YIKES! I find the Cento brand (they have San Marzano, too) to be very good. The regular Italian plum tomato is sweeter and easier to put through the food mill than other brands. One day when I was making a tomato sauce, I tried several different brands at the same time and this one was a winner.

I have seen some crazy prices on Amazon lately too. I don't know what is going on there. Something I ordered recently had several purchase options, looking down the list it went from around $20 free shipping with purchase of $49 which is the norm now to one place that was in the $700 range. I don't understand that. Those tomatoes must have gold in them.

That same can is $11.28 with free shipping here, so I guess the crazy Canadian price reflects postage. Actually, $11.28 is pretty crazy too.

Postage fees have been going up. It cost me over $16 to send my granddaughter her birthday presents last week, and they weren't very heavy.

Why are those tomatoes any better than any other? I usually just use my own tomatoes or Red Gold. I don't make sauce. Is it a variety of tomato? Many companies put other labels on their own pack of tomatoes.

Sue

I bought some San Marzano seeds and started them about a month ago. They are in the ground here in Florida (appropriate for them now). I have nine viable plants and hope to get enough to last for a long time.

You might want to try with a package of seeds. Get them started in a few weeks (use a heating pad under them to get them to germinate) and by the end of March, you should have some ready to plant outside. It might be a bit iffy getting them out that early (depending on your location), but I had great rate of germination and look forward to lots of tomatoes for sauce.

Here in central Indiana mid May to the end of May is a good time to put tomato plants out.

Sue

Tutturoso is a very good sub for San Marzano.

Tutturoso is a Red Gold tomato.

Sue

Jasdip, I'm wondering if that is a caselot price rather than a single can? In the brief description, it shows "1 pk" and a link below for more information. WalMart has

28 oz Can of San Merican Whole Peeled Tomatoe. I don't understand the different spelling of the product but the image is the same. :-) I love mysteries. lol!

Rosie

TulsaRose, definitely per can. Here's another example. LOL

Cento San Marzano Tomatoes, 28-Ounce Can (Pack of 12)

by Cento

CDN$ 353.39(CDN$ 0.88/oz)

Only 3 left in stock - order soon.

If you can't get the San Marzanos, you might want to try the
Muir Glen Organic Diced Tomatoes Fire Roasted brand. They come in the standard sizes - 14oz and 28oz (I'm going by memory on the weight, so I may be off there). Different flavor, but very good.

You may want to read the entire link here, which discusses the deceptive San Merican labeling, as well as the excerpted taste results from a Cook's Illustrated review. Apparently Simpson Imports trademarked the PICTURE of the tomatoes, and is using it for their own U.S.-grown tomatoes. Because Italy has designated San Marzano as a protected region (DOP) Simpson chose a similar but slightly different name, which differentiates theirs from the true San Marzanos (some of which they also import - confusing, no?).

This doesn't mean that the San Mericans are bad in any way, but they are not imported from Italy. In fact, there are many Italian producers of canned San Marzanos and they vary in quality and flavor:

http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/68538/are-these-tomatoes-san-marzano-knockoffs

Looks like Walmart.ca has a different brand available at a more reasonable price.

TOMATOES

Ah booger - less than $4 a can... there goes my get rich quick scheme..

Trader Joe's sells the Cento 28 oz. can for $4.

I find the San Marzano tomatoes to be redder, richer, and less acidic than your garden-variety canned tomatoes. By that I mean domestic brands. ;)

Our Costco has the big tin for less than $4

I didn't know they were difficult for some to find; I buy the San Marzano brand at the local Ralph's (Kroger) grocery store. IMO, Cento has a metallic "off" taste, so I don't care for those at all. For sauces, I now use 6 in 1 brand ground tomatoes. They are excellent. Even my husband, who does not typically exhibit a sophisticated palate, can taste the difference. Hope you find what you at looking for at a decent price.

OMG! Are they packed in elixir?

I've seen these in local stores but never tried them. I think I'm going to have to try them now!

I actually prefer the Aylmer Whole tomatoes, plus the tin is not coated in that white lining.

That's just NUTS! I see THAT brand on shelves at Shop Rite and Acme. They're more than other brands/types but not even close to THAT kinda price??

My mom used Furmano's for everything tomato. Unfortunately they're not available in central Ohio.

Our Kroger has Private Selection San Marzano, but the shelf is always empty. I need to get there when the crew is stocking the shelf.

We can buy them here any time but I just can't see spending the extra couple dollars for them. I bet if you took regular old tomatoes and threw in some sugar, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference....HAHA!

The can in the photo -- those are NOT authentic San Marzano tomatoes. DOP San Marzanos are clearly marked. It's not that other tomatoes are bad, but you should get what you pay for, right?