The Hortisexual

Is it me? Are my taste buds going the way of my eyesight and hearing? Or have you noticed too that Jersey tomatoes don’t taste like they used to?

I’m a life-long Jersey guy. Two things you can count on in NJ: pull into a service station and somebody will pump your gas, and come the 4th of July we’ll be enjoying the best tasting tomatoes in the country.

Man, I remember as a kid, there was nothing better for summertime lunch than a sliced tomato sandwich with mayo on Wonder Bread. Mmm mmm.

But over the last few seasons, the tomatoes I’ve brought home from local farm stands aren’t much more flavorful than those bland, pale imposters from California we suffer all winter.

So as the last tomatoes of the season finally give way to pumpkins at the roadside stands, I decided to investigate.

I checked in with tomato expert Michelle Casella, Agricultural Agent, Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, Cooperative Extension, Gloucester County (does that fit on a biz card?).

Michelle explains there is a direct link between tomato skin texture and taste. She says in the late ‘80s commercial growers here in NJ gradually began planting hard-skinned hybrid tomato varieties better suited for long-distance shipping, as well as bruise and crack resistance.

Aha! I knew it!

So what if it tastes like cardboard, at least it'll keep on the produce shelf for a month.

Compounding the matter, tomatoes are being picked when barely showing a blush of pink. Tomatoes need to ripen completely on the vine for the sugars and carbohydrates to fully develop, which boosts the flavor.

Good news: Rutgers is teaming up with the Vegetable Growers Association of New Jersey to look at tomato varieties from the past and a few new ones to breed for enhanced flavor.

More good news: Remember the Ramapo tomato? One of the best tasting ever. It faded from the fields more than twenty years ago. A Rutgers ag prof has been keeping a stash of Ramapo seeds. Rutgers contracted with a seed company in Israel to produce a limited quantity of Ramapo seeds for release this winter. If you want to get hold of some Ramapo seeds you need to get on a list through your local County Extension office.

Meanwhile to satisfy your lust for big, juicy Jersey beefsteaks, Michelle advises you find “backyard sellers” or a tailgate market offering oldies like Supersonic, Jet Start, Pik Red or Pik Rite.

Better yet, grow ‘em yourself!