Reflections from Truelove Seeds founder Owen Taylor: Dip a spoon into a pot of simmering San Marzano Tomatoes, and you'll realize you've found your forever sauce tomato. Well, that's what happened to me. These particular pointy-ended plum tomatoes are grown widely in the volcanic soil of the Salerno province near Naples, Italy - the same province and soil where my great grandmother Rosana "Rose" Lauriello was born. You can find these tomatoes canned in most grocery stores, often from tomatoes grown and canned in Salento. They are listed on the Slow Food Presidia for Italy, where they now have protected status. They became endangered as more and more canneries were using hybrid tomatoes that had higher productivity and more disease resistance. I'll say this: this year, ours pumped out fruits and were the healthiest tomato plants in our fields. And their sauce tastes amazingly rich, sweet, and perfectly acidic, with exactly the right texture. I'm no tomato expert - maybe someday I'll find a sauce tomato I like more - but for now, this tried and true heirloom from one of my motherlands has earned an all-star spot on my farm for years to come.
Finally, tomatoes have a history much deeper than Italy: they are so named from the Nahuatl (Aztec language) word "xitomatl" or "tomatl;" they have been cultivated as food on the land that is now called Mexico since at least around 500 BC; and they originate in western South America.
Finally, tomatoes have a history much deeper than Italy: they are so named from the Nahuatl (Aztec language) word "xitomatl" or "tomatl;" they have been cultivated as food on the land that is now called Mexico since at least around 500 BC; and they originate in western South America.
