Amish Paste Tomato Seeds - (Lycopersicon lycopersicum)

Amish Paste Tomato - The Premier Sauce & Slicing Tomato

A living piece of American agricultural history, generations stewarded the Amish Paste for its remarkable, self-sufficient flavor. It is that rare tomato that is both a premier, meaty paste variety and a juicy, complex slicer. Its inclusion in Slow Food's "Ark of Taste" confirms its exceptional, old-fashioned flavor, whether cooked into a rich sauce or eaten fresh.

Details

The Amish Paste tomato is a vigorous, indeterminate variety, meaning it grows as a long, vining plant that will continue to set fruit on new growth throughout the season until the first frost. This habit provides a steady supply for both fresh eating and preserving. Plants commonly reach 4 to 8 feet tall and require strong support structures, as they get quite heavy when mature. The brilliant red fruits are exceptionally large for a paste-type, often weighing between 8 and 12 ounces.

The plant itself features "wispy" or "droopy" regular-leaf foliage, a genetic trait gardeners should not mistake for disease or distress. The relatively sparse leaf canopy allows for excellent sun exposure on the fruit, which aids in ripening but can also make the tomatoes more susceptible to sun scald in intense summer climates. Recommended for USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 10.

This tomato’s greatest secret and best quality is its "Paste Paradox"—it disregards the very category its name suggests. While the flesh is meaty, firm, and dense with thick walls and very few seeds, it is also significantly juicier than typical paste tomatoes. This gives it a surprising versatility. When eaten fresh, its flavor is a balanced blend of sweet and tangy—pleasingly balanced rather than aggressively acidic—making it an excellent slicing tomato that won't turn a sandwich soggy. When cooked, its flavor deepens and concentrates, yielding a sauce celebrated for its rich, old-fashioned flavor. 

History

Before any tomato was "Amish" or "Italian," it was a wild plant native to the Andean region of South America. All tomatoes trace their origins to this area, where farmers first domesticated them in Mesoamerica  (modern-day Mexico) long before they were introduced to Europe in the 1500s. The specific history of the Amish Paste is a much more recent chapter in this ancient plant's global journey.

The specific, documented history of the Amish Paste begins in the 1870s. Historians believe it originated within the oldest Amish community in Wisconsin, near the town of Medford. For generations, Amish communities stewarded this special tomato, preserving it for two primary reasons: its exceptional, complex flavor and its reliable hardiness, which allowed it to produce abundantly even in challenging, shorter growing seasons.

For roughly a century, Amish families have preserved and passed the seed down through informal interfamily networks. Through this tradition of seed sharing, the variety eventually traveled east, finding a home among the well-known Amish communities of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was "discovered" there and introduced to the wider public by seed saver Tom Hauch and the Seed Savers Exchange in the 1980s. Its inclusion in Slow Food USA's "Ark of Taste," a catalog of the world's most culturally significant and endangered foods, later cemented its importance.

Uses

The Amish Paste is the definitive "one-plant solution" for the cook's garden, bridging the gap between canning and fresh eating.

• Sauce & Paste: A premier sauce tomato. Its dense, meaty, low-seed flesh cooks down into a thick, rich paste or puree with minimal effort.
• Fresh Slicing: Unlike most paste types, its surprising juiciness and balanced flavor make it a superb slicing tomato for sandwiches or fresh salads.
• Salsa: An excellent base for a chunky, meaty salsa.
• Dehydrating: A great choice for dehydrating, yielding a chewy, intensely flavored sun-dried tomato substitute.

Companion Planting

Tomato flowers are self-fertile and lack nectar, so they don't attract honeybees or butterflies. However, pollen remains trapped inside special tubes (poricidal anthers). Fruit production benefits significantly from "buzz pollination," a technique used by native bees (like bumblebees) who vibrate the flower to shake the pollen loose. This activity dramatically increases fruit set and leads to larger, higher-quality tomatoes. Therefore, we highly encourage planting nectar-rich flowers nearby to support a healthy population of these essential native pollinators.

• Good Companions: Tomatoes thrive when planted near basil (repels hornworms), French Marigolds (suppress root-knot nematodes), and Borage (attracts pollinators and predatory insects).
• Bad Companions: Avoid planting tomatoes near members of the Brassica family (like cabbage or broccoli) as they are heavy feeders and compete for the same nutrients. It is also critical to keep tomatoes away from potatoes, as both are susceptible to the same devastating early and late blight diseases.

Planting and Growing Tips

As a mid-to-late season variety, start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last expected frost date. Seeds germinate best in very warm soil, ideally 75-85°F, so we highly recommend a seedling heat mat for consistent sprouting. For more details on starting seedlings successfully, read our article Growing Tomatoes 101.

When transplanting to the garden, bury a significant portion of the stem; roots will form along the buried stem, creating a much stronger plant. Space plants 24 to 36 inches apart to ensure good air circulation. Provide a tall, sturdy support structure at the time of planting. A thick layer of organic mulch is essential to conserve soil moisture and prevent soil-borne diseases from splashing onto the lower leaves.

Harvest Tips

Amish Paste is a mid-to-late season variety, typically taking 80 to 90 days from transplanting to the first ripe fruit. A tomato’s flavor increases as it ripens, due to the increased nutrients and sugars pumped into the fruit by the plant. For the best, most complex flavor, allow the fruits to ripen fully on the vine. Harvest when the tomatoes are a uniform, deep red. Test by giving it a gentle pull or twist; if it slips easily from the vine with little effort, it is ripe.

Never refrigerate fresh tomatoes. Temperatures below 55°F cause chilling injury, which destroys delicate flavor compounds, turns the flesh mealy, and can leave pockmarks on the skin that lead to early rotting. Store them at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, and use them within a few days.

If you must harvest early due to weather, fruits with a pink blush at the blossom end will ripen indoors with almost full flavor. 

Learn More

• Growing Tomatoes 101
• Determinate and Indeterminate Tomatoes - What's the Difference?
• Heirloom Tomato Growing Tips
• Heirloom Tomato Leaves - Potato Leaf vs Regular Leaf
• Blossom End Rot - What To Do
• Fermented Tomato Conserve
• Sicilian Eggplant and Tomato Sauce

From the soil to the seed to the food you eat - we'll help you grow your best garden!