When are tomatoes in the grocery store best?

Posted on Jun 30, 2009 under Best Tomatoes |

Or when is the good tomato season? I cut into a regular on-the-vine tomato from my grocery store today and I couldn't even get a slice cut out of it! It basically turned into a ball of mush on my cutting board. When is the time when they are best (easy to cut into slices, etc.)? Also, is there some other kind of tomato I can buy now that will turn out better, like beefsteak tomato or something?
I live in New Jersey.

Even though you can get them year round, summertime is best for tomatoes. Cantaloupes and watermelon too.

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17 Responses to “When are tomatoes in the grocery store best?”

  1. Quiet during the movie Says:

    Ask the people at the store?
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  2. Hey Says:

    the red ones
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  3. christinee ♥ Says:

    When they're brown.
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  4. Vivian Says:

    none are good in the store…home grown are best
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  5. Nick Says:

    When you buy them
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  6. Luke Says:

    idk
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  7. Leahrose R Says:

    when they just get to the place they are selling them
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  8. colonialmotion Says:

    i get them a little green… so that they last longer… if you get them really ripe they rot quickly… and the taste is pretty much the same… only they are a little crunchier…
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  9. That girl Says:

    honey you should put this in the garden section since more people will be able to answer it there the grower always knows more than the consumer sorry I couldn't answer your question
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  10. kaylee. Says:

    I think the summery months, like May, June, & Julyish?
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  11. wwe cena Says:

    Probably in the Spring or Summer
    The Red Ones
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  12. JESSICA Says:

    Well, me and my family planted tomatoes in the summer, late summer right before the fourth grade started, and they bloomed about spring, so I am guessing around summer, or spring. BUT FYI they are SUPER good in the winter when my mom buys them in late winter which is early summer!

    THANKS FOR LISTENING!
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  13. Caulkasian Says:

    When they are firm. Typically they are better during Spring, Summer, and Fall.
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  14. WU-TANG FAN Says:

    Summer time-June - Sept. is normally Tomato season, at least in the Western U.S. Romas, Beefsteak, Early Girl, and Hybrid Tomatoes are all pretty good in regards to flavor and texture. Never refrigerate a tomato, it will taste mushy and bland- leave on the counter instead.
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  15. sleepingliv Says:

    Most tomatoes in grocery stores are hot house tomatoes. Not the best in quality. I would suggest finding a food coop or a Whole Foods in your area that buy locally grown produce. Freshness is spared because there is less time between harvesting the fruit to the time it makes it on your table. You'd also be reducing your carbon foot print by buying local and supporting your local farmer. A good tomato should smell like a tomato and should be firm to the touch and red in color. If you buy vine tomatoes, remove them from the stems when you get home. Doing this prevents the stems from taking juice from the tomatoes.
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  16. pinkie Says:

    You can normally tell by gently squeezing them, they should feel firm but not rock hard, a slight give to the flesh and definitely not squidgy. Also smell. When they are ripe they give off that tomatoey smell. If you buy them loose, rather than prepacked you can examine them properly. Also when you are slicing them make sure you have a really sharp knife. If you have a sharpener it's good to sharpen it each time before you use it.
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  17. s.c. Says:

    Even though you can get them year round, summertime is best for tomatoes. Cantaloupes and watermelon too.
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