tomatoes....fluffy content alert (FCA)

[SparklyUnicorn]

I would love to eat a tomato that tastes like something.  I am so sad about the tomatoes.  There are some that are sort of passable, but barely.

 

I know why, but why are tomatoes so stupid?

 

It's about 87 degrees in my house and I haven't gotten my air conditioners in yet because it is almost never this hot this soon.  I'm starting to have loopy thoughts.

 

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Buy some tomato seeds or a small seedling and plant some on your porch or deck.  Homegrown tomatoes taste like heaven compared to the stuff you get in the grocery store.  

[MomatHWTK]

Farmer's Market or local grown are best if you can't grow your own.  Also, refrigeration takes away the flavor.   

[SparklyUnicorn]

HAHAHA farmer's market

 

funny...

 

They sell candles and honey at our farmer's market.  Maybe some goat meat.  Very little veg.

 

Tomatoes are very difficult to grow here.  We grow them every single year.  Maybe once every four years we get something.  I'm remaining hopeful because this early hot weather might make it possible to have a good tomato crop.   And then I'm going to devour them.  I can't wait! 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I never refrigerate them.

 

 

[Susan in TN]

I once bought some delicious locally grown tomatoes at Piggly Wiggly. That must have been 15 years ago. I still remember those tomato sandwiches...mmmmm.

 

I actually bought some tomato plants today. Now I just have to clear the garden and commit (myself or my kids) to taking care of them. :D

[SparklyUnicorn]

The only tolerable ones I've had lately were the Chrubs.  But those don't work on sandwiches so well.  Although I have sliced them and put them on sandwiches. 

 

 

[Lakeside]

I know this doesn't help your tomato craving now, but if you ever get a chance to go to the Rutgers Tomato Festival it is amazing!  http://events.rutgers.edu/njaes/event.asp?id=17403&d=201304&u=all&c=00

[Jean in Newcastle]

If heat is an issue have you thought of making a greenhouse for them?  Our local pharmacy (which is sort of like a general store!)  has a small plastic greenhouse that would fit on a deck.  

 

Also - tomatoes should never ever be fluffy.   :leaving:

[SparklyUnicorn]

If heat is an issue have you thought of making a greenhouse for them?  Our local pharmacy (which is sort of like a general store!)  has a small plastic greenhouse that would fit on a deck.  

 

Also - tomatoes should never ever be fluffy.   :leaving:

 

We have a greenhouse.  It's too small for full size plants though.  And it won't fit on our deck.  Do you see what I have to endure here???  LOL...I swear I'm just so damn hot I can't stand myself at the moment. 

 

The growing season is short.  That's problem one.  The second problem is sometimes we get too much rain. If there isn't enough rain we can water them more.  If there is too much there is nothing we can do about that.  The tomatoes get spongy and are terrible.

 

Well and then there is that charming thing called tomato blight. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I know this doesn't help your tomato craving now, but if you ever get a chance to go to the Rutgers Tomato Festival it is amazing!  http://events.rutgers.edu/njaes/event.asp?id=17403&d=201304&u=all&c=00

 

Oh my.  And that's not impossibly far.

[Annie G]

I've tried growing tomatoes about a bazillion times. Different varieties, different methods. All failed. It's a REALLY good thing I wasn't born back in the pioneer days. 

We get mealy tomatoes here sometimes. Yuck. 

It's way too early to get locally grown tomatoes- ours won't be ready until July sometime. I can get greenhouse tomatoes at our farmer's market starting next month. Can't wait!

 

Sparkly, I just wanted to commiserate with you. When it's hot, nothing beats a nice tomato sandwich. But finding the tomatoes is such a chore!

[Lakeside]

Oh my.  And that's not impossibly far.

It was really amazing!  Sigh.  I don't think I've had a *really* good tomato since we've left NJ.

[mamaraby]

I'm sorry Sparkly. If it makes you feel any better, our local farmer's market is about the same. Lots of cra(p)s and soaps, meat and honey, kettle corn and cheese. Not so much in the veggies.

 

Every year I get one trip to the Dane County Farmer's Market, but it's not enough. I did find some hydroponic tomatoes at the local grocery store that re pretty good.

[SparklyUnicorn]

It was really amazing!  Sigh.  I don't think I've had a *really* good tomato since we've left NJ.

 

I need to go to that.  Thank you for telling me about it.

[Annie G]

I'm sorry Sparkly. If it makes you feel any better, our local farmer's market is about the same. Lots of cra(p)s and soaps, meat and honey, kettle corn and cheese. Not so much in the veggies.

 

Every year I get one trip to the Dane County Farmer's Market, but it's not enough. I did find some hydroponic tomatoes at the local grocery store that re pretty good.

