top tip for tomatoes

This is the first of my home grown tomatoes.  I have been using a flower tower to try and grow tumbling toms and the good news is that it has been a success and they are delicious. Even just the smell of tomato plants evokes strong memories of helping my Dad with his when I was a child.  I was always impatient to try them and to this day, I prefer the tomatoes when they have just turned orange and are still quite tart.  To that end, I find most shop bought tomatoes too ripe for my taste.

Not so long ago, I was invited to visit British sugar Wissington factory, where they use by products of the sugar manufacturing process to grow tomatoes.  It is an amazing place and is the UK’s largest grower of classic round and speciality salad tomatoes. The glasshouse covers an area of 11 hectares and produces 70 million tomatoes per year.

I was slighty freaked out by the 2,000 bumble bees are at work on the site, pollinating the tomato flowers but overall I was deeply impressed by the operation and by the fact that the glasshouse even recycles rainwater from the roof, along with other water, to irrigate the crop.  The best bit of the trip was sampling the tomatoes and I was given a selection to take home, along with a top tip from the Manager.  He told me to never ever keep tomatoes in the fridge as it affects their chemical make up in some way and affects the taste.  I have tried this and do you know what- he was right.  Keep them out of the fridge and they taste like they are straight from the plant.

If your tomatoes pass their best- why not try my recipe for slow roasted tomatoes.  they are delicious!