Thanks to its high dry matter content, this is an excellent variety for purees and thick sauces, though of course it tastes just as good on sandwiches. The variety originates from Italy and was brought to the United States by an immigrant. The relatively small, elongated red fruits, with a characteristic “beak” at the tip, are fairly uniform in size—weighing about 150 grams. This variety is very productive and bears fruit exceptionally well in our climate. The fruits reach maturity about 75 days after planting.
This variety demonstrates why it’s important to share seeds. Victory Seed Company received them from Carolyn Male. When Nanticoke Gardens, a nursery in New York involved in the earlier dissemination of “Mama Leone,” lost its seed stock in a flood, it was able to recover the variety from this very preserved collection.
