Where to find good tomatoes...

[dennishoddy]

Our farmers market has tomatoes when it's not possible for them to be ripened naturally unless in a greenhouse. They taste very similar to grocery store tomatoes but more expensive.
Nothing beats a garden grown tomato. I can make a meal out of them with some salt and pepper, sometimes sprinkled with Parm cheese and left to sit for an hour in the fridge. The acid attacks the parm and does something to it to really bring out the taste.
We used to grow 18 plants a year in a fair sized garden but our travels have shut that garden down.
I do supply my buddy with all the seed and plants he needs for his garden though, and always have a sack of veggi's waiting when getting home.

 

[Snattlerake]

I've got about 75 tomato plants in this year. So far doing pretty good. I also have a 12x40 high tunnel greenhouse. We've had ripe tomatoes for almost 3 weeks, I'm running a little late this year.

Look around for a local farmers market. Field/garden grown tomatoes are just now coming ripe in NE oklahoma.

Do I know you? Does Camden 1 inch thick pork chops mean anything to you? Or maybe the, "You want to eat here?" at the Camden Pizza Hut?

 

[dennishoddy]

We probably ate just as many green tomato's from our garden as we did ripened.
Great to use in salsa with most grilled after marinating in Italian salad dressing for about 30 minutes.
Cook on lower heat if completely green or on high heat if slightly pink.

 

[forindooruseonly]

You’re a long ways out of the way from my route up or I’d bring you some tomatoes next week.

That's about my luck! I appreciate the thought!

 

[forindooruseonly]

Our farmers market has tomatoes when it's not possible for them to be ripened naturally unless in a greenhouse. They taste very similar to grocery store tomatoes but more expensive.
Nothing beats a garden grown tomato. I can make a meal out of them with some salt and pepper, sometimes sprinkled with Parm cheese and left to sit for an hour in the fridge. The acid attacks the parm and does something to it to really bring out the taste.
We used to grow 18 plants a year in a fair sized garden but our travels have shut that garden down.
I do supply my buddy with all the seed and plants he needs for his garden though, and always have a sack of veggi's waiting when getting home.

Dennis, what type of tomatoes were you growing? I've never put the parm on a tomato, I'll have to try that when I get some good ones.

 

[xseler]

Dennis, what type of tomatoes were you growing? I've never put the parm on a tomato, I'll have to try that when I get some good ones.

We do thick tomato slices with a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese sprinkled with Italian spices. I think the fancy name for this is Caprese Salad. MMMM, mmmmm good!


.

 

[dennishoddy]

Dennis, what type of tomatoes were you growing? I've never put the parm on a tomato, I'll have to try that when I get some good ones.

We grew a variety. Early Girls, beefsteak, jet star and a lot of the heritage varieties that really had great tomato taste. One cherry tomato plant. That's all one needs. Those plants put out a cazillion little tomatoes.
Edit: We drizzled the sliced tomatoes with some Italian Salad Dressing before adding the parm cheese.

 

[SoonerP226]

In Norman, the farmer's market is (or at least used to be) at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds, so you might check the schedule at your local county fairground.

I heard a report on the radio a few years back that said your best bet for store-bought tomatoes were actually Mexican-grown, as the American commercial varieties have been bred to survive the trip to market at the expense of flavor. The Mexican varieties are supposed to be closer to old-fashioned tomatoes.

 

[dennishoddy]

In Norman, the farmer's market is (or at least used to be) at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds, so you might check the schedule at your local county fairground.

I heard a report on the radio a few years back that said your best bet for store-bought tomatoes were actually Mexican-grown, as the American commercial varieties have been bred to survive the trip to market at the expense of flavor. The Mexican varieties are supposed to be closer to old-fashioned tomatoes.

Nothing against your comments as I don't know, but I do know after spending three winters in the Rio Grand Valley among miles of farms/orchards producing all the fruit/veggi's we eat around here that there is a huge amount of time those items are sitting in open top semi's around the food warehouses where they are packaged and sent down the road in trucks to distribution centers where they are again sent by truck to the grocery stores. Many days if not as week passes sitting there. We drove by them every day.
When we buy fruit/veggi's there, it's incredible how long they last in the fridge because we buy them right out of the field with no transportation involved. You never see a greenhouse in that area as the mean temperatures remain above 60 in the winter at night and 80's during the days.
Here in Northern Ok, they last a few days after buying them because of the delay time in warehousing and distribution.

 

[SoonerP226]

Nothing against your comments as I don't know, but I do know after spending three winters in the Rio Grand Valley among miles of farms/orchards producing all the fruit/veggi's we eat around here that there is a huge amount of time those items are sitting in open top semi's around the food warehouses where they are packaged and sent down the road in trucks to distribution centers where they are again sent by truck to the grocery stores. Many days if not as week passes sitting there. We drove by them every day.
When we buy fruit/veggi's there, it's incredible how long they last in the fridge because we buy them right out of the field with no transportation involved. You never see a greenhouse in that area as the mean temperatures remain above 60 in the winter at night and 80's during the days.
Here in Northern Ok, they last a few days after buying them because of the delay time in warehousing and distribution.

The report was just covering a study comparing tomatoes from the US, Canada, and Mexico; it didn't involve any other produce. I don't recall what they said about the Canadian tomatoes, but I think they ranked second behind the Mexican tomatoes.