Why Supermarket Tomatoes Taste Like Cardboard

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July 15, 2012

scipak:

Researcher Ann Powell at University of California, Davis, and colleagues have pinpointed the molecular changes responsible for the “uniform ripening” trait of many modern tomatoes. These changes also reduce the fruit’s sugar content. For about 70 years, breeders have selected tomato…

It’s true: prettier doesn’t mean better. Thankfully, there are small farmers and seed distributors keeping the art—and taste—of the tomato alive. It’s all about heirloom varieties! If you’re aiming to find out what this plump red fruit used to offer in terms of taste, look for the unusual, often lumpy or even ugly tomatoes that you might otherwise think a novelty—the Beefsteaks, Brandywines, and Cherokee Purples. They’re harder to find, and almost certainly more expensive, but worth the extra effort. —MN

(Source: sciencemag.org)

2:38pm | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZV1L5yPPYL15
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