Bitter and Acidic

william8004 · May 6, 2015

Last year was my second successful one at growing from seeds. But what I've noticed is the bitterness and acidity of the Roma was extreme. They weren't the best tasting fresh, but the canned ones are inedible except for chili.

The seeds I used were Burpee. I used the miracle grow spray like I did previous 10 years on bought plants from the box stores.

Any ideas? Thanks.

Will

OzoneNY · May 6, 2015

Soil ph perhaps? I dunno, Im an engineer

http://bonnieplants.com/library/the-...tomato-flavor/

http://www.koiphen.com/forums/showth...matoes-so-sour

Jarrod King · May 6, 2015

Roma are probably my least favorite tomato. One of the few I have ever found that can taste store-like when grown in your garden.

bughunter99 · May 6, 2015

It is less likely to be the tomatoes and more likely that something went wrong during cooking. A few things that can cause bitterness in tomato sauce are

1. Under-ripe tomatoes
2. Cooking in aluminum pans
3. Skins or seeds in the sauce (some varieties more than others)
4. Overcooked oregano

walkertrex · May 6, 2015

Roma are not my favorite but they are pretty good for sauce. You could perhaps try another seed source as well? How do you process your tomatoes? I am Italian and use the traditional method of passing through a strainer --> slow simmer --> pouring into sterile jars with a few leaves of basil --> hot water bath

To make a simple sauce at the time of the meal, we sautee onions, garlic, hot pepper flakes, and flat leaf parsley in olive oil then add the jar of processed tomatoes and season with salt then toss in some fresh basil at the very end.

OzoneNY · May 6, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by bughunter99

It is less likely to be the tomatoes and more likely that something went wrong during cooking. A few things that can cause bitterness in tomato sauce are

1. Under-ripe tomatoes
2. Cooking in aluminum pans
3. Skins or seeds in the sauce (some varieties more than others)
4. Overcooked oregano

+1 on the aluminum. That will ruin any good gravy

KarenO · May 6, 2015

cooked tomato seeds and skins can be bitter. seeds in particular. Cooking and then pureeing would make it even worse. Many folks don't peel or seed tomatoes before cooking but this is the reason it is recommended and done by chefs (and me). it is worth the trouble imo.
I suggest you try another variety as well, there are so many that might be better.
KarenO

Worth1 · May 6, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarenO

cooked tomato seeds and skins can be bitter. seeds in particular. Cooking a. nd then pureeing would make it even worse. Many folks don't peel or seed tomatoes before cooking but this is the reason it is recommended and done by chefs (and me). it is worth the rouble imo.
I suggest you try another variety as well, there are so many that might be better.
KarenO

I strongly agree with this from many years of experience making bitter acidic tomato sauce.

Remove as many of the seeds and skin as you can and you will be rewarded with a fantastic product.
Worth

Gardeneer · May 7, 2015

Most tomatoes are acidic ( pH ~= 4.2 ?). When its brix ( sugar contents) is low then it taste more sour. Just add some sugar to your sauce to hide the acidic taste. The pH will remain unchanged.
But I don't know where the bitterness comes from

BigVanVader · May 7, 2015

This is why I am growing hearts for salsa. So much less work. I am lazy and get pretty impatient when blanching and peeling tomatoes. They should have invented something by now that I can just toss my tomatoes in and they come out clean and ready to use in around 3 seconds.

Worth1 · May 7, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

Most tomatoes are acidic ( pH ~= 4.2 ?). When its brix ( sugar contents) is low then it taste more sour. Just add some sugar to your sauce to hide the acidic taste. The pH will remain unchanged.
But I don't know where the bitterness comes from

Add about 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda to every 16 oz or so of sauce when you cook it and it will kill the acid.
This is cooking to eat not canning.
Just killing the acid will make it taste sweeter without the added sugar.
The bitter is absolutely from the seeds.
Something you can't get rid of.
Worth

william8004 · May 7, 2015

I've been canning for 10 years and it's gone good so far. I remove the seeds. It's just the two years of growing from seeds, they're absolutely horrible tasting. Anyone else had issues with seeds. It's either the seeds or soil. Maybe I'll go back to the big box store for plants. Thank you for the feedback.

