According to the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange catalog, this is a family variety from the Houseworths of southern Pennsylvania, brought from Italy in the 1950s. The fruit is beefsteak-type, with little juice, very firm and meaty, perfect for making ketchup. The fruits are large, weighing up to half a kilogram, intensely red, and have a characteristic elongated shape. This is a mid-late variety that ripens about 80 days after being planted in the ground. The plants are tall and require staking.
The 2022 Southern Exposure catalog notes that this was the only tomato variety grown by Mr. Houseworth. It is a small but meaningful memento of the family tradition of saving seeds.
