Tomatoes

Folks used to think there was a price to pay for year round produce — TASTE. Consumers felt tomatoes weren't nearly as flavorful as they were in years past. Tomato growers were producing new varieties designed to travel better, and enjoy longer shelf lives, and unfortunately in many cases, flavor was indeed sacrificed. Well, things have changed in the tomato world!

Consumers united and began demanding better tasting tomatoes. Grocery retailers passed on the public sentiment to the growers, who relayed the word to the seed companies and botanists. The results have been indeed-tasty! Some of the best results have occurred in the increasingly popular tomatoes on the vine/cluster tomato categories which are typically hothouse grown. The term, Tomatoes on the Vine, implies freshness and incredible taste.

The idea behind cluster tomatoes is quite simple-leave the tomatoes on the vine, and they will continue to draw moisture and nutrients several days after they've been harvested. If you've tried these popular tomatoes, you're already aware that the theory works! These tomatoes, which come in red, orange and yellow varieties, are super-fresh! Farmers only pick cluster tomatoes when every tomato on the vine is fully ripe, and then hand picked and hand-packed in the container you select off the grocery shelf.

Tomatoes are sold by types, rather than varieties, and whether they are field, stake, or pole grown, these types are described as mature green, vine pink or vine ripe, plum or roma, cherry, greenhouse and hydroponic.

It's hard to imagine a state where tomatoes aren't grown, but the major commercial states are Florida and California. Florida is responsible for 50 percent of the domestic crop and a huge number of tomatoes are imported from Mexico.

Storage & Selection
Tomatoes must smell like tomatoes! Some of the best tomatoes I've ever eaten were pretty homely, yet they had a fabulous tomato aroma. On the other hand, some real beauties smelled as if they had just been removed from a hermetically sealed room. Even mature green tomatoes should have a slight fragrance to show they will ripen.

Look for tomatoes with maximum red coloring that are plump with smooth skins, and heavy for their size. They should be free of bruises, blemishes, deep cracks, or leathery dark patches. If tomatoes are soft and yielding to the touch, they are fully ripe, so only buy them if you can use them immediately.

Tomatoes should never be refrigerated until they (1) have been cooked, (2) have been cut or put into a raw dish like a salsa, or (3) are fully ripe and would spoil if left further at room temperature. Place tomatoes stem end up, and don't put them on a sunny windowsill to hasten ripening. Instead, put tomatoes in a sealed paper bag with or without ethylene-producing fruit such as bananas. Ripe tomatoes will hold at room temperature for two or three days. Ripe tomatoes you've refrigerated to keep from spoiling will taste better if you bring them to room temperature before eating.

Preparation
To core a tomato, use the tip of a sharp paring knife to make a shallow cut all around the stem end, and then pop out the core. Slice with a serrated knife, or prick the skin with the tip of a paring knife to get a slice going, then follow through with the blade. Cut lengthwise, from stem to blossom end, rather than widthwise to retain more juice.

To dice a tomato, slice it and then put half of the slices on a cutting surface with a flat slice down, and cut them into strips. Cut crosswise into dice, and repeat with the other slices.

The easiest way to peel a tomato is to drop it into boiling water for about 15 to 20 seconds. It will take longer if you are doing several tomatoes at once, or if the tomatoes are very firm. Next, hold them under running cold water, or plunge into a bowl of ice water until cool, (about 5 minutes,) and slip the skin off. Another step to make tomatoes even easier to peel is to make a small x opposite the stem end before putting them into the hot water.

If you need to seed a tomato, cut it in half horizontally, hold each half over a strainer sitting on a bowl and squeeze; the seeds will be trapped in the strainer. Only seed tomatoes if necessary for aesthetic reasons, because you will lose some of their nutritional value if you do.

Find single serving sized tomatoes to use when you want to stuff them. Cut a slice off the top at the stem end and scoop out the seeds and the pulp with a grapefruit spoon. Invert on paper towels to let the excess moisture drain out. If you are using large tomatoes, cut them in halve horizontally and prepare as outlined above.

When cooking with tomatoes avoid aluminum pots because they give tomatoes a bitter flavor. If the tomatoes you're cooking with aren't very sweet, add a healthy pinch of sugar. Add tomatoes to a salad just before serving to keep the juice from making the salad soggy.

Broiling, grilling, and oven roasting can add more flavor to out-of-season or otherwise insipid tomatoes. Cook, turning until nicely blistered and charred. Seasonings that go especially well with tomatoes are garlic, olive oil, basil, dill, oregano, and parsley.

Tony's Tip
For a wonderful low-calorie tomato salad, try splashing sliced tomatoes with a high quality balsamic vinegar instead of olive oil.

Tony's Favorite Recipe
Salsa Cruda�Italian Style

Varieties
Beefsteak tomatoes are large, bright red, and slightly elliptical in shape. They are considered the workhorse of the mainstream tomato market, and are delicious cooked or sliced up for sandwiches or cut into wedges for salads.

Cherry tomatoes are about the size of a large cherry and can be red or yellow, although red is the main color. Used mostly for salads, they can also be hollowed out and stuffed or sliced and saut�ed. Baby sized Sweet 100s are a particular type of cherry tomato that has exceptional flavor and sweetness. Other types include Sungolds, Mini Charms, Grape, and on-the-vine/cluster tomatoes. Cluster tomatoes/Tomatoes on the Vine are picked when fully ripe and left attached to the vine where they continue to draw moisture and nutrients for several days after harvesting for maximum flavor. They come in red, yellow and orange colors in various sizes.

Currant tomatoes are the tiniest variety at 1/8 ounce each, and 0.7 inches in diameter. They are either a yellow or red color with a sweet, crisp flesh.

Globe/Slicing tomatoes are medium-sized, firm, juicy, and like beefsteak tomatoes, are good raw or cooked.

Heirloom tomatoes are thin-skinned, highly perishable, antique varieties, (some are hundreds of years old) that are open pollinated tomatoes as opposed to today's hybrids.

Pear-shaped tomatoes look like teardrops and are slightly smaller than cherry tomatoes. There are yellow and red varieties, although you see more yellow than red. Use them like cherry tomatoes, although in general they tend to be sweeter.

Purple tomatoes depending on the variety, have skins that range in color from a dusky pink with purple shoulders to a vivid dark pink, and flesh colors from crimson to a brownish purple-pink.

Roma or Plum tomatoes are the number one choice for making sauces, because of their thick skin, meaty pulp, and lack of juice. They can be long, blocky, or pear-shaped, and come in yellow, orange or red varieties, with red the most common. Despite their use in sauces they can still be used fresh and are often seen sliced with fresh mozzarella cheese and basil leaves. The Viva Italia strain is one of the best ever developed, because unlike other Romas, it has a naturally high sugar content. This makes it as delicious eaten fresh as many other non-Roma types.

Striped tomatoes have an orangey color skin with faint red striations and a bright yellow flesh with a red center.

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