G'day Everyone, someone (Adam & Charlotte) asked me yesterday what my favourite food was to grow, and without thinking very much, I said tomatoes. It's true! Tomatoes are my favourite "fruitable" fruit/veg to grow, and all the rest have a long way to ketchup. Thanks to your support, our Channel has had a great start to the year with a heap of views and a ton more subscribers. These achievements are not possible without your help and generosity so thank you very much... Cheers :)
Another good tip is to pick tomatoes early in the morning. Harvesting first thing in the morning (after a night of no rain) before you water or the heat of the day gets high, means that the flavors will be more concentrated. I've tested this and, by far, the tomatoes taste much better than if you picked them midday or late evening.
Grew up in a family that grew tons of tomatoes for sauce and still growing as an adult. Nothing compares to that strong scent left on your hands and wrists after working with tomatoes
I haven't had much success growing tomatoes ( inconsistent watering I think) but one time I threw some tomatoes into the garden as kitchen scraps to my surprise a plant grew with a few real tasty and lovely smelling fruit.
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Honestly even a homegrown tomato without flavor is better than a supermarket tomato... I swear those supermarket things are just red squishy balls of water
I canned some average tomatoes last fall and just made white beans and tomatoes with them, I was stunned by the delectable rich tomato flavor. The store canned ones were redder and held their shape better than mine, but the ones I canned myself had matchless flavor. I'll take flavor over appearance any day! 🍅
@@pablovegas743 If they sold them the tomatoes would be tomato sauce by the time we got them! I love them when they get almost squishy on the vine with some salt
@@JackPitmanNica I think the variety of the tomatoes that are sold in the store have some sort of a gene or something that keeps them that way, because when I pick a green tomato from my garden it eventually becomes softer as it ripens. But I also like soft, squishy tomatoes with some salt or brined cheese.
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Nothing beats a fresh homegrown tomato plucked from the vine, still warm from the sun. Can't wait to sow this year's batch - I got some fancy varieties I want to try, as well as some proven performers, and this year I've moved out to the countryside, so I can take care of them everyday instead of only on weekends.
I work in a grocery store refrigerated warehouse and we go through extra steps for tomatos. The general warehouse is kept at 35F but the tomatoes ( and several other sensitive fruits) are kept in a 55F area. When you finish the pallets we wrap a giant plastic bag over it to hold in the warmer air while it gets shipped. Of course Murphy's law means late shipments getting too cold
As a kid, I always hated tomatoes. Even into adulthood a little bit. Eventually I found that I really liked cherry tomatoes and I thought that that was interesting. As time went on I ended up being able to try some home grown tomatoes instead of store bought. Wow! What difference! All that to say that we often select genetics for larger and better looking food, but that doesn't mean it tastes better.
There are LOTS of heirloom varieties of all different sizes. They are better to begin with but they still also need to be grown care-fully and picked when they are ripe. I've had some incredible tomatoes that you'll never see in the super-markets, but farmers markets and roadside stands yes.
I was lucky enough to be introduced to home grown tomatoes as a kid, and it shook me to my core when I went to a buffet one time and tried their salad bar tomatoes and they tasted like.....bad spit? It was gross. I was so upset. It was that day that I understood why some people hate tomatoes. They never got to try the good stuff, and probably never will now that they've been that badly burned.
Lol, I've always kept my ketchup in the fridge. Grew up with it in the fridge, but I wouldn't be afraid to use ketchup that was stored in the pantry. After all it is a vingar based sauce and would keep just fine on the shelf. I just prefer my ketchup cold as that's how I've always had it. NO fresh tomatoes in the fridge though, they are so nasty cold!🍅
I think this is a US thing verses other countries. Lol. I never thought of putting, catsup, mustard, etc in the pantry, they were always in the fridge when I was a kid. Makes sense tho. However, I’ve known for YEARS that tomatoes in the fridge are GROSS! I NEVER put mine there. And store bought tomatoes leave a lot to be desired except when I have to have one during the off season! Even then I buy the mixed color cherry tomatoes. They taste better!
@@1MSally1965 Maybe it is, lol! Never thought about that, but most of my condiments are in the fridge once they are opened. I'm the same with store bought tomatoes, the little cherry ones are actually pretty good and sweet!
I live in a tropical country and always put everything that has been opened in the fridge. We also always put tomatoes in the fridge (because they will get rotten in a day or two if not and attract countless fruit flies into the house), I learned it from my mother, she learned it from hers. I finally understand why I dislike tomatoes since I was a kid... I missed so much and I'm already in my 40s now. Thanks to Mark and people in this comment section, maybe this year I will eat a great tasted tomato directly from my yard...and finally able to love the real tomato taste. 🥲
Living in Vietnam, Ive had this same discussion with a buddy. He complained that Vietnam grows the blandest tomatoes on earth. I said well mostly its because most dishes here call for sour tomato flavors. But sadly, even the newer varieties available here are tasteless. Your video explains why this is the case. Thanks!
@@Mike_in_Thailand I have to agree with you. There are tomatoes sold in max value grown in Japan. They are about the best I have found but still nothing like home grown.
Australia has a nice weather to grow ;3 and he knows how to make compost... if u know how to make compost u know half the things to grow a beautiful garden
Any sauce with a label that says refrigerate after opening goes in fridge. -- after watching this I'm keeping all my tomatoes out of the fridge. Thanks Marc
Hey Mark! Have you tried growing Cherokee purple tomatoes yet? I grew them last year along with some other mostly heirloom varieties, but the Cherokee truly stood out with such a rich depth of flavor! I highly recommend trying them if you're able to get some seeds!
Great advice. I have been growing tomatoes for 35 years and I favor the small varieties ( sweet 100's, cherry Roma, etc) for sauces and for freezing for winter use. I grow medium, Ace, Celebrity etc for slicers in the summer. I think my region ( 9b Sacramento, Ca) is too hot for beefsteak varieties, they tend to split in the heat. Thanks Mark, love your humor and your videos.
Try Grosse Lisse. I haven't grown them myself but Dad grew them for years. I am sure they sell them in the US. They are a fairly large fruit but Dad didn't have a lot of trouble. He mainly grew them for juice but the family ate some too. He would build a moat around each plant (in heavy clay soil) and pierce holes in soup tins and bury them inside the edge of the moats. He would use a slow-running hose to fill the cans and flood the moats without splashing the plants. He would do it after work which, in mid-summer, isn't ideal for the plants but worked for him. Mum said that doing that for over two dozen plants relaxed him. Tommy Toe is a small tomato that is highly praised for its taste. I guess that you are coming into your growing season soon. Best of luck.
Im not a fan of cherry tomatoes. They are too sweet for my taste. Here in S Spain they grow huge tomatoes as well as normal, pear and cherry. I suspect the big tomatoes are used for gazpacho. The family run shops arent picky about looks though so as long as the produce is sound no one bothers about the odd split or blemish The supermarkets dont seem to have as much variety as the greengrocers. The various fruits and veg they sell are amazing. Some imported stuff like kiwis and dragon fruit but many family run shops also have their own fincas. Plus living here where so much of the fruit and salad stuff is grown for export to Northern europe we are close to the source.
Back in the 70's my Dad grew quasi-hydroponic tomatoes, in soil and in a greenhouse and they were sooooo good. Funny how the stores would only take the perfect ones so we had a huge supply to eat and give to friends. Yes, refrigeration stops the ripening process. Glad you did this video because a lot of people don't know, especially grocery stores, not to cold store them. 😁👍👍
The first time I grew tomatoes myself, when I ate them, I thought 'these taste like tomatoes did when I was a kid'! So yummy and flavourful, juicy, delicious. No need to add anything. The stuff from the supermarket, I like to call 'plastic tomatoes', they have their uses but there is nothing better than a sun-warmed ripe tomato you grew yourself. Bliss!
If you want big good tasting tomatoes grow the pineapple tomato, i had some that were 1kg and still tasted good. For the smaller ones there are many good varieties, but blush tiger and the mexican honey tomato are some very good ones. None of them are hybrids so you can take seeds and regrow them.
The Heinz Ketchup bottle I buy says to refrigerate after opening on the back of it. So I usually do. That being said I don’t refrigerate my homegrown tomatoes.
Right before the first freeze we harvest multiple huge bowls of green tomatoes. We leave some out on counter to ripen, but put rest in fridge to slow down ripening. We eat tomatoes for months this way. All other times keep them out of fridge
In answer to your question about how we keep our opened bottles of sauces: I always keep mine in the fridge, mostly because there is an all-capitals "warning" on the bottles that says, "KEEP REFRIGERATED AFTER OPENING". I always thought that if I didn't do that, the sauces would go bad and moldy. Not wanting to waste money, or worse, get sick, I follow those instructions. Maybe I should do a home experiment and try keeping some of them at room temp. Curious to see what others say in the comments. Great video, Mark, Thank You!
