Where to find good tomatoes...

[dennishoddy]

The report was just covering a study comparing tomatoes from the US, Canada, and Mexico; it didn't involve any other produce. I don't recall what they said about the Canadian tomatoes, but i think they ranked second behind the Mexican tomatoes.

We bought tomato's in the RGV at as we were there for months, and don't know where they came from as they were bought at HEB which is an awesome family owned store, but they weren't noticeably better than anywhere else. Nowhere near the great taste of home grown.
I think but don't know that most of ours in the grocery store are green house grown. I read somewhere how they are actually green but forced to turn red by some process that I'm not aware of.

 

[Lakenut]

When it comes to salsa…. Anyone have easy recipes? The last couple of years I have cheated and used Mrs. Wages salsa mix.

 

[Snattlerake]

Cardboard tomatoes bug me so I don't buy them. Home grown is the only way to go. Farm stands are the only place I buy tomatoes I am going to use for flavor especially BLT's. You have to have farm grown on a BLT. I always add Tabasco or Louisiana to my BLT's for a punch up.

 

[Roadking Larry]

Do I know you? Does Camden 1 inch thick pork chops mean anything to you? Or maybe the, "You want to eat here?" at the Camden Pizza Hut?

I don't think so. I'm in NE Rogers county.

 

[John6185]

You guys remind me of when I was a boy and I'd go out in the garden and pick a ripe tomato, big, juicy and red ripe. I would take a big of a bite as I could and the juice would run down both sides of my mouth and I'd wipe my face off with my hand and arm and go on to whatever I was doing.

 

[PBramble]

slice it up, salt and pepper, some miracle whip and you've got a lunch.

 

[davek]

I wish I knew what variety my grandfather grew. When we visited in the summer that's all I wanted to eat. Sometimes with a little salt and pepper, sometime just wedges, plain, they were so good.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

A retired guy nearby plants 125 tomato plants, potatoes, green beans, squash, and corn. He is very fair in prices. He will even give me vegetables if I bring the remains by after cleaning fish. He has a furrow dug that allows him to quickly cover up the fish.

 

[dennishoddy]

When it comes to salsa…. Anyone have easy recipes? The last couple of years I have cheated and used Mrs. Wages salsa mix.

I don't know if it's a recipie but I use a can of spicy rotel, along with fresh diced onion, adobo sauce to taste, bell pepper, cilantro, squeezed limes to taste, fresh smashed garlic to taste, salt, pepper and tomato sauce. Possibly a small dash of apple cider vinegar if you like that taste. We do.
Let it sit overnight in the fridge covered in a non-reactive bowl so the acid can cook the fresh veggies and the flavors can meld.
If more heat is needed, blend or dice the chipotle peppers (smoked jalapeno's) that came from the can of adobo sauce to taste.
It may take several batches to perfect your recipe the way you want it, so for each batch write down and or weigh each ingredient so it can be replicated.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

@retrieverman do you have a salsa recipe?