Tomato Time
“Only two things that money can’t buy, and that’s true love and homegrown tomatoes.”
This week, we're sending members home with a fun mix of tomatoes, some heirloom, some modern slicers. Knowing who's who will help you make the most of your share.
A tomato is not just a tomato. One reason supermarket tomatoes can rarely match up to your childhood memories of tomato-ness is the way they're stored when they reach the industrial food chain. The biggest reason tomatoes in long distance relationships with our mouths have trouble living up to expectation is that temperatures below 50 degrees damage their flavor and texture. Put the most gorgeous, ripe tomato in the crisper drawer and in no time, it will become mealy and flavorless.
For the best tasting, juiciest tomatoes, store them on the counter, not in the fridge. If fruit flies are an issue, wrap the tomatoes loosely in a paper bag.
Like apples, there are countless varieties of tomatoes. Modern hybrids (like the orange and red ones pictured at the center of this photo) are typically rounder and smoother. Fewer bumps and ridges means fewer places to crack and split, which means that hybrids often keep better for longer than their bumpy, ridgy relations. As a general rule, eat weird-looking heirlooms first.
Some tomatoes are more acidic than others. Green and yellow varieties such as Green Zebra, Green Cherokee, and the yellow hybrid at the center of the photo above are often less sour than many red tomatoes. Some people like rather acidic tomatoes, and some people don't.
We hope you'll love the season ahead.