General rule of thumb, acidic (with🍋/🍅), salty, very sugary, spicy and/or oily sauces don't need refregiration. Every sauce with uncooked eggs or dairy (🥛/🥚) might grow bacteria in unhealthy quantities if no chemicals are mixed to prevent their growth, so _fridge_ them after opening.
Once it's been processed I don't think the coldness thing applies. You've already broken down the cell structure of the tomato once you've cooked it!. Please keep your opened, processed products refrigerated!
@@andanssas But the restaurants might be going through those sauces fast enough that it doesn't matter, that probably won't be the case at home. I always refrigerate sauces after opening myself.
@@mbern4530 true, but I went to restaurants where some sauces bottles do not seem to be used for months: in any case, even when refrigerated it's better to check their expiry date, ingredients and LST them (look, smell & taste) before: the worse it can happen is 🤮😅
The saucers sauce on the saucer was saused by a flying saucer for an unknown sauce. It was called the specie sauce, and the secret ingredient was not sauce.
South Mississippi zone 8 here. I have grown for years now, a local heirloom beefsteak variety tomato that I got from a friend, who had grown them so many years they forgot the original name of them lol. After those years of adaptation, the plants consistently produce more, bigger, and better tasting tomatoes than any 'early girl' or 'better boy' hybrid I can buy in the stores. It is definitely worth a few seasons of growing and collecting and planting that seed, to allow for adaptation to your local environment. If you've the patience, the plant won't fail you, and your taste buds will be forever thankful! Thanks for another great video, Mark!
Great video, my wife walked up as I was watching you talk about not putting tomatoes in the fridge, you instantly converted her to no fridge tomato storage, our current crop is just starting to ripen and wont be put in the fridge, the tomato's and cheese on toast won us over as well.
I just found you a few weeks ago and I love everything you've put out so far! I can't wait to move on to my little acre of land and start growing! Good on ya Mate! You're amazing!
Great tips Mark. 🙌 I am guilty of picking our tomatoes green, mostly because of our short season here. Heritage tomatoes are my favourite for their beauty and flavour. I discovered a variety that was grown for our climate and it’s not a looker but it is very tasty. (Manitoba tomato) Take care, Annette🌺
@@TheCowEmporium you're welcome. you should look into the Russian Heirloom tomatoes, many are short season varities. If using the clear trash bags, if you have a particular warm sunny day, you might want to pull up the sides. Will normally be 20 degrees higher inside, with strong sun, 30 degrees higher, so keep in mind. If its going to be sunny and 60-65 might want to lift the sides for the day.
Good morning Mark, You cracked me up when saying the meaning of Tomato and then looking at your stomach. I get it Bud, I’m in my late 50s and my young chest has fallen to my stomach 😢
My whole life, I ALWAYS thought you needed to keep the ketchup in the fridge (after it was opened) but now I will have to point out to my wife,we should keep it out! My youngest son never lets it last very long anyway, so not likely to go bad!
If your ketchup is store-bought, it won't change much in flavor if kept in the fridge or in the pantry. That said: room temp ketchup is noticeably better on steak fries!
@@GloriaNdegwa Ketchup is shelf-stable. It's high in acid, high in salt, and high in sugar: all three of which act as preservatives. Keep the container sealed and it will last for months, just like mustard.
Ive never tried this. I only get strawberries from the market. When do you keep they dont get liquid/juice in the table through the container? When i keep strawberries at least one goes bad and gets juice on the fridge.
Hello my friend. Mr. Mark I've been trying different Hybird Tomatoes and yet to find one that taste as good as the old Heirloom Tomatoe. I like a good acidity tomato.
Love snacking on little tomatoes in the garden and all the little huckleberries ripen daily get me up early to see how things are growing. Thanks for the tips Mark!
We usually have to pick the tomatoes before they are ripe, because we have short summers and cold springs. The key to picking early and still getting acceptable fruit is to leave thm on the vine. If you are picking before a frost, cut the plant off at ground level (or even dig up some of the root), and bring it into your pump house or wherever you are going to keep them warm. Not quite as good as leaving them outside in the ground, but far better than picking them off the vine early.
Have you heard about the Italian and Spanish ' winter tomatoes ' ? There are some sorts ( like ' piennolo') that are meant to be ripening on cut branches, just as you do .👍🏼
One of the things you didn't say is how the store bought tomatoes can be used for more than just a flavorless, non-nutritive addition to a grilled hamburger. Don't pay big money for those expensive KONG dog toys! Grocery tomatoes can also can be used as a durable play toy for your retrieving dog. After hours of playing fetch, simply rinse, place back in the fridge and you are set for the next time your Lab wants to play. (For my pup, that is about five minutes later.) But seriously, I'll be starting my seeds here in north Florida VERY soon and look forward to picking my first "real" tomato of the season. Also, just found you fishing channel. As the Terminator used to say, "I'll be back!"
@@1MSally1965 Going to start mine in the next week. I set a heat mat on a piece of 2" foam insulation, put the seed trays on that and put them outside.
Mark, I absolutely love your humor and your channel. Keep up the great work! This year, I’m planting Cherokee and Sweetie in pots. Historically I direct sowed them into my garden beds, but I’m switching things up. With your video tutorials, it’ll give me a leg up growing in an urban area zone 6 in Western Pennsylvania USA.
Sorry to correct you but no, the word tomato does not have its origins in Spanish, but in the ancient Nahuatl language, spoken in Mesoamerica, mostly in what is now Mexico. The region was the first to mass produce both tomato as well as tomatillo (which is not related, it is not in the Solanaceae family), and it was known for thousands of years before the Spanish arrived. The original word is "tomatl", which the Spanish eventually adopted - just like the plant - and adapted to a more easily pronounced "tomate".
@@pineappleparty1624 I tried to paste a Britannica link but TH-cam keeps deleting it, so I suggest you do a quick Google search to check your "facts", since you couldn't be more wrong
@@JefeBoss Slow down there sonny...it is a fact Americans and Britians in the 1700's did NOT eat tomatoes because they believed them to be poisonous. However, Mediterranean people were already eating them at that time. I found it ironic, if what you said is true, that people so close to the food were not consuming it at that time.
@@pineappleparty1624 OK so since you seem to stubbornly refuse to actually look this up, let me paste this from the Britannica article on tomatoes: [...]The wild species originated in the Andes Mountains of South America, probably mainly in Peru and Ecuador, and is thought to have been domesticated in pre-Columbian Mexico; its name is derived from the Náhuatl (Aztec) word tomatl. The tomato was introduced to Europe by the Spanish in the early 16th century, and the Spanish and Italians seem to have been the first Europeans to adopt it as a food. In France and northern Europe the tomato was initially grown as an ornamental plant and was regarded with suspicion as a food because botanists recognized it as a relative of the poisonous belladonna and deadly nightshade. Indeed, the roots and leaves of the tomato plant are poisonous and contain the neurotoxin solanine.[...]Tomatoes were introduced to North America from Europe. Thomas Jefferson is known to have raised them at Monticello in 1781. The tomato was used for food in Louisiana as early as 1812, but not in the northeastern states until about 1835. It did not attain widespread popularity in the United States until the early 20th century. And I don't really think you realize that what you may consider "close" today, was a whole world away 400 years ago.... There is no irony there whatsoever, just the reality of the times...
@@JefeBoss Why did you type all of that? At what point do you think I am wrong? All you did was reiterate the historical facts that I said...Please get a grip...
I agree with the comment about the flavor of smaller tomatoes. I think Sungold tomatoes are the best. I usually grow only Sungold and Juliet, the latter being dependable but, now that I think about it, not that flavorful.
Thank you for the tip about heirloom tomatoes having that green part at the top when fully ripe. I had let my tomatoes get over ripe and wondered what I did wrong.
My ketchup and fermented salsa goes in the fridge. My Romas go into the freezer until I get around to making sauce. The breaded green tomatoes are stored in the freezer. Fresh eating tomatoes always hang out on the counter👍 If a couple of weeks I'm sowing a chocolate cherry, romas, german Johnson and 🤔 heirloom variety of the teacher tomatoe. I can't remember the name at the moment. 🤷♀️ excellent video 👍
Once my wife told be to buy vine ripened tomatoes for $3.50 a pound. I said you're crazy to spend that much for what I considered a yucky tasteless fruit. She insisted. When I got to the greengrocers, and approached the bin for the vine-ripened tomatoes, and got a whiff of them, I WAS SUDDENLY 5 YEARS OLD AGAIN, crawling through my Mother's tomato patch picking the little fat caterpillars off the stalks! 3.50 for a trip to my childhood? CHEAP!
