Tomato Flavor
I remember eating tomatoes back in the midwest (Illinois). They seemed to have a much more acidic taste & much more flavor than those I've been able to grow in Colo. & Ariz. Anything I can add to the soil to get that taste?
Except for a very few varieties, the acidity of tomatoes is very similar.
Sugar levels vary much more among varieties and the low acid flavor comes from sugar masking the acid bite.
Here are some that people say are a bit more acid/robust tasting than most.
Rutgers
Sioux/ Super Sioux
Wisconsin 55
Break O Day
Yellow Brandywine
Cuostrolee
New Yorker
Valiant
Marion
Sandpoint
Sugar levels vary much more among varieties and the low acid flavor comes from sugar masking the acid bite.
Here are some that people say are a bit more acid/robust tasting than most.
Rutgers
Sioux/ Super Sioux
Wisconsin 55
Break O Day
Yellow Brandywine
Cuostrolee
New Yorker
Valiant
Marion
Sandpoint
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
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- Location: TN/GA 7b
Well I think along with the variety, the growing climate and soil type does make a difference to flavor.
"firmness, Total Acidity and Electrical Conductivity were season dependent, whereas soluble solids content did not change between cycles. In some varieties, the dry weight, juiciness and total sugars were affected by climatic conditions" https://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118610416/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
that's just one experiment I found, and not a field trial. But it does seem pretty intuitively obvious to me that the same variety of tomato grown in hot dry conditions might have different flavor, than one grown in cooler, moister conditions.
For hot peppers, they say that is a good thing, that you get more heat and flavor growing it in drier conditions...
"firmness, Total Acidity and Electrical Conductivity were season dependent, whereas soluble solids content did not change between cycles. In some varieties, the dry weight, juiciness and total sugars were affected by climatic conditions" https://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118610416/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
that's just one experiment I found, and not a field trial. But it does seem pretty intuitively obvious to me that the same variety of tomato grown in hot dry conditions might have different flavor, than one grown in cooler, moister conditions.
For hot peppers, they say that is a good thing, that you get more heat and flavor growing it in drier conditions...
Soil will make a difference in flavor but nobody is sure what to do to it to enhance a certain flavor component. Western soils tend to be alkaline, so acidifying them may shift flavor. I always thought that they should have bagged up ash from Mt Saint Helens and sold it to gardeners to improve flavor of their produce since volcanic soils are known for doing good things.