By Michelle Fabio

In response to SUN Gene Gives Tomato Its Shape, Tomato Casual reader Esther Montgomery of Esther in the Garden wrote:

“About long / round tomatoes - Elongated varieties never seem to rise to the same quality of flavour as round ones. Are you able to explain this?”

This is a very interesting question, Esther, and I have to admit that I don’t know whether there is any scientific answer; I will, however, put forth my first reaction:

Quality and flavor Read the rest of this entry »

By Michael Nolan

Everyone who loves gardening and fresh vegetables wishes they could have a perfect plot of land that got just the right amount of sun and rain, but the rest of us live in the real world.

I lived in an apartment in New York City for several years with only a small balcony and I managed to grow some pretty respectable tomatoes using container gardens.

At first I was concerned Read the rest of this entry »

By Michelle Fabio

In a perfect world, we’d all have our choice of homegrown tomatoes from our own gardens every day. In the real world, though, sometimes we just have to go and buy tomatoes.

Indeed, Tomato Casual reader Renee has been faced with the challenge, and asks:

“I need to know how heirloom tomatoes are supposed to feel when I choose the ones to buy. I know that sounds strange, but all the ones I have found have been pretty squishy.”

Drop that tomato Renee!

OK, it’s better if you gently put it back where you found it, but under no circumstances should you buy a tomato that Read the rest of this entry »

By Michelle Fabio

A lucky reader has scored some sun-dried tomatoes and stored them in a jar with olive oil—now she’s wondering how to best vacuum seal the jar.

For starters, if you’re jarring only in olive oil, just be sure to pack the tomatoes in as tightly as possible leaving some headspace at the top for expansion, cover the tomatoes completely in oil, and then seal tightly. Store jars in a cool, dark place for up to a year.

If you’re adding garlic and basil like my southern Italian mother-in-law does, follow the same process but then store in the refrigerator to guard against botulism.
Read the rest of this entry »

By Amelia Tucker

A reader asks (see “share your tomato questions link in sidebar) what could have happened to his tomato juice.

He made some home made tomato juice and added it to his store bought juice. The next morning the entire product was very thick.

He wondered if it was safe to drink and what could have caused the thickening.

My first thought was that yes, it was safe to drink, provided it didn’t get warmed for the evening (Bloody Mary’s-anything could have happened) and started to ferment then put back in the fridge.
Read the rest of this entry »