I always enjoy your videos Mark! I love making a tomato based fruit salad especially in the heat of summer, my salad consists of vine ripe tomatoes for flavor, cucumbers for they’re natural cooling affects, onions, salt and pepper! It’s one of my favorite recipes. Thanks for sharing all your well researched gardening information, everyone please stay safe and keep well!!!
@@shirleyk623 I’ve tried several variations of what you’ve suggested, I even like leaving them out while covered to get slightly fermented! If you use home grown vine ripened tomatoes I don’t think you’ll ever go wrong.
G'day Mark. Home grown always make me feel good... from my head tomatoes. 😉 See what I did there! 😂 Seriously though, that was just choc a block full of good info and thanks! I've been harvesting my tomatoes early and ripening inside, due to an inane amount of rodents stripping my orchard and veggie beds since the region was seriously flooded for a couple of months. 100% loss on some trees and 50% of tomatoes ruined for instance. The tomatoes were going to be sauce tomatoes ( San Marzano), but since I'm harvesting just as they turn and ripen inside, I'll be dehydrating and using them in burgers, steak sandwiches, salads and even making a powder, as I just don't think they'll have the full flavour for bottling (canning). Using them dehydrated and semi dehydrated, should hopefully keep that flavour more concentrated. Great video as always Mark and all the best. Daz.
Oh, Daz. I just saw Jenn's comment and thought I might have said something inappropriate. I was laughing at your tomatoe joke. Now I've read about flooding in your region and rodents! Tons of them! I'd be terrified, and mad as hell. I'm so sorry about your whole situation. It's fantastic that you can maintain a sense of humor amidst such terrible circumstances. I hope that never happens in your area again, and that your garden comes back doubly strong very soon.
@@JennTN411 thanks Jenn. I really felt like crap for a minute there. Because it's not me to be rude, or flip, or cruel. Felt like it demanded an explanation, and an apology. Have a great Sunday!
Master....i love tomatoes,i make 200\300 hundred bottles every year,especially with determined, like Roma ,Big rio! passata di pomodoro!!💪 Have a great weekend Mark and family!!
Excellent presentation. I grow cherry varieties here in Normandy, France. They are wonderful straight off the plant. A neighbour kindly gave us some big red ones of his. They looked amazing. He told us how much water he gave them.....but he wasn't giving them any nutrients and i think the soil gradually got depleted. What the tomatoes didn't use, the excess watering washed out. They tasted bland and were big fat mush balls. My dad was a soldier in WW2 and while in Italy he was introduced to tomatoes grown on the rich volcanic soil around Naples. He didn't really like tomatoes but those were wonderful he said. Here in france they call it the 'terroir'. The environment and soil together that defines the subtle flavour of a region. (Your grape analogy was spot on.) BTW...you have a bit of a Russell Crowe vibe going on. lol
I love the puns and dad jokes! The more the better. We used to keep the ketchup out of the fridge until we got maggots back to back in one just opened bottle and one not long open bottle. After the second bottle no one had the stomach for it. In fact it was many months before any of us ate ketchup again.
Omg. I've kept sauce in the fridge because the bottles always say, "KEEP REFRIGERATED AFTER OPENING". I thought I might try leaving at room temp as Mark suggested, but after seeing your comment, maybe everything just stays in the fridge. I'd pass out if I saw maggots in my ketchup, or anything else. Thanks for what I consider a warning.
@@kele1264 Very unlikely. Fresh food factories don't just allow flies to infest their equipment. If it were a squeeze bottle left open just over night, then one could easily lay eggs. No idea if the OP has glass bottles or not, or how long they left them unsealed, or even outside for a cookout.
@@pineappleparty1624 I'm sure that most factories do their best to prevent the entry of flies and other pests. I'm sure they don't "allow" them in. That said, pests get in sometimes, and I'm sure the factories do their best to rid the pests. It may be time to let this subject drop. Since you can't prove how it happened, just as the Belden family can't, let's let them be.
Good day today in Queensland. We (in Melbourne) had a nice day as well, but those Rainbow Coloured Lorikeets I heard at the start make me miss Qld. Also, great vid as usual. Your a champ.
Thanks for the info, Mark. I keep my ketchup in the fridge. I have not noticed a difference in taste between chilled ketchup and warm ketchup, but I have noticed the difference when it comes to fresh tomatoes.
You can grow DELICIOUS hydroponic tomatos...and you can grow terrible ones too... it depends largely on 2 things...( in my humble opinion) one thr type of seed... and 2 if you are using a full spectrum hydroponic nutrients! Not all nutrients are the same. I can grow a tomato in artogarden nutrients and if the variety is OK... they will grow...but if it use a general all purpose feed, then a flower feed, and rhen a fruiting feed... you will get a drastically different taste ❤️
Hi Mark, A very good video. I have been a on the countertop person for many, many years. Because I use a lot of tomatoes year round here in Arkansas, USA, I can a lot. You can destroy the tomato taste also when canning them by overcooking (too long in the canner). I have a rule of thumb when buying tomato seeds for the garden, I stick to open pollenated Heirloom types they have been around for over a hundred years and they generally out-taste any of the Hybrid varieties. The open pollenated Heirloom tomatoes seeds may be saved. The seeds require a special process before saving, so watch Deep South Homestead: How to save tomato seeds on TH-cam. I plant directly into the ground and after my plants are established I put two teaspoons of 13-13-13 fertilize on each side of the plant and come back once a week and scratch around the plant. Prior to planting I like to work some barn yard manure into the soil. Jessie from Arkansas, USA.
I agree about the heirloom except for Sungold F1 cherry. I have grown many other cherry tomatoes but none have the same rich flavour of Sungold. I have tried sowing the seed but of course the plants revert to their parent plants and never can I replicate the flavour.
Every spring the local farmer's market has a vendor who shows up with hydroponic tomatoes. They sell the dickens out of them; the only competition is grocery store tomatoes. The moment the local field ripened tomatoes show up, he disappears. He knows his hydroponics will never compare for taste. I don't blame him, I welcome his tomatoes each spring, but I think most people agree that all things being equal they would prefer a field ripened fruit.
I love gardening tomatoes, theyre one of the most rewarding plants to grow in my opinion. BTW if you're interested in growing larger varieties in the new season, I'd recommend Cherokee Purples.
As a Spaniard, I can tell you that the Spanish word "tomate" doesn't mean anything other than the name of the fruit. However, the Spanish word "tomate" is based on precolumbian indigenous words that might mean all those things you said. Just making sure you understand that the meanings you gave aren't for the Spanish word, but for the indigenous words it derives from. The word "tomato" doesn't originally come from Spanish, it comes from precolumbian indigenous languages, through Spanish.
tomatoes are an excellent plant to practice low water use actually, and it produces a richer, denser flavor when they have slightly less water. Part of the reason that hydroponics plants may be less flavorful isn't because they're missing nutrients, but because the flavor is diluted by an excess of water. I learned a lot about this when learning how to grow plants for consumption in low water environments, and how to be water savvy with plants.
I have tried this and as I live in a zone 9 area with summer temperatures up to 43C, I found that it stressed the plant too much and as a result the fruit got blossom end rot. So I now irrigate with drip irrigation once a day in the morning under thick mulch. It spreads the water over a greater area of the bed and doesn't soak one area only and therefore wash out the nutrients.
@@andanssas it's plant-by-plant basis because not all species handle less water well, so a bit of study with some trial and error can produce some interesting results!
@@chichestermaritime8174 Not all varieties will react the same either, it's very plant by plant basis on which species do best. And less water doesn't mean no water, which is important to remember too. But those very arid zones are great for testing what species handle it well.
Was it Paddy Chayefsky that wrote that book about Marty going down to the Waverly ballroom to check out the tomatoes haha must have meant plump ladies. Marty is a middle-aged single man who's never had a girl. He lives at home with his mother. He's a butcher. His mother tells him that the Waverly Ballroom is loaded with tomatoes and that he should go. Anyway it's a freaking fabulous play and I never forgot it was required reading I thinking Junior High School
Last year, I grew tomatoes that were called the world smallest tomato. About 15 of them fit in a spoon. They were so bitter, even the birds left them alone.
@@Isaac-ho8ghLikely Spoon Tomatoes. Baker Creek sells the seeds for them, but I’ve always assumed they were one of those gimmicky plants. Fun to grow to show friends and family, but not really useful for food. Maybe you could sprinkle a handful on the top of a pizza or a salad, but it would likely only benefit the appearance.
