So Many Tomatoes!

Remarkably, there are thousands of types of tomatoes, and different types of hybrids are developed almost daily.

Tomatoes come in various colors such as red, pink, yellow, and green. The most common are red. When you think of a tomato, you are probably thinking of a bright red big round one. These are called globe tomatoes with the beefsteak variety the most popular. Globe tomatoes can be used for just about any purpose, while other types of tomatoes are more appropriate for certain activities. Globe tomatoes are delicious eaten raw or cooked and can be used in a variety of ways, which is why they are the most popular variety of tomato.

Pink tomatoes are great for eating raw. They are sweet and have very thin skins. They look very appealing in a salad or vegetable plate.

The smallest tomatoes are cherry, grape, plum, and pear. Cherry tomatoes are the sweetest variety so they are perfect for salads and salsas. Grape tomatoes are very small and sweet, while plum tomatoes are less sweet. Small pear tomatoes are sweet and add a yellow color to your salad.

Roma or paste tomatoes are larger than the small ones and are oval shaped. They are used for preparing pasta sauces because they are sweet but also very meaty. Because they have fewer seeds and less juice, roma tomatoes are the primary type of tomato used to make ketchup, pizza sauce, and tomato paste.

The less known type of tomato is hybrid. The most popular kinds are zebra and brandywine. Heirloom tomatoes are very tasty and have lots of seeds. They also come in unusual colors like green and white striped and purple.

The next time tomatoes is on your grocery list, be sure you know what you intend to use them for, then buy the variety that matches your meal.