Flavor Is Price of Scarlet Hue of Tomatoes, Study Finds
By GINA KOLATA
International Herald Tribune

Plant geneticists say they have discovered an answer to a near-universal
question: Why are tomatoes usually so tasteless?

Yes, they are often picked green and shipped long distances. Often they
are refrigerated, which destroys their flavor and texture. But now
researchers have discovered a genetic reason that diminishes a tomato's
flavor even if the fruit is picked ripe and coddled.

The unexpected culprit is a gene mutation that occurred by chance and
that was discovered by tomato breeders. It was deliberately bred into
almost all tomatoes because it conferred an advantage: It made them a
uniform luscious scarlet when ripe.

Now, in a paper published in the journal Science, researchers report
that the very gene that was inactivated by that mutation plays an
important role in producing the sugar and aromas that are the essence of
a fragrant, flavorful tomato. And these findings provide a road map for
plant breeders to make better-tasting, evenly red tomatoes.

The discovery "is one piece of the puzzle about why the modern tomato
stinks," said Harry Klee, a tomato researcher at the University of
Florida in Gainesville who was not involved in the research. "That
mutation has been introduced into almost all modern tomatoes. Now we can
say that in trying to make the fruit prettier, they reduced some of the
important compounds that are linked to flavor."

The mutation's effect was a real surprise, said James J. Giovannoni of
the United States Department of Agriculture Research Service, an author
of the paper. He called the wide adoption of tomatoes that ripen
uniformly "a story of unintended consequences."

Breeders stumbled upon the variety about 70 years ago and saw commercial
potential. Consumers like tomatoes that are red all over, but ripe
tomatoes normally had a ring of green, yellow or white at the stem end.
Producers of tomatoes used in tomato sauce or ketchup also benefited.
Growers harvest this crop all at once, Dr. Giovannoni said, and "with
the uniform ripening gene, it is easier to determine when the tomatoes
are ripe."

Then, about 10 years ago, Ann Powell, a plant biochemist at the
University of California, Davis, happened on a puzzle that led to the
new discovery. Dr. Powell, a lead author of the Science paper, was
studying weed genes. Her colleagues had put those genes into tomato
plants, which are, she said, the lab rats of the plant world. To Dr.
Powell's surprise, tomatoes with the genes turned the dark green of a
sweet pepper before they ripened, rather than the insipid pale green of
most tomatoes today.

"That got me thinking," Dr. Powell said. "Why do fruits bother being
green in the first place?" The green is from chloroplasts,
self-contained energy factories in plant cells, where photosynthesis
takes place. The end result is sugar, which plants use for food. And,
Dr. Powell said, the prevailing wisdom said sugar travels from a plant's
leaves to its fruit. So chloroplasts in tomato fruit seemed
inconsequential.

Still, she said, the thought of dark green tomatoes "kind of bugged me."
Why weren't the leaves dark green, too?

About a year ago, she and her colleagues, including Dr. Giovannoni,
decided to investigate. The weed genes, they found, replaced a disabled
gene in a tomato's fruit but not in its leaves. With the weed genes, the
tomatoes turned dark green.

The reason the tomatoes had been light green was that they had the
uniform ripening mutation, which set up a sort of chain reaction. The
mutation not only made tomatoes turn uniformly green and then red, but
also disabled genes involved in ripening. Among them are genes that
allow the fruit to make some of its own sugar instead of getting it only
from leaves. Others increase the amount of carotenoids, which give
tomatoes a full red color and, it is thought, are involved in flavor.

To test their discovery, the researchers used genetic engineering to
turn on the disabled genes while leaving the uniform ripening trait
alone. The fruit was evenly dark green and then red and had 20 percent
more sugar and 20 to 30 percent more carotenoids when ripe.

But were the genetically engineered tomatoes more flavorful? Because
Department of Agriculture regulations forbid the consumption of
experimental produce, no one tasted them.

And, Dr. Giovannoni says, do not look for those genetically engineered
tomatoes at the grocery store. Producers would not dare to make such a
tomato for fear that consumers would reject it.