Why wouldn't ripe tasty tomatoes be a good fit for a fruit salad ?? And I can totally see them being eaten with vanilla ice cream, too. - Tomatoes and plumes (50 : 50 percent) make a wonderful jam. Also: pumpkin (another "fruit") marinated in some acid (could be vinegar or could be lemon or quince juice) is good for fruit salads, compots (again very good with plumes or any tart sour fruits as long as you add some sugar, cinnamon and lemon zest) - and as long as no sugar or salt is used in the marinade they can be used in mixed salads, soups and stews as well. When eaten raw pumpkin (or squash) benefits the marinating or it will taste bland (it cannot compare with a ripe apricot or peach). Slices or cubes in good vinegar it will keep a few days in the fridge (not sure about lemon juice that tends to get mouldy, so I would not keep that longer than 1 day). That preparation is very versatile. Intense tasting ripe fruit will lend it some taste (plumes and pumpkin compot with some lemon zests or orange zests tastes wonderfully especially if you let it stand in the fridge for one day so the flavors mix and develop). In salad the pumpkin pieces do not add so much taste but they look very nice and add vitamins, beta carotin etc. Last but not least raw pumpkin is a mild fruit to eat, in many cases it is possible to eat it with the peel (Butternot or Hokkaido for instance).
I so agree with you.Thanks for your video. I saw a Jaune Flammée in your garden ! this is one of my very favorite tomatoes, for the very reason that its flavor is just so special and amazing ! I've never seen it in any store nor even on markets.... Cheers from France 🥰
My moms always been a sauce in fridge but since i learned that i could keep them out ive done that. Most of the decision is based on space. That being said most sauces taste better and dont get as liquidy out of the fridge, i find.
You answered a question I had during this video. My daughter left a few tomatoes here when she visited last October. There were a couple different varieties of store-bought ones and one of the tomatoes was a yellow variety. I left it sitting on my table and it never went bad, to this day it is still sitting on the table and looks the same as it did in October, I am a little afraid to eat it. It must have been a greenhouse variety that was one of the kind that ripen at the same time. I may try and plant the seeds in it to see what develops.
I have come to the conclusion that if a food is "good" enough to be sold at a store then it not only tastes awful but almost certainly will kill you young too. Stores only care about shelf life, not customer life.
If you haven't opened it up or ate it yet, place a camera in front of it and hit record or take daily snapshots until it starts rotting, use the good seeds and then take make a time-lapse video with the background story. If next season you harvest new tomatoes from those seeds, do the same experiment and if it works out, apply to the Guinness World Rrcords.
Bought a pack of cherry tomatoes in Lidl other day (in UK) - packet says store in fridge. Will ignore that now - last pack were pretty tasteless. I do like a quick sprinkle of salt/pepper though - especially if they're in a mixed salad.
I didn't think much of this video because of the thumbnail, but the sheer information and effort you put into making this video makes it amazing! My hat is off to you good sir!
Hi Mark, what a great video! I love growing tomatoes too and since the season is now over in my part of Australia we can’t grow them anymore, but I love watching you grow them and give us helpful information. Thank you!
When I was a truck driver, I used to pick up loads of tomatoes in Florida and they were picked and packed just as green as grass. Between Florida and California, we would run the trailer temp at 65-68 degrees to ripen them over 2-3 days. When I see tomatoes at the grocery stores as vine ripened, I just have to laugh to myself because I know that unless they are grown locally, that they are not shipped that way to the grocery chains, farmers markets, and other commercial sales. Ripened tomatoes would be destroyed in shipping.
I still swear by black krim if you want a large tomato. We're dead of winter here, but will remember about refrigeration come summer. Tried a mess of cherry and grape tomatoes last year and had so many we didn't like, either flavor or tough/thick skin.
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is, in fact, a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it into a fruit salad. Philosophy is wondering whether that makes tomato sauce a fruit smoothie... (That said, I enjoy eating a tomato and apple and cheese salad.)
Most of our sauces stay in the fridge. Ketchup kept at room temperature is runny. That being said, I'm not a big fan of putting tomatoes in the fridge unless its in the summer because they will spoil quicker after being cut.
hey Mark, could we get a shirt in the shop like the one you have, where it says the moto along the lines of “you don’t have to be completely self sufficient, just be self sufficient in something..” thanks a lot! have a wonderful day :)
Mark, you are too punny! 😂😂I can tell a hydroponic anything, as soon as it hits my mouth. 😝😝😜😜 What's more aggravating, is you hand over your cash for the worthless "stuff"... GOOD to see Ms. Nina, back in the video's. Hi MS Nina!! Great video, as always, Mark. I'm about to transplant my spring garden maters, today. 😁
Mark, at 10:23 you show maters growing in a tunnel trellis. I know it gets hot out your way. Do you have this growing in afternoon shade or any other special location? I am out here in the desert with 115F to 120F, and I have to shade and protect from the dry, hot desert oven winds, too. Wish you showed the tunnel more. It was lovely. How do you like that variety? Thanks
Maters are the best straight from the bush. In the southern United States we call tomatoes (maters) and potatoes (taters) it's definitely a southern thing. When we want to talk proper, we can lol.
Not a big fan of cherry tomatoes. Too much skin, so I tend to gravitate towards larger ones. Condiments in the fridge for me. Nice video, even though it lacked a Roma. 😁
I didn’t know that I could keep the ketchup out… As for picking early, well, last fall we grabbed the last of the tomatoes (still green) when the plants died off and they ripened right on the counter..took a while. Thanks for your information on these tasty fruits. 🙏🏽💕
G'day Everyone, someone (Adam & Charlotte) asked me yesterday what my favourite food was to grow, and without thinking very much, I said tomatoes. It's true! Tomatoes are my favourite "fruitable" fruit/veg to grow, and all the rest have a long way to ketchup. Thanks to your support, our Channel has had a great start to the year with a heap of views and a ton more subscribers. These achievements are not possible without your help and generosity so thank you very much... Cheers :)
Another good tip is to pick tomatoes early in the morning. Harvesting first thing in the morning (after a night of no rain) before you water or the heat of the day gets high, means that the flavors will be more concentrated. I've tested this and, by far, the tomatoes taste much better than if you picked them midday or late evening.
Great video! I love all the puns 😂 I'm late starting my tomato seeds. I better ketchup! 😁🤣😎
Nice ketchup pun Mark 😂
This just helped me so much. I had no idea the refrigerator damaged the tomatoes. I won’t be doing that anymore. Thank you!
Any chance you could share you top 3 varieties for small and large tomatoes?
I love the smell of tomato plants in the summer!! Not just the tomatoes but that plant itself has a strong scent that smells so fresh to me
I do too. I shake the plants a bit and love the smell.
Me too! It reminds me of cologne scent but really fresh too
Grew up in a family that grew tons of tomatoes for sauce and still growing as an adult. Nothing compares to that strong scent left on your hands and wrists after working with tomatoes
I haven't had much success growing tomatoes ( inconsistent watering I think) but one time I threw some tomatoes into the garden as kitchen scraps to my surprise a plant grew with a few real tasty and lovely smelling fruit.
Love it! Reminds me of being a little and helping grandparents in the garden❤
This man is a national treasure and must be protected at all cost
The global treasure.
Damn, you beat me to it. Couldnt agree more!
National treasure is a weird thing to call someone when youre (likely) sitting in a different nation lol
Internet celebrities are international sensations
@@jek__ lol true
Is he in danger?
Honestly even a homegrown tomato without flavor is better than a supermarket tomato... I swear those supermarket things are just red squishy balls of water
We have a grocery/ice cream store we frequent and theirs are crunchy like apples. Yeah can't wait for summer!
I canned some average tomatoes last fall and just made white beans and tomatoes with them, I was stunned by the delectable rich tomato flavor. The store canned ones were redder and held their shape better than mine, but the ones I canned myself had matchless flavor. I'll take flavor over appearance any day! 🍅
Yeah, have to agree with you. I have never had a supermarket tomato that had the texture and flavor of a homegrown one.
@@pablovegas743 If they sold them the tomatoes would be tomato sauce by the time we got them! I love them when they get almost squishy on the vine with some salt
@@JackPitmanNica I think the variety of the tomatoes that are sold in the store have some sort of a gene or something that keeps them that way, because when I pick a green tomato from my garden it eventually becomes softer as it ripens. But I also like soft, squishy tomatoes with some salt or brined cheese.
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Nothing beats a fresh homegrown tomato plucked from the vine, still warm from the sun. Can't wait to sow this year's batch - I got some fancy varieties I want to try, as well as some proven performers, and this year I've moved out to the countryside, so I can take care of them everyday instead of only on weekends.
I work in a grocery store refrigerated warehouse and we go through extra steps for tomatos. The general warehouse is kept at 35F but the tomatoes ( and several other sensitive fruits) are kept in a 55F area. When you finish the pallets we wrap a giant plastic bag over it to hold in the warmer air while it gets shipped. Of course Murphy's law means late shipments getting too cold
As a kid, I always hated tomatoes. Even into adulthood a little bit. Eventually I found that I really liked cherry tomatoes and I thought that that was interesting. As time went on I ended up being able to try some home grown tomatoes instead of store bought. Wow! What difference!
