Roma tomatoes are a plum variety bred for canning and packing. They have a long shelf life and are available year-round. They can be grown at home and are best when vine-ripened. They need plenty of sun and water but are vulnerable to burns.
Roma tomatoes are a variety of tomatoes known for their durability in sauces and preserves. Roma are grown in many warm regions of the world, often all year round in greenhouses, and as a result are almost always available in most markets. Roma can also be grown at home. For people with limited space, a cultivar known as ‘windowbox Roma’ is available for growing in containers.
These tomatoes are classified as plum tomatoes, meaning they were bred specifically for canning, packing, and dipping. Plum tomatoes have very dense flesh and a small seed cavity, producing a lot of flesh with each fruit. They also have fewer seeds than other tomato varieties, which can be convenient for people who like sifting through canned tomatoes and sauces to remove the seeds.
The classic Roma tomato is shaped like an egg to a pear, and usually small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Some cultivars are bred to be especially small at maturity, to be used whole in salads and other dishes. Roma tomatoes can be red to yellow when ripe, depending on the cultivar involved, and their moisture content varies, depending on the conditions under which they were grown.
While a Roma tomato doesn’t have much flavor, it does have a very long shelf life. Roma tomatoes hold their shape well when canned and break down well in tomato sauces. Roasted Roma tomatoes can enrich their flavor and can also be blended with more flavorful tomato cultivars to create a more interesting sauce. In mid-winter, when vegetables can be hard to come by, canned Roma or frozen salsa can be a pleasant sight at the dinner table.
The vine-ripened Roma tomatoes have the best flavor, although they can be hard to get right. When selecting Roma tomatoes on the market, look for firm specimens with smooth skins. Small green spots on the skin are fine, as they will resolve when the tomato fully ripens, but tomatoes with brown spots should be avoided. If the tomatoes are unripe, a few days at room temperature in a paper bag should be enough to ripen them.
Aspiring tomato growers will need a sheltered spot in the garden where there is plenty of sun. Soil quality for tomatoes isn’t terribly important, although soil that has been enriched with compost or fertilizer tends to produce sturdier plants. Tomatoes need plenty of water during their growing season, but are very vulnerable to burns, so care must be taken to avoid splashing water on the leaves when watering.
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