Consumer Q&A: Tomatoes and Peppers

Q: What kind of tomato does the commercial grower plant?

Customers shop for tomatoes at the Georgia Grown Farmer
Showcase on July 27

A: There isn't one specific variety that commercial growers plant. It depends on whether the tomatoes are being produced for the fresh market or for processing, what type of tomato is desire and whether the tomatoes will be grown inside a greenhouse or a field. Growers will also make selections based on the disease resistance and avoid varieties that may be susceptible to pathogens that have been problems in the past. They will also select varieties that are known to perform best in the soil and climate where they are to be grown.

Commercial growers may plant some varieties that are familiar to home gardeners. They may also grow varieties developed for commercial growers and with less-than-catchy names, such as BHN 444, Florida 47 R and BHN 410.

There are several publications that can help answer this question, too. Commercial Tomato Production Handbook can be found online or at County Extension Service offices. Commercial Production of Staked Tomatoes in the Southeast is a combined effort of horticulturalists and plant scientists from North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. It's available online as well.

Q: Can I put some of my Black Russian and Cherokee Purple tomatoes along with my red tomatoes when I am cooking tomato soup? I like the flavor and juiciness of these dark tomatoes. Will they change the color of the soup? I don't know if my family will accept a soup that is not the traditional red.

A: Most of the Black Russian and Cherokee Purple tomatoes we grow end up sliced on sandwiches or are eaten fresh with sweet corn, cucumbers, cantaloupes and other summer vegetables. However, we have added up to about 10 percent of these darker varieties with the more common standard red varieties when cooking soup and have not noticed any difference in the soup's color. We have not tried a higher percentage because we didn't have enough to use more.

One caveat about using a large percentage of very juicy tomatoes such as these two in soups, and especially in sauces, is the increased cooking time to achieve the desired thickness. The end color being darker or not as bright may be minor compared to extra time in the kitchen and a higher utility bill for cooking the soup and cooling the house.

If you have plenty of the darker varieties, or yellow or orange tomatoes for that matter, experiment using only them to make soup. It may be different than the standard red and may look a little unusual at first, but it will probably taste just as good as soup made with standard red tomatoes.

Q: I have a bushel of Roma tomatoes I want to use to make soup. I feel like I lose too much of the meat when I peel them with a knife. Someone said I could use boiling water to peel them, but I don't know exactly how to do this. Can you help?

A: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place the tomatoes two at a time in the pot for 11 seconds. Remove them with a slotted spoon or strainer and drop them immediately into a large pot or bowl of ice water. When the tomatoes cool, it will be easy to peel away the skin without removing the underlying flesh.

Depending on the size and type of tomatoes, you may have to vary the boiling time. However, the main thing to remember is that you do not wish to cook the tomatoes in the boiling water.

Q: Do all bell peppers start out green?

A variety of Georgia-grown peppers at a 2012 Georgia Grown
Farmer Showcase

A: Yes. Depending on the variety of the bell pepper, it will turn out red, orange, yellow, chocolate, purple or ivory as it ripens. Hot peppers also start out green.

Ripe peppers have a different, usually sweeter and less pungent flavor than the green ones. Ripe peppers are usually more expensive than green ones because the farmer has to invest more time in growing them.

Got a question? Visit our website, write to us at 19 MLK Jr. Drive, Room 128, Atlanta, GA 30334, or email arty.schronce@agr.georgia.gov.