The Jersey Devil Tomato is a delicious paste tomato that will surely catch your eye. This slender, pepper-shaped fruit is meaty, flavorful, and perfect for canning.
Do you want to grow these tasty treats in your garden? Continue reading to learn all about sowing, growing, and enjoying this delicious tomato variety.
Looking for seeds? Check availability.
The Unique Jersey Devil Tomato
It’s back! The once-rare Jersey Devil Tomato plant is taking the gardening world by storm for its unparalleled flavor and texture. You can get in on the hype and grow your own plants at home.
This oblong tomato is a gorgeous addition to your home vegetable garden. The long, slender fruits mature from dark green to bright red 90 days from sowing.
Jersey Devil Tomatoes are easily mistaken for frying peppers due to their unusual shape. The fruits grow up to six inches long and taper at the base just like a jalapeño.
This funky tomato is more than just a visual novelty. Its rich flavor and meaty texture make it a favorite choice in the kitchen, and it is one of the best tomatoes for preserving.
A Flavorful Tomato Perfect for Canning
The Jersey Devil Tomato is a perfect tomato for canning and cooking down into delicious tomato sauces. This heirloom variety has meaty, creamy flesh with that iconic tomato tang you want in homemade pasta sauce.
What makes this tomato so great for preserving? The thin skins slip right off the fruit after freezing, making it incredibly easy to core and can your harvest.
The only issue you will encounter with preserving these tasty treats is getting them into the kitchen! The tomatoes are sweet and toothsome, so they make a lovely snack plucked straight from the vine.
Growing Jersey Devil Tomato Plants
These open-pollinated tomatoes are easy to propagate in your backyard garden. The fruits mature around 90 days after you plant the seeds, and the indeterminate vines continue producing until the first frost.
Since these are heirloom tomatoes, you can save seeds from your favorite plants and sow them again next year. To learn more, read this Guide to Harvesting Tomato Seeds.
The Jersey Devil Tomato doesn’t fare well in containers, so ensure you have ample garden space to accommodate them. The plants require staking and caging for the best results. Check out the Best Trellises For Tomato Plants to select supports that will last many growing seasons.
Where to Buy Jersey Devil Tomato Seeds
This interesting tomato plant was hard to come by for years. Now it’s easy to find seeds from online nurseries and garden shops.
The cultivar started many decades ago at the Tomato Seed Company of Metuchen, New Jersey. The plant was almost lost to time when the company went out of business.
Thankfully, tomato enthusiasts brought this variety back onto the scene. You can purchase Heirloom Jersey Devil Tomato Seeds from Amazon or in person at your favorite garden store.
When to Harvest Jersey Devil Tomatoes
After sowing, Jersey Devil Tomatoes take up to 90 days to produce ripe fruit. These tomatoes are relatively late bloomers, but many gardeners agree they are well worth the wait.
How do you know when tomatoes are ripe and ready to eat? Look for the following changes in the fruit to detect signs of maturity.
Unripe tomatoes have hard, springy flesh that feels hollow and rubbery. Fully ripe fruits are firm, heavy, and quite aromatic.
You should also pay attention to the color of your tomatoes’ skins. The early green hue will darken until the whole fruit is bright red.
Finally, you can test a tomato’s ripeness by gently spinning the fruit around in your hand. A ripe tomato will easily separate from the vine without requiring downward pressure.
Canning Fresh Tomatoes
Jersey Devil Tomato plants are prolific producers. If you can resist the temptation to eat them all right out of the garden, you will likely have plenty of excess harvests to preserve.
These tomatoes are perfect for canning and make amazing sauces, stews, and pastes. Are you new to canning tomatoes? This is one of the easiest paste tomato varieties for beginners to process.
All you need to do is core your Jersey Devil Tomato, then boil it or freeze it to separate the skin from the flesh easily. They are then ready to strain, puree and prepare however you see fit.
Do you want to learn more about preserving your tomato harvest? If so, check out this guide on How to Freeze Tomatoes.
Delicious Tomato Recipes
What should you do with all of your delicious preserved tomatoes? Whether you freeze or can your Jersey Devil Tomatoes, you can experience garden-fresh flavor all year long.
Cook your fruits down in this homestyle tomato soup recipe that is the perfect comfort food. Serve with gooey grilled cheese sandwiches for a satisfying family dinner.
These tomatoes make incredible sauces for your favorite pasta dish. Try this easy Marinara Recipe with spaghetti, meatballs, and garlic bread for a hearty weeknight meal.
Do you want to whip up some fresh Jersey Devil Tomatoes for a summertime snack? This Tomato Salsa Recipe is fantastic with chips and guacamole and will surely be a party favorite.
FAQ
What are the health benefits of eating tomatoes?
Tomatoes are more than just a tasty snack. They are packed full of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber.
Eating tomatoes regularly can significantly improve your cardiovascular health and general wellness. Check out the Complete Guide to Tomato Health Benefits to dive deeper.
The Gardener’s Guide to Jersey Devil Tomatoes
Gardeners across the nation are delighted to welcome the Jersey Devil Tomato back into home gardens. Are you ready to cultivate this once-rare, pepper-shaped tomato? After reading this guide, you have all the necessary information to get started.
There are plenty of tips and tricks on how to get the best tomato harvest. We collected them all in our Tomato Plants page to help you get the most out of your garden. Check it out now!