'Vine' tomatoes are becomming fairly common in the
shops, but:-

What, exactly, are 'Vine' tomatoes?

Do they taste any different to 'ordinary' tomatoes?

Are they just a scam so that the growers don't have to
bother picking each one, just cut the whole bunch off
the plant, making them cheaper to grow, but charging
the silly cutomer more?

--
alan

reply to alan(dot)holmes27(at)virgin(dot)net

AFAIK thay are tomatoes allowed to ripen naturally, most tomatoes in
the shops are picked green, then artificially ripened when they arrive
in the UK. They certainly do ahve a much nicer taste that the
equivalent loose ones.

Mike

Following up to Alan Holmes

What, exactly, are 'Vine' tomatoes?

just left on the stalk as far as I know. Many authorities now say
tinned toms are better than out of season imported ones.
--
Mike Reid
EXCLUSIVE Queen snapped at traffic lights with
naked girls in vehicle:-
"http://www.lawn-mower-man.co.uk/nakedqueen.htm"

wrote in message
oups.com...
AFAIK thay are tomatoes allowed to ripen naturally, most tomatoes in
the shops are picked green, then artificially ripened when they arrive
in the UK. They certainly do ahve a much nicer taste that the
equivalent loose ones.

Mike
I find this interesting....how long have they been imported this way in the
UK...for many years on the western edges of the big puddle tomatoes have
been shipped from Florida to the north via a lorry filled with ethylene
gas...by the time they arrive up north they too have been converted from
green to red...taste wis would just as soon eat cardboard. We too now have
the 'vine ripened' ones. While better than the lorry ripened ones they are
still far from the local or home grown jobbies....but not worth the asking
price....H

wrote in message
oups.com...
AFAIK thay are tomatoes allowed to ripen naturally, most tomatoes in
the shops are picked green, then artificially ripened when they arrive
in the UK. They certainly do ahve a much nicer taste that the
equivalent loose ones.



I also wonder sometimes whether the better flavour is also due to slightly
more esoteric varieties being available for vine-ripened as opposed to the
standard boxes of anaemic dutch/belgian/canary toms that are so beloved of
the supermarkets.

The price hike is horrendous though, and I really detest the overpackaging
and overgrading typical of vine-toms.

Incidentally, why are they described as being "on the vine" rather than "on
the truss"? Are both correct, or is it marketing-speak?


--
Richard Sampson

mail me at
richard at olifant d-ot co do-t uk

"The Reids" wrote in message
...
Following up to Alan Holmes

What, exactly, are 'Vine' tomatoes?

just left on the stalk as far as I know.

Many authorities now say
tinned toms are better than out of season imported ones.

I'd say for most cooking tinned toms win hands down, and given the dreadful
flavour of the majority of supermarket toms this goes for in-season as well.
Not so good in a salad or sandwich though! (watch out for added sugar in
some varieties of tinned, though. Why?!!!)

The other veg I don't normally give two hoots for fresh (from supermarkets)
are peas - IMHO frozen wins on flavour hands down.

Of course if you're growing them yourself everything changes..... :-)



--
Richard Sampson

mail me at
richard at olifant d-ot co do-t uk

Alan Holmes wrote:


'Vine' tomatoes are becomming fairly common in the
shops, but:-

What, exactly, are 'Vine' tomatoes?

A marketing gimmick.


Do they taste any different to 'ordinary' tomatoes?

No!


Are they just a scam so that the growers don't have to
bother picking each one, just cut the whole bunch off
the plant, making them cheaper to grow, but charging
the silly cutomer more?


Yes!

--
If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; but if you
really make them think they'll hate you.

"RichardS" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
oups.com...
AFAIK thay are tomatoes allowed to ripen naturally, most tomatoes in
the shops are picked green, then artificially ripened when they arrive
in the UK. They certainly do ahve a much nicer taste that the
equivalent loose ones.



I also wonder sometimes whether the better flavour is also due to slightly
more esoteric varieties being available for vine-ripened as opposed to the
standard boxes of anaemic dutch/belgian/canary toms that are so beloved of
the supermarkets.

The price hike is horrendous though, and I really detest the overpackaging
and overgrading typical of vine-toms.