But, Dr. Powell said, there is a way around the issue. Heirloom tomatoes
and many wild species do not have the uniform ripening mutation. "The
idea is to get the vegetable seed industry interested," Dr. Powell said.

On Jun 29, 3:30*pm, (Victor Sack) wrote:
> * * * * Flavor Is Price of Scarlet Hue of Tomatoes, Study Finds
> * * * * * * * * * * * * By GINA KOLATA
> * * * * * * * * International Herald Tribune
>
> Plant geneticists say they have discovered an answer to a near-universal
> question: Why are tomatoes usually so tasteless?
>
> Yes, they are often picked green and shipped long distances. Often they
> are refrigerated, which destroys their flavor and texture. But now
> researchers have discovered a genetic reason that diminishes a tomato's
> flavor even if the fruit is picked ripe and coddled.
>
> The unexpected culprit is a gene mutation that occurred by chance and
> that was discovered by tomato breeders. It was deliberately bred into
> almost all tomatoes because it conferred an advantage: It made them a
> uniform luscious scarlet when ripe.
>
> Now, in a paper published in the journal Science, researchers report
> that the very gene that was inactivated by that mutation plays an
> important role in producing the sugar and aromas that are the essence of
> a fragrant, flavorful tomato. And these findings provide a road map for
> plant breeders to make better-tasting, evenly red tomatoes.
>
> The discovery "is one piece of the puzzle about why the modern tomato
> stinks," said Harry Klee, a tomato researcher at the University of
> Florida in Gainesville who was not involved in the research. "That
> mutation has been introduced into almost all modern tomatoes. Now we can
> say that in trying to make the fruit prettier, they reduced some of the
> important compounds that are linked to flavor."
>
> The mutation's effect was a real surprise, said James J. Giovannoni of
> the United States Department of Agriculture Research Service, an author
> of the paper. He called the wide adoption of tomatoes that ripen
> uniformly "a story of unintended consequences."
>
> Breeders stumbled upon the variety about 70 years ago and saw commercial
> potential. Consumers like tomatoes that are red all over, but ripe
> tomatoes normally had a ring of green, yellow or white at the stem end.
> Producers of tomatoes used in tomato sauce or ketchup also benefited.
> Growers harvest this crop all at once, Dr. Giovannoni said, and "with
> the uniform ripening gene, it is easier to determine when the tomatoes
> are ripe."
>
> Then, about 10 years ago, Ann Powell, a plant biochemist at the
> University of California, Davis, happened on a puzzle that led to the
> new discovery. Dr. Powell, a lead author of the Science paper, was
> studying weed genes. Her colleagues had put those genes into tomato
> plants, which are, she said, the lab rats of the plant world. To Dr.
> Powell's surprise, tomatoes with the genes turned the dark green of a
> sweet pepper before they ripened, rather than the insipid pale green of
> most tomatoes today.
>
> "That got me thinking," Dr. Powell said. "Why do fruits bother being
> green in the first place?" The green is from chloroplasts,
> self-contained energy factories in plant cells, where photosynthesis
> takes place. The end result is sugar, which plants use for food. And,
> Dr. Powell said, the prevailing wisdom said sugar travels from a plant's
> leaves to its fruit. So chloroplasts in tomato fruit seemed
> inconsequential.
>
> Still, she said, the thought of dark green tomatoes "kind of bugged me."
> Why weren't the leaves dark green, too?
>
> About a year ago, she and her colleagues, including Dr. Giovannoni,
> decided to investigate. The weed genes, they found, replaced a disabled
> gene in a tomato's fruit but not in its leaves. With the weed genes, the
> tomatoes turned dark green.
>
> The reason the tomatoes had been light green was that they had the
> uniform ripening mutation, which set up a sort of chain reaction. The
> mutation not only made tomatoes turn uniformly green and then red, but
> also disabled genes involved in ripening. Among them are genes that
> allow the fruit to make some of its own sugar instead of getting it only
> from leaves. Others increase the amount of carotenoids, which give
> tomatoes a full red color and, it is thought, are involved in flavor.
>
> To test their discovery, the researchers used genetic engineering to
> turn on the disabled genes while leaving the uniform ripening trait
> alone. The fruit was evenly dark green and then red and had 20 percent
> more sugar and 20 to 30 percent more carotenoids when ripe.
>
> But were the genetically engineered tomatoes more flavorful? Because
> Department of Agriculture regulations forbid the consumption of
> experimental produce, no one tasted them.
>
> And, Dr. Giovannoni says, do not look for those genetically engineered
> tomatoes at the grocery store. Producers would not dare to make such a
> tomato for fear that consumers would reject it.
>
> But, Dr. Powell said, there is a way around the issue. Heirloom tomatoes
> and many wild species do not have the uniform ripening mutation. "The
> idea is to get the vegetable seed industry interested," Dr. Powell said.

