Tomatoes have been my favorite food since I was little. Once, when I was six years old, my grandpa shipped a table to my mom via Greyhound bus and he put a box of cherry tomatoes in with it for me.
For grocery store tomatoes, Campari are the best I’ve found. The Kumatos and most of the other small tomatoes at the store are pretty flavorless as far as I’m concerned. Once in a while they’ll have heirloom varieties out of season and those aren’t great either.
For farmers market tomatoes, the Green Zebra is my absolute favorite (another green when ripe variety) with Black Krim and Cherokee Purple being my other staples. I buy a lot of different varieties at the market when they’re available but I can’t remember the names of the ones I’ve liked, except for those. There’s one Japanese variety that’s dark red with almost purple shoulders that’s kind of heart-shaped that tastes kind of spicy. Not my favorite but it’s an interesting one. Sometimes I’ll come home with 20 pounds of tomatoes for the week just for me!
I tried the dry farmed tomatoes from one of the vendors this year and I didn’t care for them at all. I don’t know if it was the variety he planted, or what, but I thought they were pretty flavorless and the texture was mealy. He grows good potatoes and onions though.
I don’t buy orange/yellow/white tomatoes because I like a tomato with a high acid content and those colors don’t seem to cut it for me. I will make an exception for that yellow German variety because they’re so pretty. Yellow outside with a bright pink middle.
When heirloom tomatoes are available and in season, I prefer those. Else, the Campari and Kumato are my go to choices. And those little grape and mini-heirlooms are delicious as well. I snack on them like they are candy.
Fresh beefsteak tomato about the size of a grapefruit, picked off the vine, sun warmed and sprinkled with sea salt and black pepper. Eat like an apple. Yum!
My favourite sandwich is garden tomatoes, sliced thick on good, light toasted rye faced with mayo, s&p, with shredded old cheddar cheese. Food of the Frickin’ Gods!
I agree that these are worth looking for. They don’t come close to proper home-grown tomatoes, but in the middle of winter they can at least remind you of what’s 6 months ahead.
Well, I have maybe ten pounds of San Marzanos in the freezer right now. I have yet to make them into pasta sauce. I think I will make a batch this weekend.
Tomatoes fresh off the vine, raw or cooked = food of the gods.
Pick tomato off vine, cut into thick slices, sprinkle with a little coarse sea salt, enjoy.
I eat more sandwiches in the summer just because a good sandwich should have a slice or two of raw tomato on it, and grocery store tomatoes in winter just don’t cut it.
If one were raised in a city, and never had a tomato other than the bizarre, insipid, mushy “tomato” found in a typical supermarket, I wouldn’t blame that person for claiming that they didn’t like raw tomatoes.
LOL, we are kindred spirits! And of course it goes without saying that you made the mayonnaise yourself (or your wife did), too.
We are many days away from the annual Perfect BLT Day now, but you’re giving me inspiration to get my BLT lovin’ ass out there for early garden prep! Loved your 300 yard BLT description.
My children will not eat raw tomatoes. They don’t care for the taste of tomatoes, though one will eat pizza sauce and ketchup.
Hubs and I love raw tomatoes. I used to raise a plant or two in the back yard, but I haven’t for several years. I may need to rethink that. There isn’t much better than a sun-ripened, freshly-picked tomato eaten out of hand with just a little salt.
I will eat the “grape” tomatoes like candy when I can find good ones.
