When Orange Russian #117 is good, it is great, but when it is an off year it is awful. But then, I grow OR117 as often as I can. This year my grow list includes 117 and about a dozen other hearts. Never met a heart I didn't love.

Wow, so many choices and I'm writing them down too. I think I have enough Opalka to try them one more time. Then I'll try something different.

I can't wait to see how our tomatoes do this year!

I agree Paul. I tried saving seeds from them, and didn't have as much luck. I shared some with a friend and she said yet were round and all yellow. Definitely ft crossed.

Do you have any favorite heart tomatoes?

I think I am up about 40 different heart-shaped varieties grown over the years and these are some of the best for my area in alphabetical order:
Amana Pink
Anna Russian
Brad's Black Oxheart
Butter and Bull Heart
Coeur De Valours
Fish Lake Oxheart
Hungarian Heart
Joe's Pink Oxheart
Julie's Red Oxheart
Nicky Crain
Oleyar's German
Reif Red Heart
Sylvan Guame
Wes

Once I started going through the hearts I couldn't stop. I am sure there are many more not named I would say were as good as these.

What a great list Paul!
I've heard of a few, but most are new to me. I'll start paying more attention to what is offered.
Awesome avatar. I've never seen so many blue ribbons! Impressive!

I used Kosovo (a heart) and Heidi (a red plum) for paste last year. This season I'm going to add Russian 117 and Opalka.

Don,
I'm definitely going to try a heart tomato.

I have grown Viva Italia and really like it but this spring starting my own plants from seed and skipping it.

I do have-
San Marzano Retorta
Yellow Icicle
Black Icicle
Speckled Roman

All of these will be new for me.

I tryed Black Icicle on a big container. They didn't do the best for me, but probably was the container. It was a weak transplant too. I would be willing to try them again.

Anderwood said:I tryed Black Icicle on a big container. They didn't do the best for me, but probably was the container. It was a weak transplant too. I would be willing to try them again.

Mine will be growing in ground. I was really taken by them when I saw them at Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. In fact I bought a bunch of tomato seeds from Baker Creek.

I'm looking forward to everyone's first tomato so we can see how they taste!

It always seems like such a long wait each season till the tomato plants start to produce. Once they do there are more tomatoes than I know what to do with.

Tatiana says the original Ukrainian name for Black Icicle was Sosulka Chernaya.
(Сосулька Черная)
Also let us know how they grow...one gardener said the vines were "floppy".

Will do.

Rita,
I can tomato juice to drink or use in soups so I know what to do with mine.

Back in the days that I did make my own sauce I used whatever tomatoes I Had. Lots of split or blemished tomatoes of all kinds went into the sauce.

I know that friends have told me they have made sauce from tomatoes I gave them. And I know one guy just eats the sauce tomatoes even.

Well, my seeds are in so we will see what pops up.

Rita,
I used to buy tomatoes that said ''good for canning.'' I myself like a thick juice, but juicy was the key. I would throw in the many cherry tomatoes and pineapple tomatillos we hadn't eaten.

I never had enough paste tomatoes last year to even see how thick a sauce I could get from them. I've never made my own spaghetti sauce and maybe it's not worth all the cooking down either. But I'll try once.

I have gotten too lazy in my old age to make my own sauce. I do like to make stewed tomatoes and then freeze them,. Easy to make stewed tomatoes in my crockpot. But you do need to use canning or sauce tomatoes. If not the stewed tomatoes turn out with too much juice.

I also make green stewed tomatoes using them with a bit of color as for fried green tomatoes. Cook with rice! YUM!

So last year I tried San Marzano tomatoes as those I was able to buy seedlings of locally. This year am planning on the highly recommended San Marzano Retorta. I got my seeds of them from Seeeds From Italy and should have a really good strain of SMR.