The above research is all very well except that the loss of flavor in
tomatoes is largely due to the lower acid content of the modern
fruits. Tomatoes from 40 years ago had an acidic tang to them which
considerably added to the flavor.

If one wants sweet tomatoes, try the yellow ones. They are lower in
acid and higher in sugar.

http://www.richardfisher.com

Victor Sack wrote:
>
> But were the genetically engineered tomatoes more flavorful? Because
> Department of Agriculture regulations forbid the consumption of
> experimental produce, no one tasted them.

That's crazy. If I was on the project,
you can be sure at least one would get lost.

"Are you sure there were twenty? I counted
them twice and there were 19 both times."

On Jun 29, 3:30*pm, (Victor Sack) wrote:

> But, Dr. Powell said, there is a way around the issue. Heirloom tomatoes
> and many wild species do not have the uniform ripening mutation. "The
> idea is to get the vegetable seed industry interested," Dr. Powell said.


The public is the victim of their own prejudices. People who want a
perfect LOOKING tomato have no idea that looks mean nothing about
flavor.

Heirloom tomatoes, ugly and delicious. Always the better , no best,
choice.

On Fri, 29 Jun 2012 19:11:19 -0800, Mark Thorson >
wrote:

>Victor Sack wrote:
>>
>> But were the genetically engineered tomatoes more flavorful? Because
>> Department of Agriculture regulations forbid the consumption of
>> experimental produce, no one tasted them.
>
>That's crazy. If I was on the project,
>you can be sure at least one would get lost.
>
>"Are you sure there were twenty? I counted
>them twice and there were 19 both times."

Well, theoretically no one tasted them

And the difference between theory and practice is that in theory there
is no difference. In practice there is! ;-)

John Kuthe...

On Sat, 30 Jun 2012 00:30:44 +0200, (Victor Sack)
wrote:

> Flavor Is Price of Scarlet Hue of Tomatoes, Study Finds

Snip

>But were the genetically engineered tomatoes more flavorful? Because
>Department of Agriculture regulations forbid the consumption of
>experimental produce, no one tasted them.

After all that work, no one tasted a tomato? Not likely.

>And, Dr. Giovannoni says, do not look for those genetically engineered
>tomatoes at the grocery store. Producers would not dare to make such a
>tomato for fear that consumers would reject it.
>

That's much more believeable.

Ross.

On 6/30/2012 8:05 AM, ImStillMags wrote:
> On Jun 29, 3:30 pm, (Victor Sack) wrote:
>
>> But, Dr. Powell said, there is a way around the issue. Heirloom tomatoes
>> and many wild species do not have the uniform ripening mutation. "The
>> idea is to get the vegetable seed industry interested," Dr. Powell said.
>
>
> The public is the victim of their own prejudices. People who want a
> perfect LOOKING tomato have no idea that looks mean nothing about
> flavor.
>
> Heirloom tomatoes, ugly and delicious. Always the better , no best,
> choice.

I love growing heirloom tomatoes not only because the flavor is superior
but because people are so put off by the fruits' appearance. They figure
that my plants are producing mutations, and I explain that, while this
is in a round-about way not incorrect, the mutations happened long ago
and that now if you plant the seeds from these heirlooms you'll get
tomatoes that are exactly the same as the parent. If you plant the seeds
from most other varieties of ravishing camera-ready tomatoes, you don't
know what you'll get.

