Store-Bought Tomatoes: Why Don't They Taste Good?

[Amy SF]

/whiny rant a-coming

I bought a package of tomatoes on the vine at Trader Joe's on Friday and left them to ripen a little more. I ate the first one today. NO flavor whatsoever. And this is not an isolated case. So many tomatoes I buy in the markets don't have any flavor. It seems that the only decent large tomatoes one can get in the US are the ones you grow your own, and not everyone (such as me) is in a position to grow their own tomatoes.

I do sometimes get cherry or grape tomatoes which taste alright, but those are small and good mainly for salads. On Friday, I decided I wanted tomatoes I could slice for sandwiches. The larger ones taste terrible.

Anyone else have any luck with decent large store-bought tomatoes?

 

[kazyeeqen]

They are bred for appearance and shelf life and picked extremely, extremely underripe, then ripened in the warehouse with climate/ventilation control to ensure the warehouse can sell them as it needs when it needs. Local tomatoes are more likely (much, much more likely) to be vine-ripened, which is why they taste good.

That said, sometimes cherry toms are okay and heirlooms are more likely to be delicious than non-heirlooms, even if they are off-season and not local.

I don't buy out of season tomatoes. And I don't advocate them to my customers. They still buy them, but anyone expressing hesitancy because they're not sure if they have much flavor I just tell that they don't have much flavor, because I'm not going to lie to them.

 

[Blobbenstein]

I've been buying baby plumb tomatoes recently....I've been eating them like sweets.

 

[Clueless Git]

A lot of store bought tomatoes are grown in Spain.

I heard that actual flavour was #39 on the Spanish tomato growers 'desirable qualities of a tomato' list.

 

[Clueless Git]

I've been buying baby plumb tomatoes recently....I've been eating them like sweets.

I do that too!

 

[Moll Flanders]

They do taste gross unless you buy the more expensive cherry or vine tomatoes. I used to go to a Turkish supermarket just to buy fruit and veg as it was much nicer than the regular supermarket produce. When I have been in Europe the taste of fresh stuff is so much better than in the UK!

 

[KLS52]

I am annoyed that most of my supermarkets sell hot house tomatoes even in summer. There should be an abundance of farm fresh tomatoes when they are in season.

 

[Amy SF]

As mentioned previously, I did buy tomatoes on the vine, thinking they might taste a little better. They didn't. At least not the first one I ate.

 

[shyvas]

Most of the tomatoes that are available from either super/hypermarkets are all grown in greenhouses in either Spain or Holland. They have little taste and are often watery and very starchy.
. During the summer months, I usually buy tomatoes from the local farm and the are picked when they are just ripe. They have a lovely sweet taste and are never starchy. They are also very cheap during the peak season and I get them for around 85 cts per kilo.
I think that more people should try and grow their own tomatoes as they really don't take up much space in a garden.

 

[Amy SF]

But not everyone has a garden. Is it possible to grow tomatoes in a small space such as a condo/apartment/flat? I have no garden or even a balcony. Oh halp.

 

[Moll Flanders]

My friend grew some tomatoes on the little balcony in her flat. She gave me a tomato plant to grow but of course it died because I forgot to water it.

 

[Amy SF]

My friend grew some tomatoes on the little balcony in her flat. She gave me a tomato plant to grow but of course it died because I forgot to water it.

You're a BAD plant mummy!

 

[Blobbenstein]

I tried to grow some tomatoes on my window ledge, but that ledge doesn't get much sun, only in the morning. If your window ledge gets quite a bit of sun through the day, I think you could grow tomatoes there.

 

[ledboots]

But not everyone has a garden. Is it possible to grow tomatoes in a small space such as a condo/apartment/flat? I have no garden or even a balcony. Oh halp.

Yes you can! I grew cherry tomatoes on a small balcony and they were great. Around the base of the plant I grew little lettuces.

 

[shyvas]

Yes you can! I grew cherry tomatoes on a small balcony and they were great. Around the base of the plant I grew little lettuces.

Yes, they just need a little space, water and sunlight.

 

[RabbitLuvr]

I only buy grape tomatoes in the off-season. In the summer, I grow my own in the garden.

Amy, are there farmers markets around you? I would think that would be the best place to find tasty tomatoes. I can get delicious heirloom tomatoes at the farmers market near me, but it's only open five months of the year. I'd think there should be markets open year round where you are?

 

[shyvas]

I used to buy fresh tomatoes at a little Mexican store in the LA area. All their produce tasted fabulous and they also had lots of food sold in bulk.

 

[SuicideBlonde]

Amy: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...,aps,219&rh=i:aps,k:upside+down+tomato+garden
Upside down tomato planters for small spaces. I don't know how well they work, but it could be something to look into if you want to try growing them.

 

[Amy SF]

I only buy grape tomatoes in the off-season. In the summer, I grow my own in the garden.

Amy, are there farmers markets around you? I would think that would be the best place to find tasty tomatoes. I can get delicious heirloom tomatoes at the farmers market near me, but it's only open five months of the year. I'd think there should be markets open year round where you are?

Yep. I'm typically too lazy to take the time, but one of these days I should really get off me bum and go. They're on Wednesdays AND Saturdays.

 

[Amy SF]

Amy: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_15?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=upside down tomato garden&sprefix=upside down tom,aps,219&rh=i:aps,k:upside down tomato garden
Upside down tomato planters for small spaces. I don't know how well they work, but it could be something to look into if you want to try growing them.

Thanks!