All that to say that we often select genetics for larger and better looking food, but that doesn't mean it tastes better.
There are LOTS of heirloom varieties of all different sizes. They are better to begin with but they still also need to be grown care-fully and picked when they are ripe. I've had some incredible tomatoes that you'll never see in the super-markets, but farmers markets and roadside stands yes.
I was lucky enough to be introduced to home grown tomatoes as a kid, and it shook me to my core when I went to a buffet one time and tried their salad bar tomatoes and they tasted like.....bad spit? It was gross. I was so upset. It was that day that I understood why some people hate tomatoes. They never got to try the good stuff, and probably never will now that they've been that badly burned.
@@fourcatsandagarden that and they have a texture like grainy snot. Like who grew that and was like, "alright boys, we got ourselves a winner"?
@@fourcatsandagarden tasted like bad spit had me rolling around in stitches that's the funniest thing I've read today!😂🤣😂✌️
@@thekraden04 grainy snots also a good comparison!😂🤣😂✌️
Hi mark I'm 16 and love the videos and your homested! Keep it up, from Perth Hills 👍🌱
Lol, I've always kept my ketchup in the fridge. Grew up with it in the fridge, but I wouldn't be afraid to use ketchup that was stored in the pantry. After all it is a vingar based sauce and would keep just fine on the shelf. I just prefer my ketchup cold as that's how I've always had it. NO fresh tomatoes in the fridge though, they are so nasty cold!🍅
I think this is a US thing verses other countries. Lol. I never thought of putting, catsup, mustard, etc in the pantry, they were always in the fridge when I was a kid. Makes sense tho. However, I’ve known for YEARS that tomatoes in the fridge are GROSS! I NEVER put mine there. And store bought tomatoes leave a lot to be desired except when I have to have one during the off season! Even then I buy the mixed color cherry tomatoes. They taste better!
@@1MSally1965 Maybe it is, lol! Never thought about that, but most of my condiments are in the fridge once they are opened. I'm the same with store bought tomatoes, the little cherry ones are actually pretty good and sweet!
I live in a tropical country and always put everything that has been opened in the fridge. We also always put tomatoes in the fridge (because they will get rotten in a day or two if not and attract countless fruit flies into the house), I learned it from my mother, she learned it from hers. I finally understand why I dislike tomatoes since I was a kid... I missed so much and I'm already in my 40s now. Thanks to Mark and people in this comment section, maybe this year I will eat a great tasted tomato directly from my yard...and finally able to love the real tomato taste. 🥲
Living in Vietnam, Ive had this same discussion with a buddy. He complained that Vietnam grows the blandest tomatoes on earth. I said well mostly its because most dishes here call for sour tomato flavors. But sadly, even the newer varieties available here are tasteless. Your video explains why this is the case. Thanks!
They cannot be worse than most of the tomatoes sold here in Thailand !
@@Mike_in_Thailand I have to agree with you. There are tomatoes sold in max value grown in Japan. They are about the best I have found but still nothing like home grown.
You obviously never have eaten Dutch tomatoes, there is a joke here in Europe that Dutch tomatoes are the fourth state of aggregation of water!
Amazed at everything you have grown over time been following for a good while since before you started to grow it and it's very impressive. 🙂
Australia has a nice weather to grow ;3 and he knows how to make compost... if u know how to make compost u know half the things to grow a beautiful garden
OMG toasted tomato and cheese!!!! My favourite! Thanks for the video, Mark!
That's even better if you flash fry the tomato slice or grill it separately and then on the cheese and toast 😋
Any sauce with a label that says refrigerate after opening goes in fridge. -- after watching this I'm keeping all my tomatoes out of the fridge. Thanks Marc
Hey Mark! Have you tried growing Cherokee purple tomatoes yet? I grew them last year along with some other mostly heirloom varieties, but the Cherokee truly stood out with such a rich depth of flavor! I highly recommend trying them if you're able to get some seeds!
Cherokee Purple are good, but Russian Black Krim are AMAZING
I tried growing black tomatoes. The birds pecked every last one of them thinking they were ripe T_T...
@@teebob21 I know! First time I ever tried them last year. Holy, its almost like they are concentrated tomatoes. They really pack a punch of flavor.
Third time I have heard that the Cherokee Purple Tomato are worth growing. Going to try them myself.
Good to know! I always prefer an unconventional variety to liven things up. Bit of a homage to my home state Arizona too 🙂
Great advice. I have been growing tomatoes for 35 years and I favor the small varieties ( sweet 100's, cherry Roma, etc) for sauces and for freezing for winter use. I grow medium, Ace, Celebrity etc for slicers in the summer. I think my region ( 9b Sacramento, Ca) is too hot for beefsteak varieties, they tend to split in the heat. Thanks Mark, love your humor and your videos.
Try Grosse Lisse. I haven't grown them myself but Dad grew them for years. I am sure they sell them in the US. They are a fairly large fruit but Dad didn't have a lot of trouble. He mainly grew them for juice but the family ate some too.
He would build a moat around each plant (in heavy clay soil) and pierce holes in soup tins and bury them inside the edge of the moats. He would use a slow-running hose to fill the cans and flood the moats without splashing the plants. He would do it after work which, in mid-summer, isn't ideal for the plants but worked for him. Mum said that doing that for over two dozen plants relaxed him. Tommy Toe is a small tomato that is highly praised for its taste. I guess that you are coming into your growing season soon. Best of luck.
Im not a fan of cherry tomatoes. They are too sweet for my taste. Here in S Spain they grow huge tomatoes as well as normal, pear and cherry. I suspect the big tomatoes are used for gazpacho. The family run shops arent picky about looks though so as long as the produce is sound no one bothers about the odd split or blemish
The supermarkets dont seem to have as much variety as the greengrocers. The various fruits and veg they sell are amazing. Some imported stuff like kiwis and dragon fruit but many family run shops also have their own fincas. Plus living here where so much of the fruit and salad stuff is grown for export to Northern europe we are close to the source.
Best advice on the whole of TH-cam!!! You are a very kind loving informative Legend!!!!!…
That was a tasty video! Full of edible info. Thank you Mark❤
Love the Dad joke humor ❤❤
Have a great day 😊
Back in the 70's my Dad grew quasi-hydroponic tomatoes, in soil and in a greenhouse and they were sooooo good. Funny how the stores would only take the perfect ones so we had a huge supply to eat and give to friends. Yes, refrigeration stops the ripening process. Glad you did this video because a lot of people don't know, especially grocery stores, not to cold store them. 😁👍👍
The first time I grew tomatoes myself, when I ate them, I thought 'these taste like tomatoes did when I was a kid'! So yummy and flavourful, juicy, delicious. No need to add anything. The stuff from the supermarket, I like to call 'plastic tomatoes', they have their uses but there is nothing better than a sun-warmed ripe tomato you grew yourself. Bliss!
If you want big good tasting tomatoes grow the pineapple tomato, i had some that were 1kg and still tasted good.
For the smaller ones there are many good varieties, but blush tiger and the mexican honey tomato are some very good ones.
None of them are hybrids so you can take seeds and regrow them.
Thanks for tip. I'll give them a try in 2024.
A nice slice of home grown tomato with some sea salt on top is delicious. That on some buttered toast is even better 👌
Oh yeah! No need to do much else when something is so flavorful on it's own. I also love them broiled.
@@jeanniewahine5443 Broiled as in stewed?
The Heinz Ketchup bottle I buy says to refrigerate after opening on the back of it. So I usually do. That being said I don’t refrigerate my homegrown tomatoes.
Due to the amount of sugar in it- over 1/3 sugar
Right before the first freeze we harvest multiple huge bowls of green tomatoes. We leave some out on counter to ripen, but put rest in fridge to slow down ripening. We eat tomatoes for months this way. All other times keep them out of fridge
In answer to your question about how we keep our opened bottles of sauces: I always keep mine in the fridge, mostly because there is an all-capitals "warning" on the bottles that says, "KEEP REFRIGERATED AFTER OPENING". I always thought that if I didn't do that, the sauces would go bad and moldy. Not wanting to waste money, or worse, get sick, I follow those instructions. Maybe I should do a home experiment and try keeping some of them at room temp. Curious to see what others say in the comments. Great video, Mark, Thank You!
General rule of thumb, acidic (with🍋/🍅), salty, very sugary, spicy and/or oily sauces don't need refregiration.
Every sauce with uncooked eggs or dairy (🥛/🥚) might grow bacteria in unhealthy quantities if no chemicals are mixed to prevent their growth, so _fridge_ them after opening.
Once it's been processed I don't think the coldness thing applies. You've already broken down the cell structure of the tomato once you've cooked it!. Please keep your opened, processed products refrigerated!
@@schoo9256 it always depends what you mix them with... Restaurants normally don't refrigerate several kinds of sauces.