 

One trip a year might be worse than never going!  It's a little over an hour away for us but we go 5-6 times a summer. And that's not enough.   If we lived near Madison I would save so much money buying my fruits and veggies from DCFM. It's way cheaper than the stores where we live. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I'm sorry Sparkly. If it makes you feel any better, our local farmer's market is about the same. Lots of cra(p)s and soaps, meat and honey, kettle corn and cheese. Not so much in the veggies.

 

Every year I get one trip to the Dane County Farmer's Market, but it's not enough. I did find some hydroponic tomatoes at the local grocery store that re pretty good.

 

Yeah they may have a bit of veg in August.  But the selection is minimal.  It's usually stuff like zucchini or other types of things that I can easily grow or don't taste radically different than what you get in the grocery store.  Plus they charge a lot more.  Once saw garlic bulbs for $10.  Good grief. 

[mamaraby]

One trip a year might be worse than never going! It's a little over an hour away for us but we go 5-6 times a summer. And that's not enough. If we lived near Madison I would save so much money buying my fruits and veggies from DCFM. It's way cheaper than the stores where we live.

I don't know if it's cheaper. I suppose it could be, depending. I don't do organics so it's not really cheaper for me. I do make an exception for Driftless Organics because they have the best potatoes.

 

Sadly, dh works weekends 3/4 of the year and soccer season cuts into spring/fall trips. This year, owing to dh's schedule it looks like not at all. *sigh*

 

I bought a patio tomato plant to put in a container. I'm afraid that's about my limit on the gardening thing.

[MaeFlowers]

I think the same thing all.the.time. I miss tomatoes, too, and I haven't been able to get any to grow the past few years. If your grocery store carries ugly tomatoes, they taste like real tomatoes. They are ugly, though.

[Shellydon]

We have about 30 tomato plants and will have 100s of tomatoes very soon. Wish I could share them with you.

[catz]

That is a HUGE bummer!  Tomatoes are the one thing I can grow with some success.  And our farmer's markets are chock full of seasonal, locally grown goodness.  I've bought bushels of tomatoes for a song in August and processed them.  We are in the upper midwest though so the season is short. 

[Rosie_0801]

If you've got space, you can make a bigger greenhouse with raised beds. My aunt does it with star pickets, plastic piping to make arches, and plastic. The plastic has to be replaced every couple of years, but it's do-able.

[SparklyUnicorn]

If you've got space, you can make a bigger greenhouse with raised beds. My aunt does it with star pickets, plastic piping to make arches, and plastic. The plastic has to be replaced every couple of years, but it's do-able.

 

I don't think it would stay warm enough though.  Really we go from arctic to tropical.  There isn't much in between. 

 

We keep the greenhouse we have inside.  We use it to start plants.  It's great for that.  It's in really the one and only spot that gets plenty of sun though and that happens to be next to my washer and dryer.

[kewb]

It was really amazing! Sigh. I don't think I've had a *really* good tomato since we've left NJ.

Ah, yes, it is true. There is nothing quite as yummy as a NJ tomato.

I only buy tomatoes in season. They have no flavor the rest of the year because they are harvested while they are green and forced ripened when they reach their destination.

I grow a few plants in containers. Truly a miracle they grow with my black thumb.

[City Mouse]

I totally agree with you. Store bought tomatoes are tasteless. It took me several years to get good at growing tomatoes. Then we moved to a different state with a totally different climate. I have had to start all over again learning how to grow stuff. 😥

[Junie]

So with all of this talk about tomatoes and with all of this dancing bacon :) I am suddenly craving a BLT! 

[tm919]

The irony of tomatoes is that my best tomatoes from the garden come from neglecting them. I've read it has to do with letting it get sort of dry. Some people do it intentionally but I just sort of get lazy until I realize I haven't watered the poor things in 3 days.

[Lakeside]

I need to go to that.  Thank you for telling me about it.

You're welcome.  If you go, have a tomato for me!

[isaac_megan]

If you have a Costco near you, try their campari tomatoes. They are usually pretty good.

[SparklyUnicorn]

If you have a Costco near you, try their campari tomatoes. They are usually pretty good.

 

No Costco either!

 

But they do sell the camparis around here.  They really are not too bad.  Not garden great, but they do have some taste.

[itsheresomewhere]

I picked up some great cherry heirloom tomatoes at Wegmans the other day.  So good with fresh cheese.

 

 

[Garga]

It's been years since I had a good tomato.  I've eaten homegrown ones lately and they've tasted just like the store bought ones.  Talk about disappointment. 

 

After reading the other responses, I'm seeing that homegrown tomatoes can be tricky to grow.  I used to think that if it was homegrown it would be delicious and have been so sad to find that in the past years, ALL the tomatoes have been yucky lately. I thought perhaps good tomatoes had gone the way of the doodoo.

 

Looks like I need to find a good tomato gardener.  

