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Comment by tptacek | Hacker News Reader

We grew tomatoes last summer. Over the last 2 years, something about tomatoes (and BLTs in particular) really clicked for me; we'd grown tomatoes many previous summers, and I could give a shit, but last summer I cared a lot about our home-grown tomatoes.

And I totally did feel less good about BLTs I made with supermarket heirloom tomatoes!

It was irrational, but I did feel that way. I get where people are coming from.

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It's not irrational at all! The act of doing something yourself brings inherent pleasure and satisfaction, whether that thing is "growing tomatoes" or "coding a feature". It makes us feel useful.

try these varities

Cherokee Purple. Black Krim Black from Tula. Brandywine heck, Almost any black tomato is a richer flavor than traditional hybrids.

Heirloom tomatoes are also fantastic for flavors, but they are difficult to grow. Consistent watering, pruning lower leaves to keep disease away, proactive treatment of fungus and bacteria. It's a lot of work, but the results you get when it all comes together, yeah, it makes a fantastic tomato soup, sauce, Caprese salad.

I'm starting seedlings this week. I'm probably going to have more tomato seedlings than I know what to do with. Of course, as problems go, I could have worse ones. The problem I'd like to have is growing too many mini watermelons. For some reason, I just can't get any yield, and the squirrels/mice gnaw on them as soon as they are vaguely ripe.

My partner is not going to be happy when I rip up most of the lawn in the backyard. She'll probably buy me overalls and a straw hat.

We did Cherokee Purples (like everyone else), Buffalo Suns, and Indigo Roses.

The Buffalo Suns were great, by the way.

Hot take: We mostly eat garbage tomatoes.

"*A BLT is a tomato sandwich, seasoned with bacon.*

It wasn't until I tasted my first great tomato, at the vine-ripe old age of 22, that I finally understood the true nature of the BLT (and, by extension, why I'd never enjoyed tomatoes on my sandwiches or in my salads). Here we go: A BLT is not a well-dressed bacon sandwich. A BLT is a tomato sandwich, seasoned with bacon. From this basic premise, all else follows."

https://www.seriouseats.com/ultimate-blt-sandwich-bacon-lett...

yes, American tomatoes are generally terrible

source, am Romanian.

If you buy the variety most often found in American grocery stores (usually labeled as Roma tomatoes), they're terrible. Try the variety labeled as "tomatoes on the vine" (four-digit produce code 4664, which I know from memory, having punched it in to so many self-checkout scanners over the years). They're actually juicy and tasty the way tomatoes should be. Avoid Roma tomatoes, they're cardboard masquerading as a tomato.

"Globe" tomatoes are much, much more common as generics in American supermarkets. Sometimes also "Beefsteak" variety. Roma tomatoes are almost exclusively used in making sauce.

Roma are not the “normal” tomatoes sold fresh in American grocery stores.

What are they called, then? Since I took a job overseas over ten years ago, I haven't been in American grocery stores much. What's the "normal" variety called? I distinctly remember Roma being the cheapest, and also worst-tasting, variety, and learned to buy the "on the vine" style instead, but those are the only two that stuck in my memory. What is the one I'm forgetting about?

"Beefsteak" tomatoes are perhaps the most common (and the worst).

Roma have...some flavor. Campari (the ones on the vine) and cherry/grape tomatoes are better, but still mediocre.

With my preferred ratios, I always considered a BLT to be a mayo sandwich seasoned with bacon and some added veggies to pretend to be healthy :)

I mean, I'm not much of a gardener, but Erin sure is, and I had a direct basis for comparison. Our tomatoes were better, but the supermarket heirlooms were perfectly cromulent.

I think the key is just to make sure you're buying them in season, and that they didn't travel far.

I won't lie, came here expecting to hate on AI, stayed for the awesome discussion on tomatoes.

Believe me, I came here expecting to dunk on AI-haters, not talk tomato talk.

Yes. I didn't know or understand why I felt meh about run-of-the-mill raw tomatoes this until the Kenji article.

"Using mealy, off-season tomatoes is the primary unforgivable sin, but when it comes to BLT crimes, that's just the tip of the iceberg lettuce.

...

Off-season tomatoes are grown in warmer climates, picked when underripe, then treated with ethylene gas (a gas that is naturally produced by plants to trigger ripening in fruits) to produce their red color before they hit supermarket shelves. The result is tomatoes that are as bland as they are ruby-red.

Truly great tomatoes must be fully ripened on the vine, where they'll continue to develop flavor and sweetness. Look for plump tomatoes, with the heft and give of a water balloon. If you have a choice, look for substantial and meaty heirloom varieties with balanced sweetness and acidity, like Cherokee Purple or Brandywine.

Avoid tomatoes that feel light for their size, which means they have more air pockets inside and are typically better for saucing or salads."

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