@@andanssas But the restaurants might be going through those sauces fast enough that it doesn't matter, that probably won't be the case at home. I always refrigerate sauces after opening myself.
@@mbern4530 true, but I went to restaurants where some sauces bottles do not seem to be used for months: in any case, even when refrigerated it's better to check their expiry date, ingredients and LST them (look, smell & taste) before: the worse it can happen is 🤮😅
This is my first year back to having a garden in at least 12-15 years. Thanks for the refresher!!!
The saucers sauce on the saucer was saused by a flying saucer for an unknown sauce. It was called the specie sauce, and the secret ingredient was not sauce.
What's your sauce for that?
South Mississippi zone 8 here. I have grown for years now, a local heirloom beefsteak variety tomato that I got from a friend, who had grown them so many years they forgot the original name of them lol. After those years of adaptation, the plants consistently produce more, bigger, and better tasting tomatoes than any 'early girl' or 'better boy' hybrid I can buy in the stores. It is definitely worth a few seasons of growing and collecting and planting that seed, to allow for adaptation to your local environment. If you've the patience, the plant won't fail you, and your taste buds will be forever thankful! Thanks for another great video, Mark!
Great video, my wife walked up as I was watching you talk about not putting tomatoes in the fridge, you instantly converted her to no fridge tomato storage, our current crop is just starting to ripen and wont be put in the fridge, the tomato's and cheese on toast won us over as well.
Mark ya bloody legend !
Here’s a big fat red juicy tasty thumbs up 👍🏽
Have another 👍🏽
I just found you a few weeks ago and I love everything you've put out so far! I can't wait to move on to my little acre of land and start growing! Good on ya Mate! You're amazing!
Lots of love from Bangladesh, I watch all your videos 🇧🇩
Ya know mate. I hated tomatoes a few years ago. And then I grew some! It's now my major crop by far.
Home grown is defo a game changer when it comes to tomatoes. And carrots.
The best tasting tomatoes are right off the vine in the garden. Many a cherry tomato has never made it to the house! 😀
Great tips Mark. 🙌
I am guilty of picking our tomatoes green, mostly because of our short season here. Heritage tomatoes are my favourite for their beauty and flavour. I discovered a variety that was grown for our climate and it’s not a looker but it is very tasty. (Manitoba tomato)
Take care,
Annette🌺
get some large CLEAR trash bags,
put them over the plants late in the season,
helps ripen the fruit quicker.
@@theboringchannel2027 thank you! 🌺
@@TheCowEmporium you're welcome. you should look into the Russian Heirloom tomatoes, many are short season varities.
If using the clear trash bags, if you have a particular warm sunny day,
you might want to pull up the sides. Will normally be 20 degrees higher inside,
with strong sun, 30 degrees higher, so keep in mind.
If its going to be sunny and 60-65 might want to lift the sides for the day.
Good morning Mark,
You cracked me up when saying the meaning of Tomato and then looking at your stomach. I get it Bud, I’m in my late 50s and my young chest has fallen to my stomach 😢
My whole life, I ALWAYS thought you needed to keep the ketchup in the fridge (after it was opened) but now I will have to point out to my wife,we should keep it out! My youngest son never lets it last very long anyway, so not likely to go bad!
If your ketchup is store-bought, it won't change much in flavor if kept in the fridge or in the pantry. That said: room temp ketchup is noticeably better on steak fries!
@@teebob21 I make my own ketchup with fresh tomatoes. I don't think it's advisable to leave them at room temperature. Is it??
Ketup will get fungus if kept out side for several days. ( and 4 days if it is homemade)
@@GloriaNdegwa Ketchup is shelf-stable. It's high in acid, high in salt, and high in sugar: all three of which act as preservatives. Keep the container sealed and it will last for months, just like mustard.
If you’re looking for a new beefsteak tomato to grow I would highly recommend Cherokee purple
Same with strawberries. The flavor *and shelf life seem to change for the worst when refrigerated.
Thanks Mark.
Ive never tried this. I only get strawberries from the market. When do you keep they dont get liquid/juice in the table through the container? When i keep strawberries at least one goes bad and gets juice on the fridge.
Hello my friend. Mr. Mark I've been trying different Hybird Tomatoes and yet to find one that taste as good as the old Heirloom Tomatoe. I like a good acidity tomato.
Love snacking on little tomatoes in the garden and all the little huckleberries ripen daily get me up early to see how things are growing. Thanks for the tips Mark!
Sauces in the fridge because I'm worried about it going bad
We usually have to pick the tomatoes before they are ripe, because we have short summers and cold springs. The key to picking early and still getting acceptable fruit is to leave thm on the vine. If you are picking before a frost, cut the plant off at ground level (or even dig up some of the root), and bring it into your pump house or wherever you are going to keep them warm. Not quite as good as leaving them outside in the ground, but far better than picking them off the vine early.
Have you heard about the Italian and Spanish ' winter tomatoes ' ? There are some sorts ( like ' piennolo') that are meant to be ripening on cut branches, just as you do .👍🏼
One of the things you didn't say is how the store bought tomatoes can be used for more than just a flavorless, non-nutritive addition to a grilled hamburger. Don't pay big money for those expensive KONG dog toys! Grocery tomatoes can also can be used as a durable play toy for your retrieving dog. After hours of playing fetch, simply rinse, place back in the fridge and you are set for the next time your Lab wants to play. (For my pup, that is about five minutes later.)
But seriously, I'll be starting my seeds here in north Florida VERY soon and look forward to picking my first "real" tomato of the season.
Also, just found you fishing channel. As the Terminator used to say, "I'll be back!"
When do you start yours? I plant my tomatoes inside in January (by the 15th) and I’m in MD.
@@1MSally1965 Going to start mine in the next week. I set a heat mat on a piece of 2" foam insulation, put the seed trays on that and put them outside.
Mark, I absolutely love your humor and your channel. Keep up the great work! This year, I’m planting Cherokee and Sweetie in pots. Historically I direct sowed them into my garden beds, but I’m switching things up. With your video tutorials, it’ll give me a leg up growing in an urban area zone 6 in Western Pennsylvania USA.
This is the best gardening channel that ive seen on youtube. Its so honest and straight to the point, and entertaining. :)
Sorry to correct you but no, the word tomato does not have its origins in Spanish, but in the ancient Nahuatl language, spoken in Mesoamerica, mostly in what is now Mexico. The region was the first to mass produce both tomato as well as tomatillo (which is not related, it is not in the Solanaceae family), and it was known for thousands of years before the Spanish arrived. The original word is "tomatl", which the Spanish eventually adopted - just like the plant - and adapted to a more easily pronounced "tomate".
That's pretty weird considering places like Italy used tomatoes far longer than American settlers as well as the rest of Europe.
@@pineappleparty1624 I tried to paste a Britannica link but TH-cam keeps deleting it, so I suggest you do a quick Google search to check your "facts", since you couldn't be more wrong
@@JefeBoss Slow down there sonny...it is a fact Americans and Britians in the 1700's did NOT eat tomatoes because they believed them to be poisonous. However, Mediterranean people were already eating them at that time. I found it ironic, if what you said is true, that people so close to the food were not consuming it at that time.
@@pineappleparty1624 OK so since you seem to stubbornly refuse to actually look this up, let me paste this from the Britannica article on tomatoes: [...]The wild species originated in the Andes Mountains of South America, probably mainly in Peru and Ecuador, and is thought to have been domesticated in pre-Columbian Mexico; its name is derived from the Náhuatl (Aztec) word tomatl. The tomato was introduced to Europe by the Spanish in the early 16th century, and the Spanish and Italians seem to have been the first Europeans to adopt it as a food. In France and northern Europe the tomato was initially grown as an ornamental plant and was regarded with suspicion as a food because botanists recognized it as a relative of the poisonous belladonna and deadly nightshade. Indeed, the roots and leaves of the tomato plant are poisonous and contain the neurotoxin solanine.[...]Tomatoes were introduced to North America from Europe. Thomas Jefferson is known to have raised them at Monticello in 1781. The tomato was used for food in Louisiana as early as 1812, but not in the northeastern states until about 1835. It did not attain widespread popularity in the United States until the early 20th century.
And I don't really think you realize that what you may consider "close" today, was a whole world away 400 years ago.... There is no irony there whatsoever, just the reality of the times...
@@JefeBoss Why did you type all of that? At what point do you think I am wrong? All you did was reiterate the historical facts that I said...Please get a grip...
I agree with the comment about the flavor of smaller tomatoes. I think Sungold tomatoes are the best. I usually grow only Sungold and Juliet, the latter being dependable but, now that I think about it, not that flavorful.
Thank you for the tip about heirloom tomatoes having that green part at the top when fully ripe. I had let my tomatoes get over ripe and wondered what I did wrong.