On 6/30/2012 12:39 PM, Pennyaline wrote:
> On 6/30/2012 8:05 AM, ImStillMags wrote:
>> On Jun 29, 3:30 pm, (Victor Sack) wrote:
>>
>>> But, Dr. Powell said, there is a way around the issue. Heirloom tomatoes
>>> and many wild species do not have the uniform ripening mutation. "The
>>> idea is to get the vegetable seed industry interested," Dr. Powell said.
>>
>>
>> The public is the victim of their own prejudices. People who want a
>> perfect LOOKING tomato have no idea that looks mean nothing about
>> flavor.
>>
>> Heirloom tomatoes, ugly and delicious. Always the better , no best,
>> choice.
>
> I love growing heirloom tomatoes not only because the flavor is superior
> but because people are so put off by the fruits' appearance. They figure
> that my plants are producing mutations, and I explain that, while this
> is in a round-about way not incorrect, the mutations happened long ago
> and that now if you plant the seeds from these heirlooms you'll get
> tomatoes that are exactly the same as the parent. If you plant the seeds
> from most other varieties of ravishing camera-ready tomatoes, you don't
> know what you'll get.
>
>
>

About the only thing I grow are heirloom tomatoes. I don't even bother
buying the tomato like objects from the market. I love how clueless
people have become about looks vs taste.

On Sat, 30 Jun 2012 13:52:45 -0400, George >
wrote:

> About the only thing I grow are heirloom tomatoes. I don't even bother
> buying the tomato like objects from the market. I love how clueless
> people have become about looks vs taste.

Nice that you can grow your own - nice also that you can pass judgment
like that on those who don't/can't.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Sat, 30 Jun 2012 13:52:45 -0400, George >
wrote:

>On 6/30/2012 12:39 PM, Pennyaline wrote:
>> On 6/30/2012 8:05 AM, ImStillMags wrote:
>>> On Jun 29, 3:30 pm, (Victor Sack) wrote:
>>>
>>>> But, Dr. Powell said, there is a way around the issue. Heirloom tomatoes
>>>> and many wild species do not have the uniform ripening mutation. "The
>>>> idea is to get the vegetable seed industry interested," Dr. Powell said.
>>>
>>>
>>> The public is the victim of their own prejudices. People who want a
>>> perfect LOOKING tomato have no idea that looks mean nothing about
>>> flavor.
>>>
>>> Heirloom tomatoes, ugly and delicious. Always the better , no best,
>>> choice.
>>
>> I love growing heirloom tomatoes not only because the flavor is superior
>> but because people are so put off by the fruits' appearance. They figure
>> that my plants are producing mutations, and I explain that, while this
>> is in a round-about way not incorrect, the mutations happened long ago
>> and that now if you plant the seeds from these heirlooms you'll get
>> tomatoes that are exactly the same as the parent. If you plant the seeds
>> from most other varieties of ravishing camera-ready tomatoes, you don't
>> know what you'll get.
>
>I love how clueless people have become about looks vs taste.

