grocery store tomatoes

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by zipcode

I'm surprised the Mexico tomatoes aren't that good. I would expect them to be grown in soil since it's cheaper to start and they should have decent light levels.

It's probably more profitable if they are picked and shipped unripe and still hard, than to lose a percentage due to handling while picking/packing when riper. And then they still need to survive being stuffed into a truck for the trip up to the northern part of the US.

I used to have good luck buying Roma's from Mexico and letting them ripen on the counter. Then something changed and instead of getting ripe, they would all go from hard straight to rotten. That's when I gave up.

I now only buy Camparis in the off season IF the package passes my sniff test -- if they smell like tomatoes, I buy, if they have no smell, I pass.

[Nan_PA_6b]

Saltmarsh, that's very interesting! I wonder why it works?

Nan

[taboule]

>>> let them ripen on the counter for a week to 10 days

I've never had store bought tomatoes last that long, regardless of how firm they started. They turn to a mush within a few days and make a mess.

I'm with FD on mostly buying the Camparis, although lately (past 1-2 years) they've been small, ping-pong ball sized at best. Way back we could find bigger fruit. Kumatos are also nice, but harder to find.

Some stores occasionally carry nicer varieties, labelled "heirloom". But typically they get mishandled, squished and bruised by ham-fisted customers and go to waste before anyone buys them ;-(

[saltmarsh]

Originally Posted by Nan_PA_6b

Saltmarsh, that's very interesting! I wonder why it works?

Nan

Nan, a couple of years ago I read a short blurb about a study done in Florida to improve the taste of commercial tomatoes. The blurb said the hot water bath activated the flavonoids in the tomatoes.

Luck. If I had tried it with "Tomatoes on the Vine" the first time I would have been disappointed and probably written it off as BS. But the first time I tried it I used the red slicers that were on sale (not much of a waste if it failed). The improvement in taste and texture were impressive.

Try it and see for yourself.

When you select your tomatoes choose the ones that are round and plump as opposed the ones resembling bell peppers with straight sides. Claud

[saltmarsh]

Originally Posted by taboule

>>> let them ripen on the counter for a week to 10 days

I've never had store bought tomatoes last that long, regardless of how firm they started. They turn to a mush within a few days and make a mess.

I'm with FD on mostly buying the Camparis, although lately (past 1-2 years) they've been small, ping-pong ball sized at best. Way back we could find bigger fruit. Kumatos are also nice, but harder to find.

Some stores occasionally carry nicer varieties, labelled "heirloom". But typically they get mishandled, squished and bruised by ham-fisted customers and go to waste before anyone buys them ;-(

taboule, A smile doesn't hurt. I'm friendly with produce managers. Some of them actually like "good" tomatoes. I tell them about the hot water bath and what to look for and they let me pick my tomatoes from their cooler before they go on display to the public. When I have home grown tomatoes I share with them and the rest of the year they share with me. Claud

[clkeiper]

Originally Posted by saltmarsh

Nan, a couple of years ago I read a short blurb about a study done in Florida to improve the taste of commercial tomatoes. The blurb said the hot water bath activated the flavonoids in the tomatoes.

Luck. If I had tried it with "Tomatoes on the Vine" the first time I would have been disappointed and probably written it off as BS. But the first time I tried it I used the red slicers that were on sale (not much of a waste if it failed). The improvement in taste and texture were impressive.

Try it and see for yourself.

When you select your tomatoes choose the ones that are round and plump as opposed the ones resembling bell peppers with straight sides. Claud

those tomatoes if they are hydroponics, usually have empty locules in them. someone missed a watering during pollination. fyi. don't buy them ever.

[mensplace]

I recently saw a documentary on agriculture in Israel. The greenhouse tomatoes would grow for two or more years and reach over thirty feet in length and watered with brackish water. Wonder what their flavor was like.

[zipcode]

Originally Posted by mensplace

I recently saw a documentary on agriculture in Israel. The greenhouse tomatoes would grow for two or more years and reach over thirty feet in length and watered with brackish water. Wonder what their flavor was like.

They should be better than the standard ones. They have little fresh water over there and tomatoes are better grown in salty water (and lower production) so it's a good use of resources. I haven't seen any Israel tomatoes for sale, not even in expensive stores, to try.

[mensplace]

I am not a scientist by any means, but it would seem that with the many similarities between growing techniques in Israeli greenhouse tomatoes and those grown here, the flavor should be similar. Wish we had someone here who has tasted them.

That leads me to wonder as to all of the flavor components and factors that seemingly make it so hard to deliver greenhouse tomatoes with great flavor other than just shipping issues, especially in a time when we have such advanced shipping technologies that could deliver fully ripened tomatoes .

Even in the home garden, other than variety, what most drives the flavor intensity we all seek?

[zipcode]

I never tasted a tomato grown in USA, but in the last years commercial tomato taste has improved considerably here. The heated greenhouses for winter supplement artificial light, and the hydro formulas have been tuned well. Not to mention complete automatic climate control and each growth stage has a different feeding formula.
So yeah, nutrition of the plant is imo the factor that drives taste. Considering how cloudy last year has been and my balcony is located to the west, I'm inclined to say full day sun is not a requirement, just a sufficient level. (last year has been great for taste). Said nutrition will be influenced by temperatures as well, absorption of nutrient is greatly affected by soil temps. Growing outside at the mercy of rain etc is not that good, just a small greenhouse should provide a big boost to disease control and water control.

[Nan_PA_6b]

Withholding water increases tastiness. Supposedly a little salty water increases taste; studies have been done; I read it but didn't save the references. I wonder how the Israelis prevent salt buildup in their soil.

Nan

[zipcode]

I think they don't use soil or maybe soil that is useless for anything else. Using distilled water from sea has no minerals and that is apparently worse than using mixture of both, besides the bonus to taste. I wouldn't really dare use salt even in my containers lol, growing media is so expensive . I was reading somewhere a paper about seriously high EC for tomatoes, they can apparently tolerate really high (they said ec of 10 , but that seems insane to me).

[saltmarsh]

VARIETY: Product of Mexico

DTM: 7 - 10 Days

Water Requirements: 125 degrees F for 5 Minutes

Disease and Pest Resistance: Excellent

Availability: Year Round

Crop Insurance: Varies by Market - Currently $ 1.15 per pound locally.

(Started a new crop last night. Claud)

[Nan_PA_6b]

Claud, that is such a valuable tip! I wonder if it works on bland homegrown tomatoes as well?

Nan

[saltmarsh]

Originally Posted by Nan_PA_6b

Claud, that is such a valuable tip! I wonder if it works on bland homegrown tomatoes as well?

Nan

I've wondered the same but not just bland ones, the good ones too.

4 years ago I grew Cuor Di Bue. It was a real spitter. And I had 15 vines of the things.

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Cuor_Di_Bue

But I tried using them for fried green tomatoes and they're excellent. Heat changes the flavor (or brings it out).

One on my customers tried roasting them in her oven and freezing them for use on homemade pizza and it was so good she bought all of the production of all of the plants.

I'll have to try the hot water bath on some varieties this year.

How do you improve an Excellent tasting tomato?