Acid vs Sweet

[darthslater]

OK here it comes, what do you like in the taste of a tomato? Acid Tart, or Sweet with substance? This is why a tomato summary just is not relevant. I f I were to make a listing of my findings on an overall taste, it would be nonrelevant because I am biased to a sweeter tomato. So any listings to the contrare are mute! That is in the way I like them, however it was mentioned in a certain thread about the sweetness of one type of variety, as being "So sweet I wouldnt give them away". Not being a FROG and a counter with Cass Corridor Detroit style, I had to post this!! Now you make up your minds and lets hear what you think a tomato should taste like!!!!

Darth

[dld]

Feb 17, 2010 19:56:32 GMT -5 @darthslater said:

OK here it comes, what do you like in the taste of a tomato? Acid Tart, or Sweet with substance? This is why a tomato summary just is not relevant. I f I were to make a listing of my findings on an overall taste, it would be nonrelevant because I am biased to a sweeter tomato. So any listings to the contrare are mute! That is in the way I like them, however it was mentioned in a certain thread about the sweetness of one type of variety, as being "So sweet I wouldnt give them away". Not being a FROG and a counter with Cass Corridor Detroit style, I had to post this!! Now you make up your minds and lets hear what you think a tomato should taste like!!!!

Darth

Hmmm... I wouldn't think that a tomato taste summary is either mute or non-relevant because everyone's taste is so different? You as a commercial grower should know as all your customers will have different wants because of THEIR taste re:acid or sweet right? Anyway I like the sweet myself... ;D

[timothyt]

Dang Darth! This reminds me of those Aptitude tests in school back in the Sixties..."Would you rather go bowling or play cards on a rainy Saturday?" I always "flunked" those because it always depends on what I'm in the mood for at the moment! (they scored me as appropriate for either the president or a janitor ;D)

Same with maters! I like em all, depending what I'm in the mood for or how I'm preparing or what they are going in. Sweet, Sour, tart, small, large, "acidic", in your face flavor or "sublet"..I love em all.... dried, smoked, grilled, raw, smoked, blended, sauced, juiced,salad, salsa,....oh Crimony the list goes on and on and so does which ones work well with what! About all I can say is that for fresh eating I don't particularly care for bland or mushy! Other than that, I'm wide open and in love with most!

T

[landarc]

So, no bland or mushy for Timothy, How about watery and mealy, those are still good? I prefer a balance of sweet and acidic with a lingering finish. It has to work well with bacon and in a pasta dish.

[camochef]

I'm the one that Darth was quoting, and I was talking about Black From Tula, which many people like. I happened to find the ones that I grew disgustingly sweet, and although I tried a few at different times, even some that weren't quite ripe. I didn't like them! My taste or my garden I don't know as I never grew them again, that's how bad of a taste they left in my mouth, and I usually advise others to try a tomato at least for two growing seasons before making a judgement.
So if I offended you Darth, I apoligize, but I try to be as honest as possible in my tomato asessments.
On the other hand, I found Dr Wyches Yellow to have a bite to it that I couldn't walk away from in 2008. I'm still not sure if it was stongly acidic or alkaline, but if I ate a couple my mouth would be burning and tingling like the old days from eating too many Jersey Beefsteaks. I had Mrs Camo taste them, (she hates uncooked tomatoes, so that in itself is a trick to accomplish), and she said they were sweet, I went nuts...No! they're acidic. never came to a solution, but I just couldn't eat them like I could other tomatoes. Yet I couldn't leave them alone either.
Last year they did terrible, they were bland, watery, mushy and pretty much inedible. Too much rain, and cold weather. we were dropping down to the high thirties at night in june and july! Unheard of here in the past. August was our only month without constant thunderstorms and rain and finally warm temperatures, but by then it was too late for many of our earlier planted tomatoes. I managed to bring most through late frosts, plant destroying hailstorms, but I couldn't do much to prevent the rain and cold weather, and the many diseases that the combination of the two brought on. Over 52 years of growing tomatoes, I had never seen such a year, at least not that I can remember.
Besides resting my ground and myself this year, I have a feeling that this year is going to be a repeat or worse than last so I'm planting very few tomatoes.
Sorry about getting off track, I guess to answer the question as honestly as I can, It would be a balance of the two that I look for, but that's just my taste and shouldn't effect anyone else. They have been my taste tests for this area alone, it's just that many people enjoyed reading them and asking for more.
Many have asked for seed to my favorites and have received much more than they asked for too! The popularity of Cowlick's Brandywine has spread around the world and it seems as Dana's Dusky Rose is going to follow in it's footsteps as well as a few others that I've sent out this year. Amazon Chocolate is already becoming as popular as Cowlick's (well almost).
So I'll try to avoid stepping on any toes, and hold back my negative comments on any variety that I dislike. Will make me like the reviewers in the catalogs!
Camo

[landarc]

Nonsense Camo, the good and bad are what makes testing and tasting worthwhile. If Darth cant handle it, I will personally verbally smack him about later on. My sister loves Doc Wyche's, she gets great production and she says the flavor is excellent and has a nice acidity that stands up in sandwiches and salads. I like em with balsamic and pickled onions, and some sal gris. If you don't post the negatives, then we learn nothing and everybody eat Sungolds, woooo, not.

[peppereater]

Hahaha, let's smack darth around for general purposes anyway.
I could quote mule here as to my preferences. I'm not, however, an "I never met a tomato I didn't like" type. I've gotten to the point that I am trying to find about 2 dozen great tomatoes and concentrate on growing those every year. Oddly, I didn't find black from tula overly sweet, I thought it was a great tomato, but by no means a must-grow. It lacked both acid and sweet in my opinion, though only slightly, I'd rate it at least a 7.5.
KB, I almost swore off of growing, even though I really, really liked it. slightly watery, slightly bland, but with a pronounced apricot, to me, sort of quality. After skipping it for one year, I dacided I had to grow it again. It ain't a BLT slicer, but it's great to gobble when slathered in salt....no tomato belongs in my garden that isn't great to eat fresh. Pastes and such, plenty of those stand on their own, I won't forgive the lousy-when-fresh types just because they are fine canners.

[darthslater]

Before any body does any smackin, Know this it has been TRIED!!
And also know I am not taking it personally about the Black From Tula, again everyone has thier own taste, It is nice to hear what people think, that is the purpose of this thread. I am just stating my opinions from MY perspective and those who I sell to. I didnt say it was the numberone, but it sure is up there. Iam growing alot of different kinds this year again in search of.......I know that if I posted a list it wouldnt taste the same if you grew the identical list
in a different part of the country,my point, soil weather heat all have major roles in how a tomato taste. And unless you live in back back yard, you also will have different results!! If you do live in my back 40, know that your rent is due!!

Darth ;D

[jcm05]

Sungold Rulez!

[dld]

Parker Family Red PL is yummy too...

Details later...

[peppereater]

Parker Family Red...details NOW, hippy
Darth, how much is rent?