Description

The Faithful Heirloom, Preserved by Generations

Amish Paste is a treasured heirloom tomato preserved for generations by Amish families in Pennsylvania and the Midwest, representing their commitment to self-sufficiency, quality, and agricultural heritage. This tomato is bred for a purpose: the perfect paste tomato for making sauce, paste, and preserves.

Tall, vigorous, indeterminate plants (6-8 feet) produce abundantly throughout the season. Large, oblong fruits (3-4 inches long) are deep red with extraordinarily meaty flesh, thick walls, minimal seeds, and very little juice. The flavour is rich and balanced. Amish paste is sweet with good acidity, intensifying when cooked, becoming richer and more concentrated.

The meaty texture sets Amish Paste apart. When you cut open a fruit, you see thick walls of flesh, small seed cavities, and minimal liquid. This means more sauce from fewer tomatoes, less time cooking down liquid, and a more decadent, more concentrated sauce. A single plant produces 20-30 pounds of tomatoes over the season, ripening continuously.

Why Grow Amish Paste Tomatoes?

• Perfect for sauce and paste: Meaty flesh, minimal juice, ideal texture for cooking
• Exceptional productivity: 20-30 pounds per plant throughout the season
• Rich, balanced flavour: Sweet with good acidity, it intensifies when cooked
• Continuous harvest: Indeterminate plants produce from mid-summer until frost
• Minimal waste: Thick flesh, few seeds, very little liquid to cook down
• Multi-purpose: Excellent for sauce, paste, canning, roasting, fresh eating, and drying
• Amish heritage: Preserved for generations by families committed to quality
• Reliable performance: Proven variety that feeds families year after year
• Canadian adaptable: Thrives in Canadian summers with continuous production

Amish Paste brings the wisdom and faithfulness of Amish agricultural traditions to Canadian gardens!

Growing Instructions

Days to Maturity: 80-85 days from transplanting

Planting Season: Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost. Transplant outdoors after all danger of frost has passed and soil has warmed to 15°C+ (late May to early June in most regions). Amish Paste’s continuous production means it benefits from the longest possible growing season.

Soil Preparation: Amish Paste thrives in rich, well-draining soil enriched with compost or aged manure. Space plants 24-36 inches apart. These vigorous plants need room to grow and produce abundantly.

Sowing Instructions: Sow seeds ¼ inch deep in seed trays or pots filled with seed-starting mix. Keep soil moist and warm (21-27°C) until germination (7-14 days). Transplant to individual pots when seedlings have 2-3 true leaves. Grow in bright light or under grow lights. Harden off gradually before transplanting outdoors for increasing periods over 7-10 days.

Sun & Water: Full sun (8+ hours daily). Amish Paste needs maximum light for abundant production and rich flavour development. Water deeply and consistently. Water at the base of plants, avoiding wetting leaves (reduces disease pressure). Mulch to retain moisture and regulate soil temperature.

Care & Maintenance: Amish Paste is indeterminate, so it continues to grow, flower, and produce until frost. Plants grow 6-8 feet tall and require sturdy support. Use tall stakes (6-8 feet) or sturdy cages. Tie plants to supports as they grow.

Prune suckers if desired to manage plant size and direct energy into fruit production, or let them grow naturally for maximum productivity. Many gardeners prune moderately, by removing suckers below the first flower cluster and thinning interior growth to improve air circulation.

Feed every 2-3 weeks with a balanced fertilizer or compost tea once fruiting begins. Amish Paste is a moderate-to-heavy feeder, and regular fertilization ensures abundant production.

Watch for common tomato pests and diseases. Remove lower leaves as plants grow to improve air circulation and reduce disease.

Harvest: Begin harvesting when fruits are fully coloured (deep red) and slightly soft to gentle pressure (80-85 days after transplanting, then continue until frost. Because Amish Paste is indeterminate, fruit ripens continuously throughout the season. You’ll have a steady supply for fresh eating and cooking, with larger harvests for preserving.

