Antique Roman Tomato

90 days, indeterminate — The large, regular leaf plants of 'Antique Roman' produce good amounts of red fruit that vary considerably in shape and size. They range from large, blocky, plum / heart to elongated, and classic paste-type shapes, weighing between four and twenty-two ounces each. The fruit is of high quality in both texture, which is quite meaty, as well as flavor.

'Antique Roman' is an Italian heirloom variety, introduced by seed saver John F. Swenson of Glencoe, Illinois (IL SW J) in 1991. In the 1991 Seed Savers Exchange Yearbook, John described it as a, "...giant plum, sweet, small cavities, very little juice, five inches long, variable shape." In the 1994 Yearbook he added, "... was a big hit with chefs in Chicago in 1991 and 1992."^[3]

In her 2008 book entitled, "The Heirloom Tomato," author Amy Goldman stated that John Swenson had, "... received the seed in 1990 from Anne Salomon^[1] of Tweefontein Farm in New Paltz, NY; her seed had come from an elderly Italian neighbor."^[2]

As an interesting aside, 'Antique Roman', along with 'Banana Legs', is a parent of 'Speckled Roman', which was also introduced by John Swenson. Our original seed was sent to us by Cindy Stone of Middle Tennessee who worked with her friend, Valorie Marburger, to obtain seed from the Seed Savers Exchange (SSE Tomato 2402 - Accession 123798). Each packet contains at least 20 seeds.