TOMATO TUESDAYS

I'm too stressed out by the economy to talk about anything having to do with news. So today I will turn my attention to tomatoes. I know a lot of folks hate tomatoes. Their slimy membranes dripping down your lips and their seeds getting stuck in your teeth. Yum. I personally think they're great. I prefer them cooked but raw's good too. Now, I don't really care for them on sandwiches. Sundried tomatoes are good on a slab of ciabatta bread but a regular old white bread and tomato sandwich is nasty. But maybe that's the white bread.

You often hear that the tomato is not a vegetable but a fruit. I think that's a load of shit. It's both. It is the fruit of a plant and it does have seeds and all that but its purpose on a plate is strictly vegetable. Just like a duck is a bird but it's not quite "white" meat, the tomato swings both ways.

There are many types of tomatoes and this is by no means a fully comprehensive guide, but I hope it'll help somewhat in your tomato decision making.


ROMA TOMATO



It's my understanding that the Roma tomato is a form of plum tomato. This is a good tomato for tomato sauce and salsa. It's a flexible tomato. I'm not sure how it's grown or anything like that. But in the realm of tomatoes, it's a solid player.


BEEFSTEAK TOMATO



This is the ultimate sandwich tomato. It's big and like the name says beefy. I think the Hothouse tomato is similar. But I could be making that up.

GRAPE TOMATO



These are little tomatoes that are shaped like grapes. They're usually sweet as well.


CHERRY TOMATO



This is also a small tomato. Unlike the grape tomato, it's round and plump like a cherry.


HEIRLOOM TOMATO



I love eating heirloom tomatoes at restaurants but I never buy them. The ones in the stores always look filthy. They're splotchy and covered in dirt and soil. No thanks. If you can brave the cleaning process though, the heirloom is a tomato treasure. Rich in flavor, yet bold in texture, the heirloom is the jewel of the tomato tree.


TOMATOES ON THE VINE



Another self-explanatory tomato. These are my favorite because they feel the most natural. They can still be covered in pesticides, but something about that vine makes me hope for the best. I think I buy these the most as they seem versatile enough for whatever I'm cooking. The cooking experts may disagree, but I use them in anything I want.

In case you want know about more tomatoes, check this out.