Why can't I find good tomatoes?

[Niflmir]

My mother in law makes a fantastic tomato sauce (she is Italian). Whenever I do it, the colour is wrong? I think it's the tomatoes. Maybe it's because I have an electric stove?

The recipe seems so super easy.

She heats up some garlic in a pan with oil. She adds tomatoes.
When the pasta is ready she stirs it into the sauce and lets it simmer in the pan. Then adds a bit of basil.

When I do it, the color is wrong (orange) and the flavour of tomato is subdued. I think I need non-hothouse, mature tomatoes. She uses better oil than me too.

 

[Dexter Sinister]

I think it's the tomatoes.

I think that's the best bet. Most commercially available tomatoes have been bred to survive transport and storage, not to taste good. They have nice thick firm skins and no flavour at all. I'd bet she buys Roma tomatoes, or grows her own. I do both, and Romas are definitely superior to the usual thick-skinned mutants for making sauces. They're not often available at my local grocery store, but when they are I get a BIG bag of them, brew up a few gallons of tomato sauce, and freeze it. Home grown are always better though, you can't buy anything that tastes as good as they do.

 

[Niflmir]

I think that's the best bet. Most commercially available tomatoes have been bred to survive transport and storage, not to taste good. They have nice thick firm skins and no flavour at all. I'd bet she buys Roma tomatoes, or grows her own. I do both, and Romas are definitely superior to the usual thick-skinned mutants for making sauces. They're not often available at my local grocery store, but when they are I get a BIG bag of them, brew up a few gallons of tomato sauce, and freeze it. Home grown are always better though, you can't buy anything that tastes as good as they do.

Do you think I could successfully grow tomatoes in an apartment? Maybe I could grow them at work...

 

[Dexter Sinister]

Sure, all you need is a window box. A south or west-facing balcony would be preferable, tomatoes like it hot and sunny. My dad used to grow them in the basement all winter, under full spectrum lights. They weren't as good as ones grown outdoors in summer, but they were better than the tasteless grocery store mutants.

 

[#juan]

Do you think I could successfully grow tomatoes in an apartment? Maybe I could grow them at work...

We have a deer problem. They eat just about everything including tomato plants.

This year we are growing two tomato plants in big pots on our sundeck.. One is a Giant Beef Hybrid and the other is a Roma. Both are close to three feet high. We don't expect these two plants to provide all our tomato needs but fresh off the vine tomatoes are usually better than what we get at the store.

 

[Niflmir]

Yeah, it would be nice to have some fantastic tomatoes, even if it was just for a week or month.

Now that I think about it, I think Herr Westermeier, the groundskeeper at my institute keeps a tomato garden in the corner... I wonder if he would let me have a patch.

 

[#juan]

Yeah, it would be nice to have some fantastic tomatoes, even if it was just for a week or month.

Now that I think about it, I think Herr Westermeier, the groundskeeper at my institute keeps a tomato garden in the corner... I wonder if he would let me have a patch.

It's got to be worth a try. Tomatoes are fairly easy to grow. A bit of aphid dust is all I've ever used on the plants. Along with a bit of cow manure....;-)

 

[Ron in Regina]

Niflmir, this might be your problem, & your solution: How to Blanch Vegetables | eHow.com

 

[Niflmir]

Niflmir, this might be your problem, & your solution: How to Blanch Vegetables | eHow.com

Although that sounds like a fantastic idea, I am not sure how that would affect a sauce... I must remember this, in any case.

 

[Ron in Regina]

It won't change the flavor, but it will change the color. Ever notice that in a
restaurant, when you order steamed vegetables, they don't look like the
carrots and broccoli that you make at home? Ever notice that it hits your
table (yet is still fresh and hot...not wilted) in less time then you could
possibly cook the same food at home?

The vegetables would have been blanched, and just would have to finish
cooking after you place your order in a restaurant. It's not had to do....

(P.S. Your Orange Tomato sauce will taste just a good as a red sauce :lol

 

[#juan]

My mother in law makes a fantastic tomato sauce (she is Italian). Whenever I do it, the colour is wrong? I think it's the tomatoes. Maybe it's because I have an electric stove?

The recipe seems so super easy.

She heats up some garlic in a pan with oil. She adds tomatoes.
When the pasta is ready she stirs it into the sauce and lets it simmer in the pan. Then adds a bit of basil.

When I do it, the color is wrong (orange) and the flavour of tomato is subdued. I think I need non-hothouse, mature tomatoes. She uses better oil than me too.

If I was having that problem I would add a bit of tomato paste, just enough to bring back the colour and flavour.

 

[Niflmir]

If I was having that problem I would add a bit of tomato paste, just enough to bring back the colour and flavour.

I've thought about it. But it almost seems like cheating. Hey if it works, that is all that counts I guess.

 

[Niflmir]

It won't change the flavor, but it will change the color. Ever notice that in a
restaurant, when you order steamed vegetables, they don't look like the
carrots and broccoli that you make at home? Ever notice that it hits your
table (yet is still fresh and hot...not wilted) in less time then you could
possibly cook the same food at home?

The vegetables would have been blanched, and just would have to finish
cooking after you place your order in a restaurant. It's not had to do....

(P.S. Your Orange Tomato sauce will taste just a good as a red sauce :lol

Ah! I get you! I will definitely try that.

 

[Tonington]

Next time you're in Italy, bring back some tomatoes, as much as you can! Do like Dex and plan ahead. Not sure what kind of ice box you have in your apartment though.

Dad had a hanging basket last year that he bought in Claresholm...I'd estimate that monster produced enough to fill a ten gallon pail twice over. Little cherries, I brought a bag in my lunch every day!

Here's a picture of the plant before we hung it outside:

Yummm!

 

[Niflmir]

Theres an idea too. Bringing some back.

 

[rufus]

We just finished planting 192 Roma tomato plants. We bought 4 flats thinking there were 24 plants to a flat but we were wrong, there were 48 plants to a flat so we will have an abundance of tomatoes. As well as green peppers, yellow banana peppers, Jalapeño peppers and two kinds of chili peppers. Anyone want to volunteer to come and help pick in the fall?

 

[karrie]

Oh indeed... when in doubt, nip on over to Italy and get tomatoes.

 

[karrie]

We just finished planting 192 Roma tomato plants. We bought 4 flats thinking there were 24 plants to a flat but we were wrong, there were 48 plants to a flat so we will have an abundance of tomatoes. As well as green peppers, yellow banana peppers, Jalapeño peppers and two kinds of chili peppers. Anyone want to volunteer to come and help pick in the fall?

Call your local soup kitchen, I bet they'd come over and help you pick in a heartbeat

 

[rufus]

Call your local soup kitchen, I bet they'd come over and help you pick in a heartbeat

Already thought of that and they will come to pick all that they can carry. We are also planting a lot of peaches and cream corn if it stops raining long enough. Anything that we don't use we donate to local charities and or families.

 

[#juan]

Oh indeed... when in doubt, nip on over to Italy and get tomatoes.

Niflmir does live in Germany. Going to Italy would certainly be easier for him than most of us. I would hope it was a tongue in cheek suggestion...;-)