Gilbertie Tomato A Meaty Paste Tomato Perfect for Soups and Sauces

Some tomatoes are grown for slicing, some for snacking, and some earn their place in the garden because they are perfect for stews and sauces. The Gilbertie, an heirloom tomato, belongs in that last group. It is a large, fleshy paste tomato with thick walls, dense texture, and very few seeds. It is ideal for cooking.

Gilbertie is a paste tomato, which means its best use is cooking rather than fresh slicing. That does not mean it cannot be eaten raw. A ripe Gilbertie can certainly go into a salad or onto a plate with olive oil and salt.

Many paste tomatoes, like Romas, are modest, plum-shaped fruits. Gilbertie tends to be bigger and more elongated, and tapered which gives each tomato more usable flesh. It actually looks very much like a red pepper!

Gilbertie grows much like other large paste tomatoes. It needs warmth, sun, steady water, and support. Give it a full-sun spot with at least 6 to 8 hours of direct light each day.

If the plant grows vigorously, support it with a tomato cage, prune lightly to manage airflow. Avoid stripping too many leaves. The foliage helps protect fruit from sunscald, especially during hot and sunny days. I also prune all new growth and flowers starting August 1. This practice allows the tomato plant to put all its energy into ripening the tomato already set on the plant. Thank you for the start Justina.