George sucks the ugly peepees. LOL

Victor Sack wrote:
> Flavor Is Price of Scarlet Hue of Tomatoes, Study Finds
> By GINA KOLATA
> International Herald Tribune
>
> Plant geneticists say they have discovered an answer to a near-universal
> question: Why are tomatoes usually so tasteless?
>
> Yes, they are often picked green and shipped long distances. Often they
> are refrigerated, which destroys their flavor and texture. But now
> researchers have discovered a genetic reason that diminishes a tomato's
> flavor even if the fruit is picked ripe and coddled.
>
> The unexpected culprit is a gene mutation that occurred by chance and
> that was discovered by tomato breeders. It was deliberately bred into
> almost all tomatoes because it conferred an advantage: It made them a
> uniform luscious scarlet when ripe.
>
> Now, in a paper published in the journal Science, researchers report
> that the very gene that was inactivated by that mutation plays an
> important role in producing the sugar and aromas that are the essence of
> a fragrant, flavorful tomato. And these findings provide a road map for
> plant breeders to make better-tasting, evenly red tomatoes.
>
> The discovery "is one piece of the puzzle about why the modern tomato
> stinks," said Harry Klee, a tomato researcher at the University of
> Florida in Gainesville who was not involved in the research. "That
> mutation has been introduced into almost all modern tomatoes. Now we can
> say that in trying to make the fruit prettier, they reduced some of the
> important compounds that are linked to flavor."
>
> The mutation's effect was a real surprise, said James J. Giovannoni of
> the United States Department of Agriculture Research Service, an author
> of the paper. He called the wide adoption of tomatoes that ripen
> uniformly "a story of unintended consequences."
>
> Breeders stumbled upon the variety about 70 years ago and saw commercial
> potential. Consumers like tomatoes that are red all over, but ripe
> tomatoes normally had a ring of green, yellow or white at the stem end.
> Producers of tomatoes used in tomato sauce or ketchup also benefited.
> Growers harvest this crop all at once, Dr. Giovannoni said, and "with
> the uniform ripening gene, it is easier to determine when the tomatoes
> are ripe."
>
> Then, about 10 years ago, Ann Powell, a plant biochemist at the
> University of California, Davis, happened on a puzzle that led to the
> new discovery. Dr. Powell, a lead author of the Science paper, was
> studying weed genes. Her colleagues had put those genes into tomato
> plants, which are, she said, the lab rats of the plant world. To Dr.
> Powell's surprise, tomatoes with the genes turned the dark green of a
> sweet pepper before they ripened, rather than the insipid pale green of
> most tomatoes today.
>
> "That got me thinking," Dr. Powell said. "Why do fruits bother being
> green in the first place?" The green is from chloroplasts,
> self-contained energy factories in plant cells, where photosynthesis
> takes place. The end result is sugar, which plants use for food. And,
> Dr. Powell said, the prevailing wisdom said sugar travels from a plant's
> leaves to its fruit. So chloroplasts in tomato fruit seemed
> inconsequential.
>
> Still, she said, the thought of dark green tomatoes "kind of bugged me."
> Why weren't the leaves dark green, too?
>
> About a year ago, she and her colleagues, including Dr. Giovannoni,
> decided to investigate. The weed genes, they found, replaced a disabled
> gene in a tomato's fruit but not in its leaves. With the weed genes, the
> tomatoes turned dark green.
>
> The reason the tomatoes had been light green was that they had the
> uniform ripening mutation, which set up a sort of chain reaction. The
> mutation not only made tomatoes turn uniformly green and then red, but
> also disabled genes involved in ripening. Among them are genes that
> allow the fruit to make some of its own sugar instead of getting it only
> from leaves. Others increase the amount of carotenoids, which give
> tomatoes a full red color and, it is thought, are involved in flavor.
>
> To test their discovery, the researchers used genetic engineering to
> turn on the disabled genes while leaving the uniform ripening trait
> alone. The fruit was evenly dark green and then red and had 20 percent
> more sugar and 20 to 30 percent more carotenoids when ripe.
>
> But were the genetically engineered tomatoes more flavorful? Because
> Department of Agriculture regulations forbid the consumption of
> experimental produce, no one tasted them.
>
> And, Dr. Giovannoni says, do not look for those genetically engineered
> tomatoes at the grocery store. Producers would not dare to make such a
> tomato for fear that consumers would reject it.
>
> But, Dr. Powell said, there is a way around the issue. Heirloom tomatoes
> and many wild species do not have the uniform ripening mutation. "The
> idea is to get the vegetable seed industry interested," Dr. Powell said.

Interesting--and no wonder I like heirloom varieties--and
especially the green (when ripe) tomatoes.

--
Jean B.

