What is A Bad Tomato?

AlittleSalt · January 11, 2017

The other day, Jan (My wife) was telling me about what she thinks a bad tomato is. She says a bad tomato is one that is:

1. Mushy inside.
2. You have to spit the tough skin out.

I thought it about for while. Yes, too much rain or over watering can cause just about any tomato to have that mushy/mealy texture inside. And I really don't care for tomatoes that the skin is like chewing leather. Then, I remember some tomatoes that were both mushy inside and had 'tough as a boot' skin on the outside. It happened a couple years ago when we had beyond record rainfall. It happened to one of our favorites, Porter.

I don't mean for this thread to pick on certain varieties because we all have different tastes. I learned that very quickly after joining Tomatoville.

One friend here told me about a variety that was so bad that it tasted like butt. I still get a chuckle when I think about that.

There are other things I don't care for about some tomato textures, tastes-or lack of it, etc. If you would like to add to this, please do so.

imp · January 11, 2017

I don't care for a mealy or mushy texture, either. For me, mushy is beyond a softer texture to mmmm, way to wet and a lack of texture, almost like the tomato has been sauced in the skin.

Can't comment on the "butt taste", LOL, but wonder about their sample size, <grin>.

HudsonValley · January 12, 2017

This past summer I grew a hybrid called Razzleberry. The plant was well-behaved and fairly productive; it gave me dozens of picture-perfect, dark pink tomatoes. Unfortunately, the tomatoes never, ever softened. I left them sitting on the kitchen counter for two weeks after ripening on the vine, and they were still hard. The flavor wasn't bad, but the texture reminded me of the pale, hard-as-rocks tomatoes I used to see in grocery stores back in the '70s and '80s -- sold in little plastic rectangular baskets, wrapped in cellophane; these days, I find Kumatos packaged similarly. (I've since learned a lot about Park's, the source of the Razzleberry variety. Lesson learned; research a variety BEFORE growing it.)

dmforcier · January 12, 2017

Chews and tastes like styrofoam.

Say! You thing they get styrofoam from tomatoes?

dmforcier · January 12, 2017

Why, imp, that's a bad overbite you gots there.

Honestly, Jaws reenacted by two of the least shark-like beings around. Love it!

KarenO · January 12, 2017

Potatoey as Marsha calls it. When the inside has the texture of cooked potatoes. I hate that

KarenO

oakley · January 12, 2017

Mealy, baked potatoey, ....i have definitely had that but no memory of it from my garden or a specific variety. Possibly when i grew some earlies eons ago but we have such heavy rains early/mid Spring i don't grow any of those varieties anymore.

My mother still buys the celophane three pack and keeps them in the fridge. Cuts them into quarters for their salad. I can't eat it but i suppose better than mealy. (Shudder).
They drench in bottled cheap creamy dressing. For flavor? or i think it is an old belief that that salad is good and healthy.

zipcode · January 12, 2017

I can live with poor texture and tough skins in a pinch, but it's the taste that will ultimately kill it.
A tomato is bad when it tastes like green peas/cucumbers. I swear I'm not making that up. It's fairly common, but apparently not all people can taste it, or maybe something is wrong with me. I have had completely tasteless tomatoes, but these are worse.

Worth1 · January 12, 2017

Might have been me that said Copia tasted like butt.
Worse tomato I ever spit out, I mean I really spit it out.
Nasty thing.

Worth

ilex · January 12, 2017

Bad or no flavour, then granulous texture.
No problem with hard skin, you can peel or spit. No problem with soft texture, that's better than hard supermarket tomatoes. In any case, texture matters more for salad tomatoes, for other uses it's not that important.

BigVanVader · January 12, 2017

I hate tough skin, specifically on cherry tomatoes. I haven't had much of a problem with mealy tomatoes but I also don't really enjoy tomatoes with to much gel or big seeds that are harder than the tomato flesh. Smooth consistent texture with sweetness turning to zing or vice versa is my perfect tomato and since I'm not a "Like pretty much any tomato" kinda person I tend to only eat the ones that are perfect tasting. The rest, to the sauce pot with yuns!

wildcat62 · January 12, 2017

Store bought in the middle of winter.

NarnianGarden · January 12, 2017

A tasteless one.
Textures vary and all are OK in their own way (mushy, hard, grainy...) if the flavor is good.

imp · January 12, 2017

What is A Bad Tomato?

The ones I don't have seeds for!!!!

LOL

maxjohnson · January 12, 2017

Anything store bought and originated from Florida.

