Pop's Holy Land

Indeterminate, large, dark red tomato that produces oxheart and beefsteak type fruits, is slightly underproductive and matures mid season. Great flavor that is more acidic than sweet with a great texture. Fruits are slightly ridged, solid red, measure 3-3.5 inches tall by 3-4 inches wide and weigh 8.5-16 ounces. In 2019 trials at HF, fruits showed low splitting, concentric cracking, and had a BRIX of 6.8. Plants are 4-5 ft tall with dense foliage and 1-3 fruits per cluster. This variety has been stewarded by the Coseno family since the 1960s, primarily in Leetonia, OH. Phil Coseno (aka "Pop") received seeds of this variety from a mason who was hired to work on the front steps of Phil's home in Leetonia. They began talking about gardening and even though the mason was reluctant to share these tomato seeds, Phil talked him into it. The mason originally received this variety from a woman in Pennsylvania. Phil Coseno continued to grow this tomato from the 1960s until his death in 2009. Phil and his wife Dorothy used the tomatoes to make ketchup and sauce and also canned the tomatoes whole. Phil’s parents, Rose and Charles Coseno, had an outside oven at their home in Leetonia. Every other Saturday with Phil's help, Charles and Rose made pizza and bread to sell. Both recipes are lost, but the pizza included the ‘Holy Land’ tomatoes. This variety was donated to SSE in 2016 by Phil & Dorothy's son and daughter-in-law, Charles & Claire Coseno. SSE Accession # 133088