Varieties

This fruit product is known to the French as the pomme d'amor, or apple of love. Tomatoes are a excellent source of vitamin A and C. A nutritious addition to a variety of dishes from sandwiches, to salads, to pasta.

Beefsteak

• Look for firm, smooth skin at least pink in colour. This fruit gives slighty to palm pressure.
• Use in salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, salsa, chilli, stews, casseroles. Stuff, broil, grill or bake them.

Plum

• Look for firm, smooth skin, red or yellow in colour, with an egg-shape that gives slighty to palm pressure.
• Use like regular tomatoes or for canning and in Italian/tomato based sauces.

Cherry

• Look for firm, smooth skin, red or yellow-gold in colour, about one inch in diameter.
• Use in salads, with dip as an appetizer, as a garnish, or as a cooked side dish, saúteed with herbs.

Yellow Slicing

• Look for firm, smooth skin, entirely yellow in colour with an occasional green blush.
• Use in salads, sandwiches, salsa, chilli, stews, casseroles. Stuff or broil them.

Availability

• All year, peak season August - September

Purchasing

• A good ripe tomato should be firm, free of soft spots, bruises or any sign of mould. It should have bright, shiny skin, feel heavy for its size and boast a lovely fresh tomato fragrance.
• A star-shaped marking will appear at the base of the tomato when it is ripe or near to ripening.

Storage

• To ripen tomatoes put tomatoes with an apple in a paper bag pierced with a few holes. Let stand at room temperature, away from direct sunlight or they will get soft, for 2 to 3 days.

Preparation/Cooking

• To Slice Tomatoes: Hold tomato so that stem end faces out. Carefully slice off stem end and discard. Continue making slices using a serrated knife.

• To Stuff Tomatoes: Cut the tomato in half, or cut a slice off the top. Scoop out the seeds and pulp with a spoon. Turn the hollowed-out tomato upside down on paper towels to drain for at least 15 minutes before stuffing.
• To Peel Tomatoes: Use a sharp knife to carefully cut a shallow X-shaped slash on the bottom of the tomatoes. Then drop them in a pot of boiling water for about 5 seconds for very ripe tomatoes (10 seconds for firmer tomatoes). Use a slotted spoon to transfer the tomatoes to a bowl of ice water; let stand for about 1 minute. When tomatoes are cool enough to handle, use a paring knife to pull off the skin.
• To Broil a Tomato: Remove core, halve crosswise or slice. Dot with butter; sprinkle with salt, pepper, or other seasonings. Broil until tomatoes are tender and topping is lightly browned.

• To Seed a Tomato: Cut in half horizontally. Gently squeeze each half to remove the seeds and juice.

Tips

• Plum tomatoes are great for barbecuing - they have thicker skin & less liquid so they'll hold their shape better on the grill.
• Use a knife with a serrated blade to slice tomatoes. Using a sawing motion will help decrease the squishing often caused by a straight blade knife.