This unusual tomato from the Spanish island of Mallorca is used almost exclusively for sun drying or for winter storage. The rambling vines about 24 inches in height produce an abundance of round, pinkish-yellow fruit with rose-pink centers. The fruits are generally about 2 to 2 ½ inches in diameter and are not full-flavored when they appear vine-ripe. They attain their most intense flavor thorough aging.
The tomato should be treated as determinate because at the end of summer, the fruit production peaks and then stops. The plants defoliate and at this point the Mallorcans either harvest the fruit for sun drying (which improves their flavor), or the vines are pulled up whole and hung upside down in a protected place (such as a barn) so that the tomatoes can ripen slowly over the course of the winter. The tomatoes are then pulled off the vines as needed. They will keep this way for several months.
The plants should be spaced about 24 inches apart and are not helped by staking. In Mallorca, they are allowed to ramble over the ground or to drape over stone walls or terraces because the radiated heat from the ground contributes to their special flavor. If you are looking for the ideal tomato for drying or for use as a winter keeper, this tomato is by far the best heirloom of choice.