Culinary Skills - Vegetables
 
Flowers and Fruit Family:

RED PEAR TOMATO            (Lycopersicum esculentum) A member of the Solanacae Family

Country or State of Origin

Grown mainly in California, and Florida, and Mexico.

Peak Season:


Available year round with peak season starting in July through September

Information and Usage:

Pear tomatoes are the gourmet salad workhorse of the Tomato world. They make an easy and nutritious snack and can be used as an appetizer when served with a dip on a vegetable tray, or used as a garnish. They also can be used in sauces as a nice unique tomato sauteed in olive oil with garlic, parsley and white wine...this sauce works nice with penne pasta and perhaps clams.

Tomatoes are a good source of potassium and Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Lycopene, a wonderful substance thought to protect against Prostate Cancer. 

Buy the best quality tomatoes. Verify the condition, color, quantity and size of your tomatoes when they arrive to ensure they are consistent with what you ordered. Remember, weather may impact availability and condition of the fruit. Tomatoes come in various colors and pack sizes:

"Check the pulp temperature of a sample with a thermometer to verify the transport and storage temperature was no lower than 55 F.
Remove any tomatoes that show signs of decay. Decay spreads and can destroy not just one tomato, but the entire box.
Remember that "pink" tomatoes must be ripened before use. 

Look for bright shiny skins and firm flesh, regardless of degree of ripeness. Ripen unripe tomatoes at 58-65 F and 85-95% relative humidity. Keep out of direct sunlight. For accelerated
ripening, stack boxes together on a pallet. Inspect tomatoes daily during ripening and store in an area with
moderate air circulation. Do not refrigerate tomatoes. 
Store ripe tomatoes at 55-60 F and 85-95% relative humidity. For best quality, ripe tomatoes should not be
refrigerated below 55 F. Temperatures below 50 F retard color development and destroy tomato flavor and texture.
If you must keep tomatoes in a cooler, wrap them in thermal blankets and store near cooler door to reduce
possibility of damage from cold. 
Store tomatoes stem up to preserve quality. 
At proper temperatures, a stage 5 tomato will keep for up to five days. 

The Tomato link located here is one of the most comprehensive and helpful: http://www.tomato.org/

Here is a good site to research cherry and other tomato varieties and growing information as well as culinary information and fun facts: http://www.tomatofest.com/

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Metropolitan Community College
Web Editor:   Tina Powers
tpowers@metropo.mccneb.edu
Last Edited: 01/11/02