Decent Supermarket Tomato - Found at Last?

[CFByrne]

Here in Florida we all know how hard it is to find a decent fresh tomato.

Sure, in winter you can get them at the various farmer / green markets. But otherwise, it's tough.

Until now, the best I could find in, say Publix, were the "Ugly" tomatoes.

But the other day, I came across something new at my Publix.

The little label on each tomato showed:

Tennessee Tasti-Lee
RedDiamond.Com

I tried these just for kicks, even though they looked similar to the usual hothouse suspects.

Wow. Really really good. Real taste and texture inside. Closest thing I've seen to a fresh northern tomato in a long time.

Their website goes to great lengths to detail how these are most definitely NOT gassed, not hothouse.

Best part? Unlike the often $4/lb Uglies, these were just $1.99, about the same the lousy ones typically go for.

Check them out!

http://diamondtomatoes.com/tasti-lee....

[CFByrne]

My local Publix started carrying these brown "Kumato" tomatoes this week. They look like chocolate heirlooms but they are not. They apparently are a hybrid (but not GMO).

I picked some up... despite the $4.99/lb price.

They're better than hot house. But I don't think better than Ugly and I don't think better than Tasti-Lee (which were adjacent and $1.99 /lb).

http://sunsetgrown.com/product/tomato...

[freakerdude]

I tried these and I would much rather buy Campari's for that price. Tasti-Lee's are the best deal and taste combined.

[Raisel]

The Campari are usually reliable

[lax2mia]

The Campari I've seen usually come from a greenhouse in Canada.

[freakerdude]

Campari's $4.99/lb are real good and have been my staple go-to tomato. But I have recently switched to these tasti-lee's for $1.99/lb and am happy with them.

[Mike Moskos]

Of course, right now is tomato season in South Florida and you can find all kinds of heirloom tomatoes at farmers' markets and via CSAs. They go for about $4.50-6.00 a pound, but well worth it.

[Bigstu99]

Will check it out but in 7 years down here the only tomato that I have had that could hold it's own to Jersey beefsteaks are the tomatoes served in the little side salad @ Grandpa's. The owner says he gets them from some place near Tampa!

[tlubow]

The tasti-lees are the only decent tomato I've ever found at Publix in the past 20 years, but they are not Jerseys.

[CFByrne]

Don't get your hopes too high!!!

I didn't say they could hold up to a real Jersey or whatever...

Just that they were the "closest thing I've found" (other than fresh grown down here in winter).

As they say," the bar is low..." so take it with a grain of salt. (Oh look, a pun). :-)

[OysterHo]

Sounds good, I hope they stick around! So tired of green-tasting tomatoes!