Tondino di Corato

• Grown, sold, and described by Bunny Hop Seeds
• Plant growth: indeterminate
• Leaf type: regular leaf
• Time to maturity: early-midseason
• Approx. number of seeds per pack: 20+
• Germination tested after Hot Water Seed Treatment for Fungal and Bacterial Diseases

“Tondino di Corato” is a regional tomato from the town of Corato in the Apulia region of southern Italy. My friend Joseph Palanza has spent much time doing research into the large Italian family line on his father’s side. Joe traced his (DePalma) family roots to Corato, dating back to the late 1700’s through the time when his great-grandparents came to the United States in 1912. Joe found this tomato variety that is known to originate in the same town as his family. It was very difficult for Joe to obtain seeds; however, once he did, he has grown Tondino di Corato each season and shared the seeds. Joe cherishes being able to grow a variety of tomato that his ancestors could have grown 200 years ago. He feels that bringing this variety back to his family’s garden gives them a close connection to their ancestors who have long since passed, “…and also a taste of life from a time we’ll never compare to.” A seed vendor in Germany describes Tondino di Corato as having excellent drought resistance and being excellent for drying. My trial produced fat, meaty, 0.5 to 0.7 oz red cherries with delicious balanced tomatoey flavor and perfect turgid texture. I do not often use the word “delicious” in my descriptions; yet, I did write this in my tasting notes and underlined the word twice. This is going in my Wow! List.