Why is it so hard to get a decent burger quality tomato at the store? And no, I am not set up to grow my own.

Because tomatoes are picked green, then gassed to change their color to red (to appear ripe). You're buying green tomatoes. This is so the tomatoes will be able to survive the transport from farm to grocery store. This also extends the time the tomatoes can be stored or out in the produce section.

Don't you remember that old Good Eats episode where Brown squeezes a store-bough tomato in a vice? "Bullet proof" was the term he used. That's definitely not good eats.

Do you have any farmer markets (or similar) in the area? There are also some setups for growing tomatoes indoors. You just can’t get a good one at a typical store. It’s damn near like eating a different plant.

That is what a back yard is for.

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Originally posted by Skins2881:
That is what a back yard is for.

You don't even need a real backyard. A 5 gallon bucket and some hydro solution will have you in Tomatoes in about 60 days if you get a started plant.

We have 60 in the ground and another 30 waiting for me to recover from emergency surgery. Can't wait for fresh maters

Years ago I knew this old guy who grew incredible tomatoes. He said that the secret is using goat shit as fertilizer, something to which most of us do not have access.

Look for a grocery that has a spot in the produce section labeled "Heirloom Tomatos" those usually have a great taste.

Other than that, try to find a farmers market or just someone selling home grown in your area.

For the first time in about thirty years I put in a few tomato plants. Got the seedlings from my local farm stand. they seem to be doing well.

I find 'em 10 foot from my back door. I'm predominately a salsa and marinara gardener, but I do grow some slicers and cherry tomatoes.

Each summer a local farm starts up some roadside stands selling honest-to-goodness, locally grown tomatoes, corn, green beans, and other fruits and veggies. Truly ripe and delicious - the next best thing to picking veggies straight from Grandpa's garden many, many year ago.

My neighbor uses a hanging pot system that sprouts a crap load of 'maters every year. I think she gets them at Lowes.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Because tomatoes are picked green, then gassed to change their color to red (to appear ripe). You're buying green tomatoes. This is so the tomatoes will be able to survive the transport from farm to grocery store. This also extends the time the tomatoes can be stored or out in the produce section.

Don't you remember that old Good Eats episode where Brown squeezes a store-bough tomato in a vice? "Bullet proof" was the term he used. That's definitely not good eats.

Along with strawberries, oranges and a lot of other fruits and why most grocery store fruits taste like nothing.........

The only tomatoes that taste any good to me are the Heirloom tomatoes at Whole Foods (or others) and cost a ton of money per pound.

i love tomatoes especially heirloom. but it’s very seasonal for as i won’t buy produce from mexico. someday, i may just give up. but for now, finding tomatoes is seasonal and hard to find. when in season, i buy a lot, eat a lot and make a lot of sauce to freeze and eat later.

I can’t stand fresh tomatoes, but I like growing them. Mine just went to flower this week. My wife and kids may be enjoying them by the fourth.

This is my wife's little setup. She does something similar every year, and it gives us several weeks' worth of very good tomatoes.

A couple of 10-12 gallon pots and those metal support structures, some bagged soil, water, and that's about it. Of course, the starter plants- usually found at home depot or such. The plastic sheeting helps keep in moisture as we're in the high desert.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Years ago I knew this old guy who grew incredible tomatoes. He said that the secret is using goat shit as fertilizer, something to which most of us do not have access.

Hmm, interesting. I will have to keep that in mind for next year. There's a place that has a bunch of mini goats not too far from here, that I often ride by. I may have to stop in one of these times and ask if I can "dip into" their manure supply. I could even offer to trade them some of our horse shit for some of their goat shit.

Been growing my own for ages. There is no other way! It's super easy to do, the simplest method is to use pots like the pic above. Mine go directly in the ground due to the volume. I put a Tums antacid in the bottom of each hole for added calcium so the fruit does not get blossom end rot. I also use Miracle Grow and Seven brand pesticide. Be sure to water regularly, and you'll have the best tasting tomatoes you've ever had in about 70 days.

I find them on chicken sandwiches from Wendy's. I just order my spicy chicken with no tomato, then find them between the lettuce and mayo. The help isn't smart enough to understand that no tomato means don't put it on.

quote:

Along with strawberries, oranges and a lot of other fruits and why most grocery store fruits taste like nothing.........

I was 22 years old when I had my first real Orange. Wanted some time off when I got out of the service and was hitchiking around Europe. Bought an Orange at a market somewhere in Spain. It was glorious. I learned at that moment that all of those orange colored orbs I'd been eating for years were some other kind of crap.

Fortunately the family had been growing Tomatoes for years so I already knew what a real tomato tasted like. It's a practice I've insisted my wife and I continue.

quote:

Originally posted by rburg:
I find them on chicken sandwiches from Wendy's. I just order my spicy chicken with no tomato, then find them between the lettuce and mayo. The help isn't smart enough to understand that no tomato means don't put it on.

You need to request it !En Español¡

Seriously, I kept getting mayonnaise slathered on everything until I started specifying “sin mayonesa, por favor” It seems to register better in their native tongue.

SIN TOMATE