Commercial vs. Organic Tomatoes - Try Batting Practice to See the Difference

Up in Hudson Valley, New York, eating food from local farms. When we’re not running around like loons working on organic gardens and grazing off power bars, packed with all sorts of non-real stuff to keep going, we get a chance to eat the food we love to grow. I’m gorging on local farm tomatoes like a Tomato Hornworm, which can really decimate a garden in no time. I’ve included some ways to identify and prevent the worms. If you have any tomatoes left in your garden, go out and buy some perfect store-bought commercial tomatoes so you can do a taste comparison. Also note the texture and color. The commercial ones have perfect red hue and shapes and have been breed and engineered to perfection. 

They look airbrushed for a magazine shoot. And good luck cutting through the thick skin. So make a Mojito, adding some mint from your garden, of course, and go out and try some batting practice with your commercial tomatoes. (We don't like wasting food. You should be able to wash it off and still eat it.

In this video renowned seed saver and farmer John Coykendall will walk you through the batting practice and show you the difference between the two tomatoes. Dr. Howard Conyers in his show NOURISH on PBS digital, interviews John. (Dr. Conyers is a rocket scientist and whole hog barbecue pit master.) John is great about pointing out the nutritional and taste benefits between the two tomatoes. If you can't afford to buy tomatoes from your local farm, then try growing some. There are so many ways, including growing ones in a container. They like full sun and the soil a bit on the acidic side, The Farmer's Almanac offers a great run-down on growing and care.