Amazing Scientific Achievements #326: The Modern Grocery Store Tomato

[MilesColtrane]

It can go from unripe (although red) to rotten with no stage in between.

Never thought I'd get Good Old Days Syndrome over produce, but I remember when tomato's actually had a taste to them.

[southpaw]

1. Baloon

Asparagus, Constantinople.

Remarkable.

[MilesColtrane]

2. Succinct, yet cryptic.

[orleans]

3. i'm sick of those prickly things in the center--it's not in all tomatoes

but in a lot of them. what the fuck are those? we NEVER had to core a tomato.

[MilesColtrane]

5. That's where the alien spores are contained.

Eat that part of a tomato and soon you'll be watching Gossip Girls and voting Republican.

[orleans]

15. nothing could alter me to that degree. n/t

[MilesColtrane]

16. Well, you wouldn't be "you" anymore.

Republicans must reproduce somehow.

From looking at most of them, I can tell you that it can't be by coitus. There's not enough alcohol on the entire planet to facilitate that.

[Jamastiene]

7. Those are so annoying.

I have reached the point where I slice my tomatoes completely different than I used to just to core the damn things. It's ridiculous.

[Auggie]

4. There are probably lots of reason for this, but the main one is that

the growing season for tomatoes is over. We only use canned tomatoes after October (though a few of our home-grown ones are still hanging on the vine). I haven't bought a grocery store tomato in years. Even in the summer they taste like crap (unless you buy them from the Farmer's Market).

[MilesColtrane]

6. As worthless as NAFTA is, I was at least hoping to at least get some decent off season tomatoes...

...out of it.

[AngryAmish]

8. Last February I spied hothouse heirloom tomatoes in the grocery store

Almost 8 bucks a pound but I was jonesing.

Brought them home and...they sucked.

My farmers market had a few last weekend. I think if there are any next weekend I am going to buy a bunch, make a gigantic pot of marinara and freeze it.

[Auggie]

9. I "sun-dry" mine in the oven and freeze them

They're killer on homemade pizza and in casseroles. Especially in February.

[AngryAmish]

10. I'm too lazy to grow them myself

When it is good tomato season they are everywhere and I just mooch them from people (like yourself) who grow too many for personal use.

The squirrels around here are very bold and would eat them all.

How do you prevent freezer burn? Do you put oil in the bag?

[Auggie]

11. Yes...

they're slathered in olive oil.

Mooching is the way to go. Where were you when I was growing zucchini?

[AngryAmish]

13. Sorry, one can only mooch so much zucchini.

I have always wondered this: Why grow zucchini when I takes up a fair amount of room, everybody and their cousin grows it and it really does not taste that good? Zucchini when fresh is good, but when it is fresh there are so many good things to eat it does not exactly register.

[GreenPartyVoter]

12. Add strawberries to this list

x(

[AngryAmish]

14. Never buy strawberries at a reputable market

Go to the non-chain grocery stores that buy on the spot market. It means that they are buy damaged goods that are going to be rotten in a day or two, but at least they are ripe that day.

Never buy strawberries at Whole Foods, Safeway and the ilk.

(and of course farmers markets are the way to go but we are in November and fresh local fruit around here is dead)

[applegrove]

17. When you refridgerate a tomato it losses all of its taste. So don't refridgerate

when you first bring it home. That way you'll get the great taste for at least a few days.