet substantially the same requirements as the pickling varieties, but the tomatoes must be even smaller. In addition to the fact that large tomatoes do not pass very well into the neck of the jar, they often burst either when they are poured with a hot solution of the marinade, or later when trying to get the fruit out of the jar. For some, it is important that the contents of the jar look beautiful, which is almost impossible to achieve when preserving large tomatoes. However, beauty is a matter of taste.
But what is really very important when choosing a tomato variety for any type of workpiece is the plant's resistance to various pathogenic microflora.
Tomatoes affected by fungi are not suitable for pickling, preservation, or storage. This was precisely what once explained the torment of housewives in the USSR, when the whole batch of canned tomatoes could explode. After all, tomatoes arrived in stores already rotten, but this was not yet visible to the naked eye.
The best varieties of tomatoes for canning
Sweet meeting
Pink tomatoes with medium density pulp. Not suitable for salting, but well suited for canning. Fruits weighing 17 grams belong to the "cherry" group. A jar of canned tomatoes will look very original if you mix them with “cherry” of other colors, for example, with “Golden Stream” and “De-Barao”.
The variety must be grown under a film cover. Determinate bush, requiring garter and shaping. The growing season is 100 days.
De Barao
A whole family of tomatoes is hiding under the name "De Barao". "De Barao" is not only multi-colored, but also of different sizes. Some of them are suitable for preservation and salting, others are too large for these purposes.
Common features of the varieties of this variety:
- the variety is grown only in greenhouses, open ground is possible only in the southern part of Russia;
- unpretentiousness;
- high productivity.
"De-Barao Giant"
Not suitable for salting and canning. Too large tomatoes weighing up to 350 g do not allow high-quality fermentation of tomatoes, as they burst under pressure. And a whole tomato simply won't fit into a jar.
"De Barao Black"
Tomatoes are ideal for preservation. With their average weight of 55 grams and the purple color of ripe fruits, they will go well with varieties such as Golden Stream and Sweet Meeting, creating a colorful variety in the jar.
Ovaries are formed in up to 10 racemes. The stem can have up to 8 racemes. As an exception, the bush is determinant, being very high (up to 3 m). In this regard, the tomato is grown in high greenhouses or in the open air, if we are talking about the southern regions. To the north, only greenhouse conditions are possible.
With good care, up to 8 kg of tomatoes are harvested from the bush of this De-Barao variety. A couscous is formed into 2 stems with obligatory tying.
The disadvantages include its poor coexistence with other varieties of tomatoes and the need for careful pruning.
The advantages are resistance to diseases and sharp temperature fluctuations, shade tolerance and frost resistance.
"De Barao Red"
It bears red fruits weighing from 80 to 120 g, which are suitable for pickling and canning. Preservation is best done in large enough jars. The total yield of the bush is up to 6 kg. Usually below.
The shrub grows up to 2 meters and requires high ceilings in the greenhouse. It is not recommended to plant in unprotected soil, as the tall stem can be damaged by the wind. The variety is not standard. Resistant to disease.
"De Barao Yellow / Gold"
In the name of the variety, both variants of the designation of the color of yellow tomatoes weighing up to 90 g can be found. These tomatoes are well suited for conservation due to their small size.
The variety forms ovaries with up to 10 tassels each. On the stem, an average of 7 brushes are formed. The growth of the bush is up to 2 meters, which requires a strong support for tying. But from such a bush you can get up to 12 kg of tomatoes. In exceptional cases, up to 20 kg.
The disadvantages of the variety include its long growing season (first harvest after 120 days), obligatory pinching and the need for a large living space.
The advantages include its frost resistance and undemanding lighting, disease resistance and endurance.
"De Barao Pink"
Small pink tomatoes, good for preservation. Tomatoes have a "nose" common for all varieties of "De Barao". They grow in brushes of 9 ovaries each. Up to 6 brushes are formed on the stem. The pulp of this variety is sweet and sour, fleshy.
A bush with unlimited growth, bears fruit up to cold weather. The usual yield is up to 7 kg per bush. With good care up to 10 kg. Bushes are planted two per square meter.
The advantages and disadvantages are the same as those of other representatives of this group of varieties.
The best varieties of tomatoes for pickling
"De-Barao Tsarsky"
Good for pickling. The average weight of tomatoes is 160g. Suitable for preservation only if it is preserved in large jars, from 3 liters or more. One - two tomatoes per liter jar, occupying a smaller part of the volume and ineffective and ugly.
Tomatoes are slightly elongated, pink-red. Clusters grow up to 8 fruits each. About 9 brushes are formed on one stem of a tomato bush.
A bush with unlimited growth, capable of producing crops up to the onset of frost. One bush yields up to 12 kg of tomatoes, and in good conditions and regular feeding it can produce 20 kg.
The bush grows up to 2 m and requires tying and pinching. The variety is not afraid of sharp fluctuations in temperature and frost, it is very resistant to diseases.
De Barao Orange
Tomato variety, located "on the very border" between tomatoes suitable for pickling and suitable for conservation. Can be used equally in both cases. The weight of these tomatoes is 110 grams. The color at maturity is deep orange. Suitable for salting in a barrel very well. For canning, it is better to choose a large enough jar, where these fruits will look very beautiful.
The bush is not limited in growth, due to which it can bear fruit until the very frost. You grow up to 2 meters in height and requires a lot of space. With a lack of space, it may die. The bush is not a standard bush, it requires strong support and high-quality tying. A bush is usually formed into 2 stems. The usual yield is up to 8 kg per bush.
The advantages and disadvantages are common with other varieties of this variety.
"Salted delicacy"
The variety is zoned for the northern regions: the Urals and Siberia. Non-hybrid. The bush grows no higher than a meter, being determinant. Stamp, not requiring pinning, but needing to be tied up. The ripening period of the crop is 100 days. It can be grown in open beds, but it is prone to phytophorosis. Low yield relative to industrial varieties: up to 3.5 kg per bush.
Small tomatoes (up to 100 g), elongated (cream). Like most varieties of this group, they have a dense skin that protects tomatoes from fungal diseases and does not crack when salted.
Donskoy F1
According to the manufacturer, the variety is suitable for conservation, but with its size it is better to use it for pickling. The weight of a tomato is from 100 to 120 g. The fruit is round enough and large enough to be easily removed from the jar later.
But this variety has a very firm flesh, which is good quality for both pickling and canning.
The bushes are undersized, up to 60 cm. The variety is distinguished by the amicable ripening of fruits, like most other determinant tomatoes. Harvested 95 days after sowing the seeds. The tomato was bred in the Rostov region and has an elongated nose characteristic of the hybrids bred by the Poisk company. Zoned for the south of Russia, Ukraine and Moldova, where it can grow in the open air. To the north, it is grown in greenhouses.
Tips for choosing pickled tomatoes
During fermentation, lactic acid is formed in the barrel, which acts as a preservative and prevents the tomatoes from becoming moldy. With an insufficient content of saccharides in tomatoes, acid is not formed and the fermented products will become moldy.
You can ferment not only red, but also green tomatoes... In this case, it is better to pick tomatoes of blanche ripeness.
Therefore, for salting it is necessary to take as hard specimens as possible. Moreover, if for pickling green tomatoes, almost any varieties of tomatoes are suitable, except for salad and sauce, then for pickling ripe tomatoes it is better to select those with a very dense skin. This kind of skin is distinguished by varieties, which are popularly called "plums". All of them have an oblong shape and a rough, thick skin.
Conclusion
In the end, everyone chooses the best varieties of tomatoes for pickling and canning for himself. Much depends on the recipe for the marinade or brine and the taste of a particular tomato variety.
