2000 Tomatoes are one of our country's most popular vegetables. We enjoy them sliced on sandwiches and burgers, chopped on pizza and cooked in soups and stews, and tossed in salads. This time of year when tomatoes are so abundant, my family gets to enjoy this vegetable just about every day fresh from our own little garden.
Tomatoes have their best flavor when they are fully ripe.
Ripe tomatoes should be completely red or reddish-orange, depending on the variety. They will have a sweet, subtle aroma and will give slightly to gentle palm pressure. When you pick our tomatoes whether from the farmers market or the grocery store, select tomatoes at various degrees of ripeness and keep them at room temperature. Use the ripest fruit first, just as you do with bananas and avocados. Never refrigerate a tomato that is not fully ripe.