Category: Fruits

Gardeners also attest that growing basil near tomatoes improves the flavor of the fruits. Studies have also shown that tomato plants grown alongside basil field more fruit. Does basil do well with tomatoes? Basil. Basil and tomatoes are soulmates on and off the plate. This vibrant, aromatic herb repels insects, specifically flies and hornworms, and […]

The Short Answer Diced tomatoes are chopped up, stewed tomatoes are chopped and cooked, and plum tomatoes are peeled whole tomatoes. Are plum tomatoes the same as chopped tomatoes? What are plum tomatoes? Plum tomatoes are long and oval in shape and are generally fleshier than chopped tomatoes. Perfect for making a thick and tasty, […]

Like a nice piece of stone fruit, heirloom tomatoes are rarely ready to eat right out of the box. Since they are so soft when ripe, our heirloom tomatoes generally ship unripe–leaving the ripening up to you. How do I know if my heirloom tomato is ripe? As an example, heirloom tomatoes are best picked […]

Tomato blotchy (uneven) ripening is greenish, yellow areas or blotches on the tomato fruit, normally confined to the outer walls. These areas of the fruit have low concentrations of organic acids, dry matter, total solids, starch, sugars and nitrogenous compounds. Can you eat blotchy tomatoes? You can cut out affected areas (cloudy spots) and eat […]

Tomato | Wrinkled tomato skin. That wrinkling is called “Catfacing.” It is caused by a drop in temperature when the tomato plant blooms or begins to set fruit. Like moving the plant from a sunny spot to a shady one. Most catfaced tomatoes are edible, but ugly. How do you keep tomatoes from wrinkling? Try […]

Tomatoes, like any plant, need water to grow, but too much water can make the tomatoes mushy, and too little water can cause the tomatoes to rot. A good rule of thumb, according to the How to Garden Guide website, is to water your tomatoes when the top inch of soil is dry. Are heirloom […]

Sometimes, you will see deformed tomatoes with pointed ends. However, this is not a cause for concern, since the fruit will still be edible. Pointed ends on tomatoes can be caused by genetics. Some tomato varieties will naturally have points at the bottom (blossom end). Why are my tomatoes odd shaped? There are several factors […]

There are several factors that cause misshapen fruit, but the most likely cause is low temperature. Tomato fruit will develop the best shape if the temperature is above the mid-60s. Lower temperatures cause ridged fruit (a bumpy shoulder) and catfacing (ugly bottom of fruit; see below). Why do heirloom tomatoes have cracks? Cracking and splitting […]

Tomatoes will grow deformed due to environmental factors (such as water, temperature, or sunlight), genetic factors, pests, and diseases. Deformed tomatoes may have cracks or splitting, zippering, catfacing, uneven ripening, holes, or spots. Of course, there are ways to prevent some of these problems. How do you keep tomatoes from being deformed? Misshapen fruit Tomato […]

Picked green and rock-hard, unripe tomatoes are loaded into trucks and taken to storage facilities where they are literally gassed. (Ethylene gas is what makes a tomato turn red.) What do they inject tomatoes with? And these bright green tomatoes go into warehouse-like buildings where the doors are closed and the processors turn on ethylene […]

The company Calgene manipulated the genes of the tomato so the ripe fruits wouldn’t get soft and mushy that fast. In this way the tomatoes could ripen on the stems all the way and didn’t have to be harvested too early. Why did they genetically modify tomatoes? A variety of tomato that has been genetically […]

Therefore, any product that is Certified Organic is not only free of GMOs, but it’s also free of chemical fertilizers, toxic herbicides and insecticides. What tomatoes are non GMO? You may have wondered ‘are tomatoes GMO’ or ‘is there such a thing as a genetically modified tomato’? The answer is no, while there may be […]

GMO and Organic products fill most mainstream shops. GMO or genetically modified organism is the product of a laboratory procedure which involves artificial combination of differing genes. Organic is the description for products which were not processed and yielded through chemical-free fertilizers and pesticides. Which is better GMO or organic? While organic crops are often […]

Heirloom tomatoes are varieties that have been grown without crossbreeding for 40 or more years. This is in contrast to the typical supermarket tomatoes, which are hybrids that have been carefully crossbred to have particular characteristics. How do you know if a tomato is a hybrid? A HYBRID TOMATO is one that is the result […]

Heirloom tomato seeds are never GMOs, and they are also never hybrids. The plants are often hardier than non heirlooms, and the tomatoes tend to taste better. What tomato varieties are GMO? You may have wondered ‘are tomatoes GMO’ or ‘is there such a thing as a genetically modified tomato’? The answer is no, while […]

All three universities showed the same results: many heirloom tomatoes were in fact less acidic than modern varieties. The University of Wisconsin Extension tested the pH of 55 heirloom tomato cultivars. When they grew the plants for testing, the growing season that year was warm early, then cool and wet. Which tomato is least acidic? […]

A: Lumpy, distorted, oddly shaped tomatoes are generally referred to as “catfaced”. Oddly, it has nothing to do with cats. The deformity is typically caused by temperature conditions when the bloom is being pollinated. High temperatures as well as low temperatures can cause it. Why are heirloom tomatoes deformed? There are several factors that cause […]

Roma: This is the classic tomato used in Italian cooking. It’s popular for canning and making tomato paste, and is readily available. Though the classic Roma is 3 inches long, larger varieties are now available. What tomatoes are good for pasta? We’ve outlined the top 5 tomatoes to use for your next pasta sauce here: […]

High acid foods such as tomatoes and other fruit will keep their best quality up to 18 months; low acid foods such as meat and vegetables, 2 to 5 years. How long do homemade jarred tomatoes last? It is recommended to consume home-canned tomatoes in Mason jars within 1 year for the best quality. How […]

Yes, you can store tomatoes in the fridge. However, since most tomatoes are sold or bought a bit before their ideal ripeness to account for the changes they’ll undergo when sitting out, placing them in the fridge will actually halt their progress. Why should you not put tomatoes in the fridge? Tomatoes contain an enzyme […]