Helpful person wrote:
> On Jun 29, 3:30 pm, (Victor Sack) wrote:
>> Flavor Is Price of Scarlet Hue of Tomatoes, Study Finds
>> By GINA KOLATA
>> International Herald Tribune
>>
>> Plant geneticists say they have discovered an answer to a near-universal
>> question: Why are tomatoes usually so tasteless?
>>
>> Yes, they are often picked green and shipped long distances. Often they
>> are refrigerated, which destroys their flavor and texture. But now
>> researchers have discovered a genetic reason that diminishes a tomato's
>> flavor even if the fruit is picked ripe and coddled.
>>
>> The unexpected culprit is a gene mutation that occurred by chance and
>> that was discovered by tomato breeders. It was deliberately bred into
>> almost all tomatoes because it conferred an advantage: It made them a
>> uniform luscious scarlet when ripe.
>>
>> Now, in a paper published in the journal Science, researchers report
>> that the very gene that was inactivated by that mutation plays an
>> important role in producing the sugar and aromas that are the essence of
>> a fragrant, flavorful tomato. And these findings provide a road map for
>> plant breeders to make better-tasting, evenly red tomatoes.
>>
>> The discovery "is one piece of the puzzle about why the modern tomato
>> stinks," said Harry Klee, a tomato researcher at the University of
>> Florida in Gainesville who was not involved in the research. "That
>> mutation has been introduced into almost all modern tomatoes. Now we can
>> say that in trying to make the fruit prettier, they reduced some of the
>> important compounds that are linked to flavor."
>>
>> The mutation's effect was a real surprise, said James J. Giovannoni of
>> the United States Department of Agriculture Research Service, an author
>> of the paper. He called the wide adoption of tomatoes that ripen
>> uniformly "a story of unintended consequences."
>>
>> Breeders stumbled upon the variety about 70 years ago and saw commercial
>> potential. Consumers like tomatoes that are red all over, but ripe
>> tomatoes normally had a ring of green, yellow or white at the stem end.
>> Producers of tomatoes used in tomato sauce or ketchup also benefited.
>> Growers harvest this crop all at once, Dr. Giovannoni said, and "with
>> the uniform ripening gene, it is easier to determine when the tomatoes
>> are ripe."
>>
>> Then, about 10 years ago, Ann Powell, a plant biochemist at the
>> University of California, Davis, happened on a puzzle that led to the
>> new discovery. Dr. Powell, a lead author of the Science paper, was
>> studying weed genes. Her colleagues had put those genes into tomato
>> plants, which are, she said, the lab rats of the plant world. To Dr.
>> Powell's surprise, tomatoes with the genes turned the dark green of a
>> sweet pepper before they ripened, rather than the insipid pale green of
>> most tomatoes today.
>>
>> "That got me thinking," Dr. Powell said. "Why do fruits bother being
>> green in the first place?" The green is from chloroplasts,
>> self-contained energy factories in plant cells, where photosynthesis
>> takes place. The end result is sugar, which plants use for food. And,
>> Dr. Powell said, the prevailing wisdom said sugar travels from a plant's
>> leaves to its fruit. So chloroplasts in tomato fruit seemed
>> inconsequential.
>>
>> Still, she said, the thought of dark green tomatoes "kind of bugged me."
>> Why weren't the leaves dark green, too?
>>
>> About a year ago, she and her colleagues, including Dr. Giovannoni,
>> decided to investigate. The weed genes, they found, replaced a disabled
>> gene in a tomato's fruit but not in its leaves. With the weed genes, the
>> tomatoes turned dark green.
>>
>> The reason the tomatoes had been light green was that they had the
>> uniform ripening mutation, which set up a sort of chain reaction. The
>> mutation not only made tomatoes turn uniformly green and then red, but
>> also disabled genes involved in ripening. Among them are genes that
>> allow the fruit to make some of its own sugar instead of getting it only
>> from leaves. Others increase the amount of carotenoids, which give
>> tomatoes a full red color and, it is thought, are involved in flavor.
>>
>> To test their discovery, the researchers used genetic engineering to
>> turn on the disabled genes while leaving the uniform ripening trait
>> alone. The fruit was evenly dark green and then red and had 20 percent
>> more sugar and 20 to 30 percent more carotenoids when ripe.
>>
>> But were the genetically engineered tomatoes more flavorful? Because
>> Department of Agriculture regulations forbid the consumption of
>> experimental produce, no one tasted them.
>>
>> And, Dr. Giovannoni says, do not look for those genetically engineered
>> tomatoes at the grocery store. Producers would not dare to make such a
>> tomato for fear that consumers would reject it.
>>
>> But, Dr. Powell said, there is a way around the issue. Heirloom tomatoes
>> and many wild species do not have the uniform ripening mutation. "The
>> idea is to get the vegetable seed industry interested," Dr. Powell said.
>
> The above research is all very well except that the loss of flavor in
> tomatoes is largely due to the lower acid content of the modern
> fruits. Tomatoes from 40 years ago had an acidic tang to them which
> considerably added to the flavor.
>
> If one wants sweet tomatoes, try the yellow ones. They are lower in
> acid and higher in sugar.


