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Marmande tomatoes
SilverFairy
Posts: 57
in Fruit & veg
I grew these year before last and they were lush 
Last year was a bit of a wash out as we got blight! This year they are tasting a bit too beefy. Any ideas as to what has caused this? Too little water? I'm sure they will make beautiful ragu but as eaters they are a bit heavy going.
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At least you got some, not one of the 12 seeds in the packet was actually Marmande. Sadly we cannot remember whose seeds they were.
I definately cannot moan about the crop, they did well
How do you mean 'beefy'?
They're really good cooked - use to stuff and bake, sliced and grilled on toast, in ratatouille, or chopped, roasted and used in wonderful pasta/pizza sauces.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Kind of dense if you see what I mean? Think I will grow them next year but also a 'normal' type too.
Marmande are beefsteak tomatoes and are supposed to be 'dense' without lots of seeds or the juicy bit the seeds are in. That's why they're called 'beefsteak' - they look like a slice of best steak, and that's why they're great sliced horizontally and served with mozzarella cheese and basil leaves and some olive oil and balsamic and a grinding of black pepper
.http://pragmaticattic.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_3382.jpg
It's also why they make great sauces, especially if they're roasted first.
Sounds like yours have done really well
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
SF, I'm still not sure what you mean by beefy or dense. Can you compare this year's lot with your last successful crop in a bit more detail?
The Marmande variety has been tweaked over the years. There are now versions called Super Marmande, Marmande di Costoluto, etc. None of them match the old original heirloom Marmande for flavour.