January 11, 2017	#1
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	What is A Bad Tomato? The other day, Jan (My wife) was telling me about what she thinks a bad tomato is. She says a bad tomato is one that is: 1. Mushy inside. 2. You have to spit the tough skin out. I thought it about for while. Yes, too much rain or over watering can cause just about any tomato to have that mushy/mealy texture inside. And I really don't care for tomatoes that the skin is like chewing leather. Then, I remember some tomatoes that were both mushy inside and had 'tough as a boot' skin on the outside. It happened a couple years ago when we had beyond record rainfall. It happened to one of our favorites, Porter. I don't mean for this thread to pick on certain varieties because we all have different tastes. I learned that very quickly after joining Tomatoville. One friend here told me about a variety that was so bad that it tasted like butt. I still get a chuckle when I think about that. There are other things I don't care for about some tomato textures, tastes-or lack of it, etc. If you would like to add to this, please do so.

January 12, 2017	#4
dmforcier Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,825	Chews and tastes like styrofoam. Say! You thing they get styrofoam from tomatoes? __________________ Stupidity got us into this mess. Why can't it get us out? - Will Rogers

January 12, 2017	#5
dmforcier Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,825	Why, imp, that's a bad overbite you gots there. Honestly, Jaws reenacted by two of the least shark-like beings around. Love it! __________________ Stupidity got us into this mess. Why can't it get us out? - Will Rogers

January 11, 2017	#2
imp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Wichita Falls, Texas Posts: 4,832	I don't care for a mealy or mushy texture, either. For me, mushy is beyond a softer texture to mmmm, way to wet and a lack of texture, almost like the tomato has been sauced in the skin. Can't comment on the "butt taste", LOL, but wonder about their sample size, <grin>.

January 12, 2017	#3
HudsonValley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Hudson Valley, NY, Zone 6a Posts: 626	This past summer I grew a hybrid called Razzleberry. The plant was well-behaved and fairly productive; it gave me dozens of picture-perfect, dark pink tomatoes. Unfortunately, the tomatoes never, ever softened. I left them sitting on the kitchen counter for two weeks after ripening on the vine, and they were still hard. The flavor wasn't bad, but the texture reminded me of the pale, hard-as-rocks tomatoes I used to see in grocery stores back in the '70s and '80s -- sold in little plastic rectangular baskets, wrapped in cellophane; these days, I find Kumatos packaged similarly. (I've since learned a lot about Park's, the source of the Razzleberry variety. Lesson learned; research a variety BEFORE growing it.)

January 12, 2017	#6
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,929	Potatoey as Marsha calls it. When the inside has the texture of cooked potatoes. I hate that KarenO

January 12, 2017	#7
oakley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: NewYork 5a Posts: 2,303	Mealy, baked potatoey, ....i have definitely had that but no memory of it from my garden or a specific variety. Possibly when i grew some earlies eons ago but we have such heavy rains early/mid Spring i don't grow any of those varieties anymore. My mother still buys the celophane three pack and keeps them in the fridge. Cuts them into quarters for their salad. I can't eat it but i suppose better than mealy. (Shudder). They drench in bottled cheap creamy dressing. For flavor? or i think it is an old belief that that salad is good and healthy.

January 12, 2017	#8
zipcode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Romania/Germany , z 4-6 Posts: 1,582	I can live with poor texture and tough skins in a pinch, but it's the taste that will ultimately kill it. A tomato is bad when it tastes like green peas/cucumbers. I swear I'm not making that up. It's fairly common, but apparently not all people can taste it, or maybe something is wrong with me. I have had completely tasteless tomatoes, but these are worse.

January 12, 2017	#9
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Might have been me that said Copia tasted like butt. Worse tomato I ever spit out, I mean I really spit it out. Nasty thing. Worth

January 12, 2017	#10
ilex Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Spain Posts: 416	Bad or no flavour, then granulous texture. No problem with hard skin, you can peel or spit. No problem with soft texture, that's better than hard supermarket tomatoes. In any case, texture matters more for salad tomatoes, for other uses it's not that important.

January 12, 2017	#11
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	I hate tough skin, specifically on cherry tomatoes. I haven't had much of a problem with mealy tomatoes but I also don't really enjoy tomatoes with to much gel or big seeds that are harder than the tomato flesh. Smooth consistent texture with sweetness turning to zing or vice versa is my perfect tomato and since I'm not a "Like pretty much any tomato" kinda person I tend to only eat the ones that are perfect tasting. The rest, to the sauce pot with yuns!

January 12, 2017	#12
wildcat62 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2014 Location: Zone 6 Northern Kentucky Posts: 1,094	Store bought in the middle of winter.

January 12, 2017	#13
NarnianGarden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Finland, EU Posts: 2,550	A tasteless one. Textures vary and all are OK in their own way (mushy, hard, grainy...) if the flavor is good.

January 12, 2017	#15
maxjohnson Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: OH 6a Posts: 592	Anything store bought and originated from Florida.