Ever wondered why a tomato, mozzarella and basil salad always tastes so much better when you’re on holiday in the Mediterranean? Yes, the mozzarella is usually the “real” kind, made with buffalo milk, and the basil has been picked a few hours earlier.
But more importantly, the tomatoes are plump, ripe and full of flavour. You can usually bet that daily markets are stocked with fruit and vegetables picked the same morning, or at the very least the day before. (Of course, you can also always get rubbish food at tourist traps masquerading as restaurants, but we’ll save that thought for another day.)
There is no reason why we can’t have the same enjoyment back home. The key is to use the freshest tomatoes in season.
The good news is that a third of the tomatoes consumed in the UK are now grown locally, mostly in heated glasshouses, which extends the season from February to November.
Tomatoes grown outdoors are picked between July and October, so now is the perfect time to make the most of them.
When choosing tomatoes for salads, look for bright, firm skins. A fresh tomato should have a faintly aromatic smell with green, fresh-looking stalks and leaves.
Very soft, over-ripe tomatoes are ideal for sauces and soups. Whatever you do, never store tomatoes in the fridge.
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The cold air ruins their flavour. Even if the tomatoes are very ripe, chilling them actually makes them deteriorate faster. On the other hand, if the tomatoes are under-ripe, transfer them to a paper bag and keep in the fruit bowl for a few days, preferably next to a bunch of bananas to encourage the ripening process.