Angeles City Native

   This variety is generally indistinguishable from the common commercial variety you would find at almost any Filipino grocery store. On more than one occasion, I was told that this tomato was called "Native". Rather than describing any cognizable variety, I think the term is meant to denote that it is a variety of tomato that is endemic to the Philippines. The local variety of pigs is also commonly identified as "native." Indeed, as can be seen elsewhere on this blog, several varieties of Filipino tomatoes have "native" somewhere in their name, usually with a geographic location attached. Although I doubt that much commercial agriculture takes place within city limits, seeds for this variety were obtained in an Angeles City market following a hiking trip to the summit of nearby Mount Pinatubo; hence the name.
   When I grew this variety in 2011, the fruit were excessively acidic and very prone to blossom end rot. This year, only the first two fruit showed blossom end rot and the fruit were much more balanced. It is essentially a grocery store tomato, although unlike American commercial varieties which tend to be hybrids, this one appears to be open pollenated and stable. Flavor is similar to a generic roma but with more of an acid bite. Fruit are very firm and meaty with relatively little gel and few seeds. Admittedly, not the most delicious tomato you will ever taste but it is a strong,  productive and unique plant.