{"id":7347,"date":"2026-11-08T12:57:30","date_gmt":"2026-11-08T12:57:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/?p=7347"},"modified":"2026-11-08T12:57:41","modified_gmt":"2026-11-08T12:57:41","slug":"raf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/raf\/","title":{"rendered":"RAF Tomato Review & Photos (Marmande RAF)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\ud83c\udf45 Quick take:<\/strong> RAF<\/strong> (Resistente A Fusarium<\/em>) is an iconic Spanish winter greenhouse tomato bred by French seed house Clause<\/strong> from a Marmande selection. Famous for fetching gourmet prices in Madrid and Barcelona restaurants, true RAF produces deeply ribbed, firm green-shouldered slicers running 3 to 7 oz (80-200 g)<\/strong> that ripen from the inside out. In its native Almer\u00eda, it achieves legendary sweetness through cool winter temperatures (41-68\u00b0F \/ 5-20\u00b0C) and naturally saline irrigation. Northern growers report that while plants are resilient and productive in standard summer gardens (yielding up to 10 lbs \/ 4.6 kg<\/strong> per plant), without salt stress and cool slow ripening, the flavor reverts to a classic tangy Marmande. Full summary \u2193<\/a><\/p>\n

Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 3-5 & Spanish Context)<\/h2>\n
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forzicia (Natalya) \u2b50 Member (315 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
A friend sent me these seeds directly from Spain (a local farmer gifted them to her). This is my first time growing it.
\nI couldn’t bring myself to pinch off the first fasciated megabloom, and look what happened: a gnarly, fused double tomato that ended up stalling out the rest of the plant. The other fruit sets went completely dormant \ud83d\ude48, just waiting their turn. I am really curious to see when it finally starts blushing pink.
\nStarted several seeds and every single one germinated. Had to scatter them all over the garden: one directly in the greenhouse soil, two in buckets inside the greenhouse, and two outdoors.
\nEven though our local weather is a far cry from sunny Almer\u00eda (June was nonstop cold rains, temperatures you only see in Almer\u00eda in January!), almost every single plant has already set fruit. All of them are running about 16 to 20 inches (40-50 cm) tall. No idea what they look like in their native habitat, but these photos are from June 30. We shall observe! \ud83d\ude48<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Svetikk (Svetlana) \u2b50 Pro Grower (29,842 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Moscow \/ South Moscow Region, Russia (USDA Zone 4\/5)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
I really wanted to plant this variety this year, but never got around to it \ud83d\ude48
\nI will be following your updates closely, especially regarding flavor and yield! \ud83d\ude42
\nI was even scheming to water mine with brackish water to recreate that native Almer\u00eda soil where it gets so incredibly sweet \ud83d\ude04<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Dzhina (Evgeniya) \u2b50 Pro Grower (6,798 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Fascinating stuff! Following along for future updates as well \ud83d\ude42<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Heaven (Marina) \u2b50 Pro Grower (3,894 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Looking through Spanish seed catalogs, almost every single variety seems to have this RAF tag tacked onto its name. For example: Marmande RAF, RAF Grande, RAF Super.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Almer\u00eda Secret: Brackish Water, Winter Greenhouses, and Fusarium Resistance<\/h3>\n
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forzicia (Natalya) \u2b50 Member (315 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
The acronym RAF stands for Resistente A Fusarium<\/em> (Fusarium-resistant). That is likely why seed companies add it as a suffix \ud83d\udcdd
\nHere is some background I dug up:
\nRAF is famous as one of the most expensive tomatoes in Spain, and it looks unusual. The fruits are sold with green shoulders, sometimes looking completely green. They sit on market stalls like ruffled emerald blossoms with deep, pronounced ribs. To our eyes, they look unripe, but that color is deceptive. RAF ripens from the inside out.
\nThe ultimate flavor stage is when the exterior skin is still dark green with just a soft rose flush showing through the bottom. At that stage, the flesh is dense, aromatic, juicy, and packed with tiny seeds. That is when high-end restaurants buy them by the crate. Top European chefs feature them prominently; in fact, whole new menu items like “Gazpacho RAF” were created around this cultivar. Though the absolute best way to eat it is raw, sliced into thick wedges with flaky sea salt and good virgin olive oil.
\nTurns out RAF is a stabilized selection out of Marmande. Decades of selective breeding created a true open-pollinated variety on the coastal farms of Almer\u00eda.
\nIt thrives in Southern Spain on dry, poor, saline soils. Low humidity and lean soil are precisely what makes RAF tick. Even more fascinating: it is tailor-made for unheated winter greenhouses. The best flavor and texture come from fruit grown between November and May under cool temperatures running 41 to 68\u00b0F (5-20\u00b0C) with low winter sun. In upscale Spanish restaurants, fresh RAF can fetch up to 15 euros per kilo, comparable to fine Iberian ham!<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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kamo (Tatyana) \u2b50 Pro Grower (1,502 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Vnukovo, Moscow, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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forzicia wrote: All of them are running about 16 to 20 inches (40-50 cm) tall. No idea what they look like in their native habitat, but these photos are from June 30. We shall observe!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I am growing it this season as well. Mine look virtually identical. Practically every other variety in my greenhouse has already blushed red or yellow, but this one and my Uzbek variety are stubbornly holding green.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Heaven (Marina) \u2b50 Pro Grower (3,894 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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forzicia wrote: The acronym RAF stands for Resistente A Fusarium…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yes, I read that text over the winter. Still doesn’t quite explain why breeders slap the RAF label onto non-Marmande varieties though.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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forzicia (Natalya) \u2b50 Member (315 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Finally harvested my very first ripe RAF! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