Stvrob · May 8, 2015

Maybe those seed were supplied to burpee from Joseph in the Cache Valley.

Gardeneer · May 8, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worth1

Add about 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda to every 16 oz or so of sauce when you cook it and it will kill the acid.
This is cooking to eat not canning.
Just killing the acid will make it taste sweeter without the added sugar.
The bitter is absolutely from the seeds.
Something you can't get rid of.
Worth

Yes sure , IF you are not going to can it, you can do that. But for canning you'll need pH of MAX 4.2.

Worth1 · May 8, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

Yes sure , IF you are not going to can it, you can do that. But for canning you'll need pH of MAX 4.2.

4.6 actually but who's counting.

Worth

May 6, 2015	#1
william8004 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Illinois Posts: 3	Bitter and Acidic Last year was my second successful one at growing from seeds. But what I've noticed is the bitterness and acidity of the Roma was extreme. They weren't the best tasting fresh, but the canned ones are inedible except for chili. The seeds I used were Burpee. I used the miracle grow spray like I did previous 10 years on bought plants from the box stores. Any ideas? Thanks. Will

May 6, 2015	#5
walkertrex Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 34	Roma are not my favorite but they are pretty good for sauce. You could perhaps try another seed source as well? How do you process your tomatoes? I am Italian and use the traditional method of passing through a strainer --> slow simmer --> pouring into sterile jars with a few leaves of basil --> hot water bath To make a simple sauce at the time of the meal, we sautee onions, garlic, hot pepper flakes, and flat leaf parsley in olive oil then add the jar of processed tomatoes and season with salt then toss in some fresh basil at the very end. Last edited by walkertrex; May 6, 2015 at 10:04 AM.

May 6, 2015	#7
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,931	cooked tomato seeds and skins can be bitter. seeds in particular. Cooking and then pureeing would make it even worse. Many folks don't peel or seed tomatoes before cooking but this is the reason it is recommended and done by chefs (and me). it is worth the trouble imo. I suggest you try another variety as well, there are so many that might be better. KarenO Last edited by KarenO; May 6, 2015 at 04:21 PM. Reason: can't spell or type worth a darn today

May 6, 2015	#2
OzoneNY Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Frisco Texas Posts: 390	Soil ph perhaps? I dunno, Im an engineer http://bonnieplants.com/library/the-...tomato-flavor/ http://www.koiphen.com/forums/showth...matoes-so-sour

May 6, 2015	#3
Jarrod King Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Norman, OK Posts: 23	Roma are probably my least favorite tomato. One of the few I have ever found that can taste store-like when grown in your garden.

May 6, 2015	#4
bughunter99 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: zone 5 Posts: 821	It is less likely to be the tomatoes and more likely that something went wrong during cooking. A few things that can cause bitterness in tomato sauce are 1. Under-ripe tomatoes 2. Cooking in aluminum pans 3. Skins or seeds in the sauce (some varieties more than others) 4. Overcooked oregano

May 7, 2015	#9
Gardeneer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: NC - zone 8a - heat zone 7 Posts: 4,919	Most tomatoes are acidic ( pH ~= 4.2 ?). When its brix ( sugar contents) is low then it taste more sour. Just add some sugar to your sauce to hide the acidic taste. The pH will remain unchanged. But I don't know where the bitterness comes from

May 7, 2015	#10
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	This is why I am growing hearts for salsa. So much less work. I am lazy and get pretty impatient when blanching and peeling tomatoes. They should have invented something by now that I can just toss my tomatoes in and they come out clean and ready to use in around 3 seconds.

May 8, 2015	#13
Stvrob Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 1,413	Maybe those seed were supplied to burpee from Joseph in the Cache Valley.