Question of the day: To purchase or grow your own? Many say Italian tomatoes are considered some of the best in the world. In Campania near Naples, around the Mount Vesuvius area in the Agro Sarnese-Nocerino (a valley), the soil is volcanic and fertile. A very old tomato variety is produced there in limited quantities called the San Marzano.

Because of its specialty and limited production area, the European Union gave it a DOP or denomination of protected origin (Denominazione d’Origine Protetta). This means a product has specific characteristics because it was grown in a particular geographic region using specific methods. Every can of authentic Italian San Marzanos will show D.O.P. on the label … do you have any in your pantry? Check to see if they are authentic!

This variety of plum tomato has less seeds and water than round tomatoes, has firm thick flesh and is perfectly suited for canning, drying, and making sauces and paste. They are harvested only when ripe and processed the same day resulting in a canned tomato that retains its color and intense flavor.

So what got me interested in San Marzanos anyway? In culinary school, my Italian chef Tony Minichello raved about them. We tasted and cooked with them and they were good … deep, rich tomato flavor. When I was deciding which tomatoes to grow this past summer, San Marzano came to mind.

I discovered they are indeterminant and have a longer season than other paste tomato varieties, suiting them to warmer climates. (This screams Sacramento!) Typical of heirloom plants, San Marzano is an open-pollinater, breeding true from generation to generation (it's not a hybrid) and making seed saving practical for any home gardener. Seed saving? Being newer to fine gardening details, I was unaware of harvesting the fruit and savings its seeds to plant next year. Wow, this is really cool when you think about it--have your ever? Or have you been like me and purchased seeds or young plants each spring because you didn’t know?

So I grew San Marzanos and it was amazing how this one plant grew! It started bearing mid summer then came on fast. So fast and so many that two of the bamboo poles I used to hold it up broke and the whole plant came tumbling down. With my husband’s help, we untangled it (it fell into the Green Grape tomato plant) and got it back up, unscathed. And it kept growing. I tell you I harvested at least 150 tomatoes from this one plant. We were going to take it out last weekend and prepare for the fall garden but, I found out they are extremely prolific (learned that already) and produce until the first hard frost. So those remaining greenies will turn red and I’ll be able to enjoy them after all.

I do intend to head to Corti’s or Taylor’s Market and pick up an authentic can and compare them to mine, side-by-side. We’ll see whose are better in terms of taste. Mine are pretty darn good: fresh, homegrown as organic as possible, and picked perfectly ripe. The intense tomato flavor, when eaten raw with a pinch of sea salt or when I toss them in olive oil and slow roast, is amazing. I hope this helps me answer the question of the day. How about you?

I encourage you to check them out for yourself. You can buy the real imported product or, better yet, grow your own at home next summer. Tip: It's not too late to buy some fresh San Marzanos and save the seeds for next year. If you can’t wait (or curiosity has got you and you don’t want to wait), you can find them canned at the following Sacramento area establishments:

Taylor’s Market, 2900 Freeport Blvd.: Stranese and Italbrand
Corti Brothers, 5810 Folsum Blvd.: Stranese, Italbrand and Dececco
Italian Importing Co., 1825 J. Street: Stranese
David Berkely, Pavilion’s: Italbrand
Fosco’s Fine Italian Market, Roseville: Stranese

Here is a simple but amazingly flavorful recipe to try with your San Marzanos (or any fresh, yummy tomatoes):