\"RAF<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Bel Ami (Lera) \u2b50 Pro Grower (7,789 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Total stunner! \ud83d\udc4d Did you snap a cross-section photo? (Read that gourmet description and practically started drooling \ud83d\ude04)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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forzicia (Natalya) \u2b50 Member (315 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Here is the cross-section. A bit irregular with some internal core tissue because it was a fused double fruit from that first fasciated bloom. Flavor was very pleasant: rich, delicious, with a light tangy kick.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Verunya (Vera) \u2b50 Pro Grower (16,332 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Looks like it has very few seeds inside…<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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forzicia (Natalya) \u2b50 Member (315 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Yes, very few seeds indeed. The flesh has a nice dense, sugary texture.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Breeding History: Clause 27, Spanish Terroir, and Summer vs. Winter Brix<\/h3>\n
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Aleksander (Aleksandr) \u2b50 Pro Grower (3,856 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Malakhovka, Moscow Region, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Here is what growers on European tomato forums share regarding the real history of this variety:
\nA grower from Spain explains: In the 1960s, coastal Almer\u00eda was hammered by Fusarium wilt outbreaks that devastated regional mainstays like Muchamiel. French seed company Clause stepped in and crossed “Marmande Clause 27” with a Fusarium-resistant breeding line, creating the original RAF.
\nAlmer\u00eda provided the perfect conditions for continued selection. RAF thrived in their mild winter climate, developing exceptional sugars because the fruit matures at a slow crawl over many weeks. That specific weather happens in Almer\u00eda between late autumn and early spring. When grown during hot summer months, RAF turns bland and ordinary because fast-maturing fruit cannot concentrate those complex sugars.
\nLater commercial releases from Clause, like hybrids Delizia F1 and Conquista F1, frequently carry the “RAF” label because they share that same winter-market Marmande genetic background.
\nAnother grower from Switzerland notes that RAF performs best in partial shade. He only saves seeds from store-bought fruit purchased between December and March when genuine winter-grown RAF is on supermarket shelves. Fruits sold under the RAF name during summer are usually different varieties altogether.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Edited March 10, 2015 by Aleksander<\/em><\/p>\n

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tomatinka (Vera) \u2b50 Pro Grower (14,911 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Tyumen Region, Siberia, Russia (USDA Zone 3)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
I have a variety called Rufa… wonder if that is just a garbled translation of RAF? Might have to plant it and see.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Sweet (Svetlana) \u2b50 Pro Grower (8,792 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Belgorod Region, Russia (USDA Zone 5)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Vera, Rufa is almost certainly an old family heirloom that came from Polina in Bor.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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tomatinka (Vera) \u2b50 Pro Grower (14,911 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Tyumen Region, Siberia, Russia (USDA Zone 3)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Sweet wrote: Vera, Rufa is almost certainly an old family heirloom that came from Polina in Bor.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yes, that came from Polina. If it is an old family heirloom, definitely not the Spanish RAF.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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m_Kallista (Yuliya) \u2b50 Pro Grower (9,801 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Neftegorsk, Samara Region, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Bought my seed labeled as Marmande RAF. Never noticed it ripening from the inside out; it ripened just like any other standard tomato. Does that mean it isn’t authentic?
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grawicapa (Pavel) \u2b50 Pro Grower (3,579 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Ivanovo, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Grew RAF this season with seeds sourced from Galina, who reportedly got them from a relative in Spain.
\nSown March 19, planted out May 11 outdoors under a rain cover. Plant grew to 3.5 ft (1.1 m) tall, trained to four stems. Total yield was 10 lbs (4.6 kg). Average fruit weight was 3 oz (82 g), with the largest hitting 7 oz (192 g).
\nFlavor turned out like a standard sweet-tart tomato, definitely leaning toward the tangy side.
\nIn plant habit and yield, it mirrors Marmande very closely (also grown from Galina’s seeds), though Marmande was slightly larger with even deeper shoulder ribbing.Edited November 25, 2018 by grawicapa<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Aleksander (Aleksandr) \u2b50 Pro Grower (3,856 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Malakhovka, Moscow Region, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Aleksander wrote: Later commercial releases from Clause, like hybrids Delizia and Conquista, frequently carry the RAF label…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Clause continues to breed new sweet winter market varieties off this lineage, keeping that classic green-shouldered look alive for premium commercial growers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Full Summary: Plant, Yield, Taste and Climate Dynamics<\/h2>\n