Incidentally, why are they described as being "on the vine" rather than
"on
the truss"? Are both correct, or is it marketing-speak?


--
Richard Sampson

mail me at
richard at olifant d-ot co do-t uk

"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...
:
: 'Vine' tomatoes are becomming fairly common in the
: shops, but:-
:
: What, exactly, are 'Vine' tomatoes?
:
: Do they taste any different to 'ordinary' tomatoes?
:
: Are they just a scam so that the growers don't have to
: bother picking each one, just cut the whole bunch off
: the plant, making them cheaper to grow, but charging
: the silly cutomer more?
:
it depends on the variety more than the fact they are kept on the truss.
Tomatoes should be ripened on the truss, but with supermarket 'toms on the vine'
you have no way of knowing if they were ripened this way. Best to grow your own,
people who do know the difference.
cheers
Wazza

Alan Holmes wrote:

'Vine' tomatoes are becomming fairly common in the
shops, but:-

What, exactly, are 'Vine' tomatoes?

Isn't the main point of the 'vine' so that the check-out
person can distinguish them from ordinary tomatoes? And
charge you more.

Noises Off

"Harold Walker" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
oups.com...
AFAIK thay are tomatoes allowed to ripen naturally, most tomatoes in
the shops are picked green, then artificially ripened when they arrive
in the UK. They certainly do ahve a much nicer taste that the
equivalent loose ones.

Mike
I find this interesting....how long have they been imported this way in
the UK...for many years on the western edges of the big puddle tomatoes
have been shipped from Florida to the north via a lorry filled with
ethylene gas...by the time they arrive up north they too have been
converted from green to red...taste wis would just as soon eat cardboard.
We too now have the 'vine ripened' ones. While better than the lorry
ripened ones they are still far from the local or home grown
jobbies....but not worth the asking price....H


My local supermarket (in Calgary) often has Dutch ones! The cost of flying
them that far must be horrendous!
Graham

Noises Off wrote:

Alan Holmes wrote:

'Vine' tomatoes are becomming fairly common in the
shops, but:-

What, exactly, are 'Vine' tomatoes?

Isn't the main point of the 'vine' so that the check-out
person can distinguish them from ordinary tomatoes? And
charge you more.

nah, the plastic packaging and bar code do that :-)
Honestly, I find that good vine tomatoes (from Sardinia, for example)
have lots of flavour even in mid-winter. Far better than the
greenhouse-grown Dutch or English, which is as one would expect --
they've seen the sun. But food miles make them a very expensive luxury.
In winter tinned tomatoes are a better bet; the fresh ones are a summer
treat.

regards
sarah


--
Think of it as evolution in action.

Janet Baraclough wrote:

[-]

Last winter, I spotted a new one to me in the supermarket... a couple
of feet of brussels-sprout stalk, neatly trimmed at both ends, with
sprouts still attached all the way along :-)

I thought it was a scam to sell vaguely 'decorative' brussels sprouts,
but I've been told they keep better on the stalk than loose, provided
the whole thing is kept reasonably cool).

regards
sarah


--
Think of it as evolution in action.

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from "Harold Walker" contains these words:

....how long have they been imported this way in the
UK...

At least six years if not longer. They started as a speciality but
demand quickly spread, and every supermarket has them now.

Last winter, I spotted a new one to me in the supermarket... a couple
of feet of brussels-sprout stalk, neatly trimmed at both ends, with
sprouts still attached all the way along :-)

Janet.

No doubt ere too long will see them over here as well...a couple of years
back I saw two well dressed folk in one of our local supermarkets...they
were employees of Saibsburies....I chided them with coming over here to pick
our brains (or lack of them)...the local supermarket manager answered saying
it was just their turn to come over here ... H

On Wed, 18 May 2005 13:58:05 GMT, "graham" wrote:

My local supermarket (in Calgary) often has Dutch ones! The cost of flying
them that far must be horrendous!

When I was in Canada 2 years ago (Vancouver to Calgary) we were amazed
that we seldom saw a tomato in any hotel or restaurant. We were told
that they are very expensive because most are exported to USA! What
is the world playing at? LOL

Pam in Bristol