My ketchup and fermented salsa goes in the fridge. My Romas go into the freezer until I get around to making sauce. The breaded green tomatoes are stored in the freezer. Fresh eating tomatoes always hang out on the counter👍 If a couple of weeks I'm sowing a chocolate cherry, romas, german Johnson and 🤔 heirloom variety of the teacher tomatoe. I can't remember the name at the moment. 🤷♀️ excellent video 👍
Mark I have to agree with your hypothesis on hydro. You nailed it comparing grapes and strawberries.
Once my wife told be to buy vine ripened tomatoes for $3.50 a pound. I said you're crazy to spend that much for what I considered a yucky tasteless fruit. She insisted. When I got to the greengrocers, and approached the bin for the vine-ripened tomatoes, and got a whiff of them, I WAS SUDDENLY 5 YEARS OLD AGAIN, crawling through my Mother's tomato patch picking the little fat caterpillars off the stalks! 3.50 for a trip to my childhood? CHEAP!
I always enjoy your videos Mark! I love making a tomato based fruit salad especially in the heat of summer, my salad consists of vine ripe tomatoes for flavor, cucumbers for they’re natural cooling affects, onions, salt and pepper! It’s one of my favorite recipes. Thanks for sharing all your well researched gardening information, everyone please stay safe and keep well!!!
@aThomas McCardle. Add a little vinegarette dressing and some microgreens to your recipe and that's my favorite tomato salad 🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅
@@shirleyk623 I’ve tried several variations of what you’ve suggested, I even like leaving them out while covered to get slightly fermented! If you use home grown vine ripened tomatoes I don’t think you’ll ever go wrong.
Hi....... Mark nice to see you love watching your videos beautiful nice growing vegetable, thank you 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 👕🐔🐓🐣🐥🐕🐈🐝🌱🍇🍋🍍🍒🍊🍆🏡🎥👍👍👍
G'day Mark.
Home grown always make me feel good... from my head tomatoes. 😉 See what I did there! 😂
Seriously though, that was just choc a block full of good info and thanks!
I've been harvesting my tomatoes early and ripening inside, due to an inane amount of rodents stripping my orchard and veggie beds since the region was seriously flooded for a couple of months. 100% loss on some trees and 50% of tomatoes ruined for instance.
The tomatoes were going to be sauce tomatoes ( San Marzano), but since I'm harvesting just as they turn and ripen inside, I'll be dehydrating and using them in burgers, steak sandwiches, salads and even making a powder, as I just don't think they'll have the full flavour for bottling (canning).
Using them dehydrated and semi dehydrated, should hopefully keep that flavour more concentrated.
Great video as always Mark and all the best.
Daz.
😂🤣🍅 Good one!
Oh man, what a loss! I hope the next season for you is better!❤
Oh, Daz. I just saw Jenn's comment and thought I might have said something inappropriate. I was laughing at your tomatoe joke. Now I've read about flooding in your region and rodents! Tons of them! I'd be terrified, and mad as hell. I'm so sorry about your whole situation. It's fantastic that you can maintain a sense of humor amidst such terrible circumstances. I hope that never happens in your area again, and that your garden comes back doubly strong very soon.
@@kele1264 for the record, I did realize you were laughing at the tomato joke😉❤
@@JennTN411 thanks Jenn. I really felt like crap for a minute there. Because it's not me to be rude, or flip, or cruel. Felt like it demanded an explanation, and an apology. Have a great Sunday!
Master....i love tomatoes,i make 200\300 hundred bottles every year,especially with determined, like Roma ,Big rio! passata di pomodoro!!💪 Have a great weekend Mark and family!!
Wow had no idea about the green on the tomato help it ripen and sweeten.
Excellent presentation. I grow cherry varieties here in Normandy, France. They are wonderful straight off the plant. A neighbour kindly gave us some big red ones of his. They looked amazing. He told us how much water he gave them.....but he wasn't giving them any nutrients and i think the soil gradually got depleted. What the tomatoes didn't use, the excess watering washed out. They tasted bland and were big fat mush balls. My dad was a soldier in WW2 and while in Italy he was introduced to tomatoes grown on the rich volcanic soil around Naples. He didn't really like tomatoes but those were wonderful he said. Here in france they call it the 'terroir'. The environment and soil together that defines the subtle flavour of a region. (Your grape analogy was spot on.)
BTW...you have a bit of a Russell Crowe vibe going on. lol
I love the puns and dad jokes! The more the better.
We used to keep the ketchup out of the fridge until we got maggots back to back in one just opened bottle and one not long open bottle. After the second bottle no one had the stomach for it. In fact it was many months before any of us ate ketchup again.
Omg. I've kept sauce in the fridge because the bottles always say, "KEEP REFRIGERATED AFTER OPENING". I thought I might try leaving at room temp as Mark suggested, but after seeing your comment, maybe everything just stays in the fridge. I'd pass out if I saw maggots in my ketchup, or anything else. Thanks for what I consider a warning.
That's really strange because a fly has to lay eggs for there to be maggots. How did flies get into your ketchups?
@@pineappleparty1624 Dirty factory equipment where the ketchup is made?
@@kele1264 Very unlikely. Fresh food factories don't just allow flies to infest their equipment. If it were a squeeze bottle left open just over night, then one could easily lay eggs. No idea if the OP has glass bottles or not, or how long they left them unsealed, or even outside for a cookout.
@@pineappleparty1624 I'm sure that most factories do their best to prevent the entry of flies and other pests. I'm sure they don't "allow" them in. That said, pests get in sometimes, and I'm sure the factories do their best to rid the pests. It may be time to let this subject drop. Since you can't prove how it happened, just as the Belden family can't, let's let them be.
Good day today in Queensland. We (in Melbourne) had a nice day as well, but those Rainbow Coloured Lorikeets I heard at the start make me miss Qld. Also, great vid as usual. Your a champ.
I love this guy so much. He seems so pure and kindhearted, love to see it!
Them little purple tomatoes are the Best! Aren’t they 😅😊
Thanks for the info, Mark. I keep my ketchup in the fridge. I have not noticed a difference in taste between chilled ketchup and warm ketchup, but I have noticed the difference when it comes to fresh tomatoes.
You can grow DELICIOUS hydroponic tomatos...and you can grow terrible ones too... it depends largely on 2 things...( in my humble opinion) one thr type of seed... and 2 if you are using a full spectrum hydroponic nutrients! Not all nutrients are the same. I can grow a tomato in artogarden nutrients and if the variety is OK... they will grow...but if it use a general all purpose feed, then a flower feed, and rhen a fruiting feed... you will get a drastically different taste ❤️
Hi Mark, A very good video. I have been a on the countertop person for many, many years. Because I use a lot of tomatoes year round here in Arkansas, USA, I can a lot. You can destroy the tomato taste also when canning them by overcooking (too long in the canner). I have a rule of thumb when buying tomato seeds for the garden, I stick to open pollenated Heirloom types they have been around for over a hundred years and they generally out-taste any of the Hybrid varieties. The open pollenated Heirloom tomatoes seeds may be saved. The seeds require a special process before saving, so watch Deep South Homestead: How to save tomato seeds on TH-cam. I plant directly into the ground and after my plants are established I put two teaspoons of 13-13-13 fertilize on each side of the plant and come back once a week and scratch around the plant. Prior to planting I like to work some barn yard manure into the soil. Jessie from Arkansas, USA.
I agree about the heirloom except for Sungold F1 cherry. I have grown many other cherry tomatoes but none have the same rich flavour of Sungold. I have tried sowing the seed but of course the plants revert to their parent plants and never can I replicate the flavour.
Every spring the local farmer's market has a vendor who shows up with hydroponic tomatoes. They sell the dickens out of them; the only competition is grocery store tomatoes. The moment the local field ripened tomatoes show up, he disappears. He knows his hydroponics will never compare for taste. I don't blame him, I welcome his tomatoes each spring, but I think most people agree that all things being equal they would prefer a field ripened fruit.
I love gardening tomatoes, theyre one of the most rewarding plants to grow in my opinion. BTW if you're interested in growing larger varieties in the new season, I'd recommend Cherokee Purples.
As a Spaniard, I can tell you that the Spanish word "tomate" doesn't mean anything other than the name of the fruit.
However, the Spanish word "tomate" is based on precolumbian indigenous words that might mean all those things you said.
Just making sure you understand that the meanings you gave aren't for the Spanish word, but for the indigenous words it derives from.
The word "tomato" doesn't originally come from Spanish, it comes from precolumbian indigenous languages, through Spanish.
tomatoes are an excellent plant to practice low water use actually, and it produces a richer, denser flavor when they have slightly less water. Part of the reason that hydroponics plants may be less flavorful isn't because they're missing nutrients, but because the flavor is diluted by an excess of water. I learned a lot about this when learning how to grow plants for consumption in low water environments, and how to be water savvy with plants.
