Recommended Gold Paste Varieties

[JosephineRose]

I find myself watching YouTube on my smartTV most of the time, and I keep coming across one particular channel that swears by a paste variety named "Illini Gold" for "sunrise sauce."

A golden paste tomato is something I have never considered, but this gal almost has me convinced. I have never heard much buzz about Illini Gold either here or at the other place, so I suspect it may not be the best variety to start with. In fact, I find it hard to locate seeds anywhere but Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.

Has anyone ventured down the path of orange/gold paste tomatoes that can recommend some great tasting/good producing varieties? Nothing quite like an untapped tomato category to catch my interest.

I am clearly an addict in need of an intervention...

[karstopography]

I’m growing Creamsicle Grape this season for the first time. It’s labeled as a small paste and the color is very similar to that Illini Gold from the photos I saw. I’m growing Creamsicle Grape to dehydrate

I grew Buratino, a larger orangy yellow paste a couple of years ago. I don’t think I gave Buratino the best spot in the garden or enough attention to fairly evaluate that one.

[Mark_Thompson]

Not a true paste but Orange Icicle did very well for me. Wispy plant that was a heavy producer. Black Icicle does the same. Used both in sauce with good results.

[FatBeeFarm]

retracted....web site was goofing yesterday

[Whwoz]

Have several others, of which I bottled a straight varietal batch of USDA 97L97 recently and put a couple of photos in my glog recently. This one sounds interesting, pity it's not available Down Under.

[maf]

Burning Spear is another - developed from a cross of Amish Paste and SUngold F1.

[JosephineRose]

I’m growing Creamsicle Grape this season for the first time. It’s labeled as a small paste and the color is very similar to that Illini Gold from the photos I saw. I’m growing Creamsicle Grape to dehydrate

I grew Buratino, a larger orangy yellow paste a couple of years ago. I don’t think I gave Buratino the best spot in the garden or enough attention to fairly evaluate that one.

Was Creamsicle Grape an Artisan seeds variety?

[OhioKate]

If you're open to a Roma type, Italian Gold is excellent. I've grown it for the last few years and it's been very productive.

[karstopography]

I’m growing Creamsicle Grape this season for the first time. It’s labeled as a small paste and the color is very similar to that Illini Gold from the photos I saw. I’m growing Creamsicle Grape to dehydrate

I grew Buratino, a larger orangy yellow paste a couple of years ago. I don’t think I gave Buratino the best spot in the garden or enough attention to fairly evaluate that one.

I believe so, but the seeds I planted are not directly from them or another commercial vendor.

Was Creamsicle Grape an Artisan seeds variety?

[Acer Rubrum]

I've tried a number of orange paste varieties and my conclusion (so far) is that Golden Fang aka Zolotoy Klik is the best one. It's very productive, fairly good sized, peels well and the taste is awesome imo. I'm have 8 sprouted right now for our paste tomato row.

I haven't found one that I really don't like, just some that I like better than others. I've tried all the ones mentioned here so far except Illini Gold and Burning Spear. Orange Paste (from Seeds Treasures) and Yellow Fire are two others I've tried and that have done well.

This isn't stopping me from trying a few more this year, lol. I've planted Roman Candle, Giant Orange Pear, Darren's Yellow Speckled Hogheart ( which I tried unsuccessfully last year), Butterscotch Paste and an obscure Russian one called Gold of the East. Many of them have already sprouted.

[Tormahto]

Few and far between is how I call yellow/gold/orange "paste" tomatoes. I'm not even sure if there are any dry-fleshed ones. Most people use small juicy plum-shaped varieties, or the elongated types, like the "banana/icicle" ones.

A search through Tatiana's TOMATObase in the yellow/orange category can help find varieties. Aladdin's Lamp is one that is sometimes used for sauce/canning.

If it were me I'd try using standard beefsteaks and hearts. Mixing several varieties (reds and pinks) of various (fresh) flavors has always given me the best tasting red sauce. For a gold sauce, I'd likely start with Aunt Gertie's Gold (tart) and Lillian's Yellow Heirloom (sweet).

[CrazyAboutOrchids]

Not a gold/yellow/orange.... but if you want an amazing paste, look for Pomodoro Cuore Antico di Acqui Terme. I don't have to seed to share currently, but they are the biggest darn paste tomatoes ever. Decent taste on it's own as well. If you don't find, make a note and reach out to me in the Fall.

[Fusion_power]

Italian Gold is a good tomato for sauce/paste. About 20 years ago, Nichols sold a hybrid "Italian Gold". It was discontinued around 15 years ago. A few people grew and saved seed leading to the open pollinated version available today. http://knapps-fresh-vegies.netfirms.com/it-gold.html

[JosephineRose]

Thank you everyone! I have started hunting down several of these suggestions.

[Tormahto]

I find myself watching YouTube on my smartTV most of the time, and I keep coming across one particular channel that swears by a paste variety named "Illini Gold" for "sunrise sauce."

A golden paste tomato is something I have never considered, but this gal almost has me convinced. I have never heard much buzz about Illini Gold either here or at the other place, so I suspect it may not be the best variety to start with. In fact, I find it hard to locate seeds anywhere but Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.

Has anyone ventured down the path of orange/gold paste tomatoes that can recommend some great tasting/good producing varieties? Nothing quite like an untapped tomato category to catch my interest.

I am clearly an addict in need of an intervention...

To me, the intervention was making a "quick sauce" (barely cooking sliced in half tomatoes), using SunGold cherries. I read about making it on the internet. The sauce was truly hideous.

And, using SunGold in a tuna melt is also awful, in my opinion.

[rdback]

]Re: Italian Gold

I read the posts above about IG, and it sounds pretty good to me. So, I checked my notes and, sure enough, I've already grown it. Now, here's my comments about IG:

"2013 - Over-hyped. Nice color, but that's it. Very low production. Mushy flesh. Low tomato flavor - tastes more like vanilla icing than a tomato."

Made me chuckle. I have NO recollection of IG, and I certainly don't remember a tomato that tasted like cake icing, lol. But, I just thought I would share an opposing (?) view.

[Seven Bends]

]Re: Italian Gold

I read the posts above about IG, and it sounds pretty good to me. So, I checked my notes and, sure enough, I've already grown it. Now, here's my comments about IG:

"2013 - Over-hyped. Nice color, but that's it. Very low production. Mushy flesh. Low tomato flavor - tastes more like vanilla icing than a tomato."

Made me chuckle. I have NO recollection of IG, and I certainly don't remember a tomato that tasted like cake icing, lol. But, I just thought I would share an opposing (?) view.

I grew Italian Gold in 2021 (two plants) and found it to be healthy and productive, compact and very bushy with rugose leaves, but I didn't like the flavor. I didn't notice vanilla (!), and it wasn't particularly sweet -- I found it to have a bit of winter squash/pumpkin aftertaste that I also disliked in Jaune Flamme but haven't noticed in other gold/yellow/orange tomatoes I've grown. It had a typical paste tomato texture, not great for eating fresh (and I didn't expect it to be, so that was fine). The plant size, health and productivity were big pluses, so it would be a good choice for anyone who likes the taste.