[SparklyUnicorn]

It's been years since I had a good tomato.  I've eaten homegrown ones lately and they've tasted just like the store bought ones.  Talk about disappointment. 

 

After reading the other responses, I'm seeing that homegrown tomatoes can be tricky to grow.  I used to think that if it was homegrown it would be delicious and have been so sad to find that in the past years, ALL the tomatoes have been yucky lately. I thought perhaps good tomatoes had gone the way of the doodoo.

 

Looks like I need to find a good tomato gardener.  

 

Yeah it has been a hit or miss even with garden tomatoes.  Last year we had a good crop of cherry tomatoes.  They were kinda meh to be honest.  The rest of the tomatoes didn't make it.  They didn't have enough time to ripen.  It was very sad.

 

I do have a good recipe for green tomato relish.  It's good, but it's still not anything like tomatoes. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Well if the taste has been modified out of them, then I need to figure out how to modify taste back in.

 

I'm a terrible gardener though. So the chances of me figuring that out are exceedingly small. 

[kewb]

You need to plant heirloom tomatoes. They usually have flavor.

Last year we planted lemon boys and black crim tomatoes and they cross pollinated. I saved the seeds from those tomatoes and can't wait to see if they taste as good this year.

[isaac_megan]

No Costco here either. I've tried camparis from Kroger and they are just not the same. The last great tomato I had was an heirloom from a market in Paris. Of course, the fact that it was an heirloom from a market in Paris may have had something to do with it. Paris is a long way to go for a tomato.

[lailasmum]

We have a greenhouse. It's too small for full size plants though. And it won't fit on our deck. Do you see what I have to endure here??? LOL...I swear I'm just so damn hot I can't stand myself at the moment.

 

The growing season is short. That's problem one. The second problem is sometimes we get too much rain. If there isn't enough rain we can water them more. If there is too much there is nothing we can do about that. The tomatoes get spongy and are terrible.

 

Well and then there is that charming thing called tomato blight.

I have exactly the same problem in my corner of the uk. They do just alright every few years. I found the only ones that grow ok more reliably are the tiny hanging basket tomatoes. I think they're also called grape tomatoes or something similar. They grow fast too. I did get a big crop of Roma tomatoes to grow last year but the blight caught them just before ripening. Covering them does help but the still don't always get the chance to ripen.

[Guest]

I am extremely sad for you, Sparkly. I grow tomatoes every year, plus I can them to use in meals all winter. I almost will not purchase supermarket tomatoes at all. (I do buy cherry tomatoes, so there is that.) My fresh tomatoes are the culinary highlight of my summer. Brandywine. Beefsteak. German Striped. I will eat them sliced and salted and call that lunch.

 

P.S. I just about feel the same about strawberries. In season, fresh strawberries are bursting with sweet flavor. Those hollow baseballs shipped from Argentina were never intended by nature.

[Katy]

Okay, here's your solution for growing inside:  Get a big pot and an extra broomstick.  Fill the pot with Organic Miracle Grow potting mix.  Outside I'd typically use regular soil mixed with compost and a fish at the bottom of the hole, or fish emulsion if the boys hadn't gone fishing yet, but inside that might stink and attract bugs so I'd opt for commercial potting soil instead.  Stick the broomstick into the pot, put a clamp light like this on it, and fill it with the largest full spectrum compact fluorescent bulb you can find, and put it in the warmest room of your house.  Bonus points if that room is also sunny.  You can also get cheap LED grow lights these days.  Plug the light in 24/7, keep moving the light up the brromstick as the plant grows. 

 

If you put the plant in a sunny room you can also experiment with putting something with thermal mass nearby (perhaps some concrete stepping stones, painted black, under the plant, or some old milk jugs filled up with water and painted black.  Something that will absorb heat from the sun and slowly release it at night, as if you're in a warmer climate. Other ideas- old bricks, black marble tiles, cheap terra cotta tiles painted black, pretty garden stones, etc. 

 

If it's still too cold you could also put 4 dowels or lengths of bamboo around the edges of the planter and cover the whole thing in clear painter's tarp for a makeshift indoor greenhouse, or recycle old windows from Craigslist, or make a real one from sheet glass from the hardware store, cheap wood (like 2x2 furring or cedar strips), and a router.  Good geometry lesson possibilities there.

 

In our family we'd turn this into a summer science project, fill the sun room with tomato plants, experiment with different options for thermal mass and temperatures, companion planting, fertilizers, etc, and then DH would force the kids to write a paper on our experiment.  He loves science experiments though, so everything ends up bigger than just solving a problem.

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

No Costco here either. I've tried camparis from Kroger and they are just not the same. The last great tomato I had was an heirloom from a market in Paris. Of course, the fact that it was an heirloom from a market in Paris may have had something to do with it. Paris is a long way to go for a tomato.

 

Oh but what a fun way to go...hehe