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Comment by misja111 | Hacker News Reader

The problem with tomatoes and many other vegetables and fruits is, that they don't grow in the UK so they have to be imported. If they would be imported only when they were as ripe and tasty as the ones you saw in Italy, they would be rotten by the time they arrived in your supermarket in the UK. So, they are harvested when they are not quite ripe. They will ripen a bit more during transport but they will never have the same quality and freshness as the food in Italy.

TL;DR; if you want to have really fresh vegetables, stick to local and seasonal products.

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Tomatoes are something of a passion of mine.

The problems are exactly what you describe, with ensuring that transport will not ruin the fruit. Another facet is not only that the tomatoes are picked unripe, but also that the varieties that are grown are ones which optimize for being able to withstand long transport times as well as for uniformity. Consumers as a group like uniform, smooth, red-colored tomatoes, and they like them year round. Flavor, aroma, and texture are sacrificed.

I can pick unripe tomatoes from my vine just as they are turning light green. They will ripen in the sun and will have a lot of flavor (although maybe less sweetness). Picking them green is not 100% of the picture. The types of tomatoes grown plays a big part.

If you have a chance, buy some heirloom varieties from a local food market or a farmer.

I don't seem to remember having a great choice in the UK. Either tomatoes or beefsteak tomatoes. Here in Spain you usually have at least 4 varieties in the supermarkets, often many more.

Amber, rosso, beefsteak, plum, cherry, orange rapture, San Marzano, Cheribelle, piccolo, sugardrop, temptation.

Hopefully that's enough for anyone!

http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/grocery-categories/Tomatoes_i...

What I'm wondering about is when the tomatoes are picked, can't we artificially let the tomato think it is still on the plant? E.g., by applying nutrients through the stem, and using artificial lighting?

Or why don't we ship the whole plant? :)

> Or why don't we ship the whole plant? :)

Unfortunately all the tomatoes don't come out at the same time.

> Or why don't we ship the whole plant? :)

Ship the whole plant...and then send it back to grow more tomatoes? I'm not sure about production-scale tomato farming, but in my garden, the same tomato plant will continue to grow fruit, and you don't want to uproot it just for the fruit currently on it.

Okay I didn't know that.

But surely, there will be some customers willing to pay for ripe "Italian" tomatoes, I suppose (?)

I suppose so. The next question is economics: Are there enough customers that a company could import the plants and be able to offer them for a price the customers want to pay and that gives them enough profit to make it worthwhile? If no one's doing that and there's a sufficient market, that sounds like a good new business to look into.

Heirloom varieties have unique characteristics which vary widely, and are definitely more difficult to grow than the mainstream hybrids (as well as often lower yielding per square meter). People who grow good ones should be rewarded, they're worth seeking out.

What is this sun you speak of? /UK

> The problem with tomatoes and many other vegetables and fruits is, that they don't grow in the UK so they have to be imported.

Tomatoes do grow in the UK (my Dad has lots of them in his garden) but only for a short season.

> but only for a short season.

I think that was the point being made, that for the majority of the year (if there are even any tomato farms), all are imported.

They could also come from greenhouses, where they are typically grown on something that resembles cotton balls and nutrients, no ground involved. When I see tomatoes grown like that, I always think of them as tomatoes on life support. Also there are different tomatoes species, I could certainly see one using faster and more water-holding tomatoes.

I quite liked the Dutch tomatoes that we got in Germany. I understand they are grown in greenhouses?

It used to be that germans called Dutch tomatoes 'Wasserbombe'. Although nowadays they are starting to breed for taste over looks again.

You're not the only one: http://www.hortidaily.com/article/20364/Germany-Only-Dutch-t...

Ha, I was about to mention Spanish tomatoes being worse, but decided against it.

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