Cesare's Canestrino di Lucca is a rare Italian heirloom sauce tomato brought to American gardens by renowned Chef Cesare Casella from his native Lucca, Italy. This indeterminate plant reaches 6 feet tall and produces deeply lobed, voluptuous fruits in a rich red color over 90 days, making it a standout choice for gardeners seeking authentic Mediterranean flavor. Though bred for sauce-making, its dense, dry flesh also shines fresh in salads. Now available to home gardeners for the first time through seed grower Zach Pickens of Farm Tournant, this variety carries the weight of culinary tradition in every seed.
Full Sun
Moderate
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72in H x 24in W
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Moderate
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Chef Cesare Casella's personal heirloom arrives with a singular purpose: creating extraordinary sauce. The fruits display the dramatic pleated shape that gives this variety its name, their deep red skin hiding a flavor loaded with umami and a discernible funk that deepens the tomato's savory character. Its remarkably dry flesh concentrates flavor intensely, whether you're simmering it into sauce or slicing it into a salad. For nearly a century, this tomato remained known only in Lucca; it's only recently entered the seed trade through careful preservation efforts.
Cesare's Canestrino di Lucca shines brightest as a sauce tomato, where its low moisture content and concentrated umami-rich flavor create exceptionally deep, complex sauces. Its dry flesh renders down quickly and produces minimal liquid, requiring less cooking time than watery varieties. That same characteristic also makes it an excellent choice for fresh eating in salads, where the denser texture provides a meatier bite and the pronounced savory notes complement acidic dressings beautifully. It's equally at home in bruschetta, pasta toppings, or any preparation where you want the tomato's flavor to dominate rather than be diluted.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Start seeds indoors 4 to 8 weeks before your last frost date in a warm location with ample light. Supplemental lighting is usually necessary to ensure stocky, robust seedlings rather than weak, leggy growth. Keep soil warmly between 68 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal germination.
Harden off seedlings gradually over 7 to 10 days, increasing their exposure to outdoor conditions and wind. Transplant outdoors only after all danger of frost has passed and soil has warmed to at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Space plants 24 inches apart with 36 inches between rows to allow air circulation and future growth.
Harvest fruits when they reach a deep, rich red color and yield slightly to gentle pressure. For sauce-making, you can harvest slightly earlier than for fresh eating, as the fruits will continue to ripen and concentrate flavor off the vine. Grip the tomato at its base and twist gently to detach it, or use pruning shears to avoid damaging the vine. With a 90-day timeline to harvest, plan your planting so fruits mature before the first fall frost arrives.
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“This variety carries the fingerprints of one man's devotion to his homeland. Chef Cesare Casella, who brought this tomato from his hometown of Lucca, Italy, shared it with American seed growers as a way to preserve and honor his culinary heritage. For decades, Cesare's Canestrino di Lucca existed almost entirely within Casella's personal seed catalog, guarded as a family treasure. The breakthrough came when seed grower Zach Pickens of Farm Tournant recognized its significance and began propagating it for wider distribution. This marks the first time seed for the variety has been offered to the general public, making every gardener who grows it a participant in saving this piece of Italian agricultural heritage.”