Storage: Store at room temperature; never in the refrigerator (cold temperatures destroy flavour compounds and create a mealy texture). Use within a few days of harvest for peak flavour, or process immediately for sauce, paste, or canning.

Canadian Climate Notes

Amish Paste’s indeterminate habit is perfect for Canadian gardens. It produces continuously throughout the season rather than all at once, providing fresh tomatoes for eating and cooking with larger harvests for preserving.

Start seeds 6-8 weeks before transplant to maximize the growing season. In warmer regions (southern Ontario, southern British Columbia), Amish Paste produces abundantly from mid-July through September, sometimes into October. You’ll have continuous harvests for fresh eating and enough tomatoes for preserving.

In cooler regions (Atlantic Canada, the Prairies, northern areas), the harvest window may be shorter. Start seeds early, use black plastic mulch to warm the soil, and consider row covers or wall-o-water to protect young plants and extend the season.

Amish Paste tolerates cool weather reasonably well for an indeterminate variety and continues producing until frost.

The meaty flesh and minimal juice make Amish Paste particularly valuable in Canadian gardens. You get more usable tomatoes from each fruit, essential when the growing season is shorter.

Amish Paste is ideal for:

• Sauce making: Meaty flesh, minimal juice, rich flavour
• Preserving and canning: Holds up well during processing
• Families wanting homemade sauce: Few plants provide an abundant harvest
• Continuous harvest: Fresh tomatoes throughout the season
• Multi-purpose use: Sauce, paste, roasting, fresh eating, drying

Culinary Notes

Amish Paste tomatoes are perfect for cooking and preserving. The meaty flesh, minimal seeds and juice, and rich flavour make them ideal for the kitchen.

Excellent for:

• Tomato sauce: Meaty flesh means less liquid to cook down; rich flavour creates an extraordinary sauce—more sauce from fewer tomatoes.
• Tomato paste: Dense flesh and minimal juice are ideal for paste. Cook down until thick and concentrated for a rich, flavorful paste.
• Canning: Meaty flesh holds up well during processing. Make whole tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, sauce, or paste.
• Pizza sauce: Meaty flesh and rich flavour create a concentrated sauce that won’t make pizza soggy.
• Roasted: Halve lengthwise, toss with olive oil and salt, and roast at 400°F until caramelized. Meaty flesh concentrates beautifully.
• Fresh sliced: Thick slices with olive oil, salt, and fresh basil. Meaty texture and rich flavour shine through.
• Salsa: Meaty flesh holds up well; rich, balanced flavour perfect for fresh salsa.
• Dried: Slice and dry in a dehydrator or low oven for intensely flavoured dried tomatoes.

The meaty flesh and minimal juice mean less waste and more usable tomatoes from each fruit. The rich, balanced flavour intensifies when cooked. Rich in vitamins A and C, lycopene, potassium, and folate.

Hardiness Zones

3-11 (grown as warm-season annual; frost-sensitive but productive even in short seasons)

Seed Saving

Tomatoes are largely self-pollinating with minimal cross-pollination (typically less than 5%), making them excellent for seed saving. Select the best fruits from your healthiest, most productive plants—perfectly ripe fruits, with fantastic flavour and form.

Cut fruits in half lengthwise, squeeze seeds and gel into a jar or bowl, add a little water, and let ferment for 2-4 days at room temperature (fermentation removes the gel coating that inhibits germination and kills some seed-borne diseases). When fermentation is complete (bubbles form on the surface and the mixture smells unpleasant), add water, stir, and let it settle. Viable seeds sink, dead seeds and pulp float. Pour off the floating material, rinse the seeds thoroughly, and spread them on screens or plates to dry completely (1-2 weeks).

Store dried seeds in a cool, dry place. Tomato seeds remain viable for 4-6 years. Each fruit contains 50-80+ seeds.