Interesting, thanks for the tip. So soils that retain less water should be better for them, right?
I have tried this and as I live in a zone 9 area with summer temperatures up to 43C, I found that it stressed the plant too much and as a result the fruit got blossom end rot. So I now irrigate with drip irrigation once a day in the morning under thick mulch. It spreads the water over a greater area of the bed and doesn't soak one area only and therefore wash out the nutrients.
@@andanssas it's plant-by-plant basis because not all species handle less water well, so a bit of study with some trial and error can produce some interesting results!
@@chichestermaritime8174 Not all varieties will react the same either, it's very plant by plant basis on which species do best. And less water doesn't mean no water, which is important to remember too. But those very arid zones are great for testing what species handle it well.
Was it Paddy Chayefsky that wrote that book about Marty going down to the Waverly ballroom to check out the tomatoes haha must have meant plump ladies.
Marty is a middle-aged single man who's never had a girl. He lives at home with his mother. He's a butcher. His mother tells him that the Waverly Ballroom is loaded with tomatoes and that he should go.
Anyway it's a freaking fabulous play and I never forgot it was required reading I thinking Junior High School
Last year, I grew tomatoes that were called the world smallest tomato. About 15 of them fit in a spoon. They were so bitter, even the birds left them alone.
Oh wow, what variety is it? That's insane xD
@@Isaac-ho8ghLikely Spoon Tomatoes. Baker Creek sells the seeds for them, but I’ve always assumed they were one of those gimmicky plants. Fun to grow to show friends and family, but not really useful for food.
Maybe you could sprinkle a handful on the top of a pizza or a salad, but it would likely only benefit the appearance.
I have seeds for these, but re-thinking planting them. Sounds like they are very indeterminate. Maybe somewhere for novelty!
I'm growing these this year. Hopefully won't be bitter.
Why wouldn't ripe tasty tomatoes be a good fit for a fruit salad ?? And I can totally see them being eaten with vanilla ice cream, too. - Tomatoes and plumes (50 : 50 percent) make a wonderful jam. Also: pumpkin (another "fruit") marinated in some acid (could be vinegar or could be lemon or quince juice) is good for fruit salads, compots (again very good with plumes or any tart sour fruits as long as you add some sugar, cinnamon and lemon zest) - and as long as no sugar or salt is used in the marinade they can be used in mixed salads, soups and stews as well.
When eaten raw pumpkin (or squash) benefits the marinating or it will taste bland (it cannot compare with a ripe apricot or peach).
Slices or cubes in good vinegar it will keep a few days in the fridge (not sure about lemon juice that tends to get mouldy, so I would not keep that longer than 1 day).
That preparation is very versatile. Intense tasting ripe fruit will lend it some taste (plumes and pumpkin compot with some lemon zests or orange zests tastes wonderfully especially if you let it stand in the fridge for one day so the flavors mix and develop). In salad the pumpkin pieces do not add so much taste but they look very nice and add vitamins, beta carotin etc.
Last but not least raw pumpkin is a mild fruit to eat, in many cases it is possible to eat it with the peel (Butternot or Hokkaido for instance).
I so agree with you.Thanks for your video. I saw a Jaune Flammée in your garden ! this is one of my very favorite tomatoes, for the very reason that its flavor is just so special and amazing ! I've never seen it in any store nor even on markets....
Cheers from France 🥰
Jaune Flamme is incredible. Very intense flavor!
My moms always been a sauce in fridge but since i learned that i could keep them out ive done that. Most of the decision is based on space. That being said most sauces taste better and dont get as liquidy out of the fridge, i find.
You answered a question I had during this video. My daughter left a few tomatoes here when she visited last October. There were a couple different varieties of store-bought ones and one of the tomatoes was a yellow variety. I left it sitting on my table and it never went bad, to this day it is still sitting on the table and looks the same as it did in October, I am a little afraid to eat it. It must have been a greenhouse variety that was one of the kind that ripen at the same time. I may try and plant the seeds in it to see what develops.
I have come to the conclusion that if a food is "good" enough to be sold at a store then it not only tastes awful but almost certainly will kill you young too. Stores only care about shelf life, not customer life.
If you haven't opened it up or ate it yet, place a camera in front of it and hit record or take daily snapshots until it starts rotting, use the good seeds and then take make a time-lapse video with the background story. If next season you harvest new tomatoes from those seeds, do the same experiment and if it works out, apply to the Guinness World Rrcords.
Bought a pack of cherry tomatoes in Lidl other day (in UK) - packet says store in fridge.
Will ignore that now - last pack were pretty tasteless. I do like a quick sprinkle of salt/pepper though - especially if they're in a mixed salad.
I didn't think much of this video because of the thumbnail, but the sheer information and effort you put into making this video makes it amazing! My hat is off to you good sir!
All my condiments say "Refrigerate After Opening". Ketchup, Mustard, Tartar Sauce, etc.
Hi Mark, what a great video! I love growing tomatoes too and since the season is now over in my part of Australia we can’t grow them anymore, but I love watching you grow them and give us helpful information. Thank you!
When I was a truck driver, I used to pick up loads of tomatoes in Florida and they were picked and packed just as green as grass. Between Florida and California, we would run the trailer temp at 65-68 degrees to ripen them over 2-3 days. When I see tomatoes at the grocery stores as vine ripened, I just have to laugh to myself because I know that unless they are grown locally, that they are not shipped that way to the grocery chains, farmers markets, and other commercial sales. Ripened tomatoes would be destroyed in shipping.
I still swear by black krim if you want a large tomato. We're dead of winter here, but will remember about refrigeration come summer. Tried a mess of cherry and grape tomatoes last year and had so many we didn't like, either flavor or tough/thick skin.
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is, in fact, a fruit.
Wisdom is knowing not to put it into a fruit salad.
Philosophy is wondering whether that makes tomato sauce a fruit smoothie...
(That said, I enjoy eating a tomato and apple and cheese salad.)
Most of our sauces stay in the fridge. Ketchup kept at room temperature is runny. That being said, I'm not a big fan of putting tomatoes in the fridge unless its in the summer because they will spoil quicker after being cut.
hey Mark, could we get a shirt in the shop like the one you have, where it says the moto along the lines of “you don’t have to be completely self sufficient, just be self sufficient in something..” thanks a lot! have a wonderful day :)
Mark, you are too punny! 😂😂I can tell a hydroponic anything, as soon as it hits my mouth. 😝😝😜😜 What's more aggravating, is you hand over your cash for the worthless "stuff"... GOOD to see Ms. Nina, back in the video's. Hi MS Nina!! Great video, as always, Mark. I'm about to transplant my spring garden maters, today. 😁
Great video Mark thanks. Here's a big red juicy thumbs up for ya. P.s. Hoocho will be pissed over your hydroponic comments.
Mark, at 10:23 you show maters growing in a tunnel trellis. I know it gets hot out your way. Do you have this growing in afternoon shade or any other special location? I am out here in the desert with 115F to 120F, and I have to shade and protect from the dry, hot desert oven winds, too. Wish you showed the tunnel more. It was lovely. How do you like that variety? Thanks
Have you done a video on growing bananas? I'm on the struggle bus here in the US. AZ gets pretty hot, and watering has been difficult to figure out.
Maters are the best straight from the bush. In the southern United States we call tomatoes (maters) and potatoes (taters) it's definitely a southern thing. When we want to talk proper, we can lol.
Watching this at 9:30 a.m. in Ohio/USA. Now I want a hamburger or pizza for dinner. :)
Not a big fan of cherry tomatoes. Too much skin, so I tend to gravitate towards larger ones. Condiments in the fridge for me. Nice video, even though it lacked a Roma. 😁
G'day from Texas to you Mark.
Yes I keep sauce in fridge but I don't add tomatoes to fruit salad.
Wisdom. Love all the ketchup/catsup.
I agree with the hydroponic tomatoes! They used to be the best priced at the store, but just tasted like nothing!
"Knowledge is knowing tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it into a fruit salad." Cleverness is knowing that salsa is a fruit salad.
Everytime he posts a video it's always new and relevant. You are #1 on my list of people I want to meet.
-Westminster, Colorado
Tomato is actually a Nahuatl word (tomatl and gitomatl) and adapted into Spanish after conquest in Mexico
Floury Apples are the bane of my existence. Not putting my tomatoes in the fridge again.
Ever see indigo tomatoes? It's beautiful and I'm kinda curious how it taste like.
Picking tomatoes too early?What, have you been talking to my wife? 🤪
I didn’t know that I could keep the ketchup out… As for picking early, well, last fall we grabbed the last of the tomatoes (still green) when the plants died off and they ripened right on the counter..took a while. Thanks for your information on these tasty fruits. 🙏🏽💕