Have you read Amanda Mull's article in the Atlantic called America Has Never Been So Desperate for Tomato Season? The most interesting part of us was that she pointed out how most grocery store tomatoes taste bland. She specifically referenced the article from NBCNews.com article Why Supermarket Tomatoes Taste Like Cardboard.
The Rise Gardens offices have little tomatoes growing everywhere.
I admit, I was a little skeptical about the taste at first. I've been burned by many flavorless tomatoes. But I was pleasantly surprised, these little tomatoes are packed with flavor! They always add a little something special to my lunch.
Why are these little tomatoes so tasty? Here are a few reasons:
- You pick them moments before you eat them, so no nutrient or flavor loss while they sit in a warehouse or on a produce shelf.
- They ripen on the vine. Many grocery store tomatoes are picked when they're still green and blasted with ethylene gas to ripen them. While this seems to be safe (ethylene gas is naturally produced by most fruit anyway) it does affect taste and texture.
- They've been exposed to the nutrients they need to grow in a more direct way, and they've been growing in their ideal pH range.
Of course tomatoes grown in your home garden or ones that come from the farmers market are amazing, they aren't available all year-round. With a Rise Garden in your home or office, it's always tomato season!