The lack of acid is exactly why I like the green tomatoes--like
green zebra. Some years ago, I got and rated all of the plethora
of heirloom tomatoes that I could find locally. I do hope I can
find my notes--and that I didn't just annotate my printout.

--
Jean B.

On 6/30/2012 5:37 PM, sf wrote:
> On Sat, 30 Jun 2012 13:52:45 -0400, George >
> wrote:
>
>> About the only thing I grow are heirloom tomatoes. I don't even bother
>> buying the tomato like objects from the market. I love how clueless
>> people have become about looks vs taste.
>
> Nice that you can grow your own - nice also that you can pass judgment
> like that on those who don't/can't.
>

Nice that you can jump to conclusions. Since apparently you have never
grown anything you wouldn't understand how I was agreeing with
Pennylines statement.

On Sat, 30 Jun 2012 07:05:41 -0700 (PDT) in rec.food.cooking,
ImStillMags > wrote,
>
>The public is the victim of their own prejudices. People who want a
>perfect LOOKING tomato have no idea that looks mean nothing about
>flavor.
>
>Heirloom tomatoes, ugly and delicious.

I thought you said that looks mean nothing about flavor.

On Sun, 01 Jul 2012 08:02:18 -0400, George >
wrote:

> On 6/30/2012 5:37 PM, sf wrote:
> > On Sat, 30 Jun 2012 13:52:45 -0400, George >
> > wrote:
> >
> >> About the only thing I grow are heirloom tomatoes. I don't even bother
> >> buying the tomato like objects from the market. I love how clueless
> >> people have become about looks vs taste.
> >
> > Nice that you can grow your own - nice also that you can pass judgment
> > like that on those who don't/can't.
> >
>
> Nice that you can jump to conclusions. Since apparently you have never
> grown anything you wouldn't understand how I was agreeing with
> Pennylines statement.

And you're passing judgment again.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Sun, 01 Jul 2012 10:23:03 -0700, David Harmon >
wrote:

> On Sat, 30 Jun 2012 07:05:41 -0700 (PDT) in rec.food.cooking,
> ImStillMags > wrote,
> >
> >The public is the victim of their own prejudices. People who want a
> >perfect LOOKING tomato have no idea that looks mean nothing about
> >flavor.
> >
> >Heirloom tomatoes, ugly and delicious.
>
> I thought you said that looks mean nothing about flavor.

What I don't understand is why people here insist that Heirloom
tomatoes are ugly.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On 7/2/2012 1:38 PM, sf wrote:
> On Sun, 01 Jul 2012 10:23:03 -0700, David Harmon >
> wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 30 Jun 2012 07:05:41 -0700 (PDT) in rec.food.cooking,
>> ImStillMags > wrote,
>>>
>>> The public is the victim of their own prejudices. People who want a
>>> perfect LOOKING tomato have no idea that looks mean nothing about
>>> flavor.
>>>
>>> Heirloom tomatoes, ugly and delicious.
>>
>> I thought you said that looks mean nothing about flavor.
>
> What I don't understand is why people here insist that Heirloom
> tomatoes are ugly.
>

Because they are accurately reporting the unknowing comments they get
from people who turn their noses up at a tomato that isn't perfectly
shaped, colored and flavorless just like they find in the big box mart.

We have an apple tree that produces really tasty cooking apples that are
always misshapen and weirdly colored. One time I gave some to someone
and later heard the report that they were "ugly" and what could they
possibly do with them.