I spotted some nice looking "tomatoes on the vine" at Publix the other day.
They weren't cherry or grape tomatoes (in fact, the sign didn't specify the
type of tomatoes).

I've seen Gordon Ramsay plop the little ones, still on the vine, right into
a pan with a little olive oil to pan-roast them. Okay, that's nifty but
these were far too big for that. Whatever I chose to do with them I'd be
taking them *off* the vine. And they were $4.99/lb! What are they trying
to do, prove tomatoes grow on vines?!

Plum tomatoes were 99 cents/lb. but I was thinking "hamburgers" So I
picked up a very nice Beefsteak tomato (49 cents/lb) instead.

Jill

Jill,
My guess is that they were being sold that way to indicate that they
were "vine-ripened", the way they are naturally supposed to be.Most
tomatoes are picked green and ripen along the way while in transit to
your produce department.
We used to get fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes from an uncle who had a
large garden. He never picked the tomatoes until they were ripe. They
were simply delicious, unlike anything you usually get at the
supermaket. We used them on burgers, in salads, etc.

Darren

jmcquown wrote on Sat, 5 Apr 2008 10:36:58 -0400:

j> I've seen Gordon Ramsay plop the little ones, still on the
j> vine, right into a pan with a little olive oil to pan-roast
j> them. Okay, that's nifty but these were far too big for
j> that. Whatever I chose to do with them I'd be taking them
j> *off* the vine. And they were $4.99/lb! What are they
j> trying to do, prove tomatoes grow on vines?!

j> Plum tomatoes were 99 cents/lb. but I was thinking
j> "hamburgers" So I picked up a very nice Beefsteak tomato
j> (49 cents/lb) instead.

The tomatoes sold around here "on the vine" are a bit like
magnified cherry tomatoes and much juicier than beefsteak ones.
Sliced, they make much better mixed salad ingredients, IMHO.


James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

Darren wrote:
> Jill,
> My guess is that they were being sold that way to indicate that they
> were "vine-ripened", the way they are naturally supposed to be.Most
> tomatoes are picked green and ripen along the way while in transit to
> your produce department.


But were they vine ripened? I may be cynical, but I'd guess that the
whole stalk of green tomatoes was cut, then ripened in transit, no
different from the way individual green tomatoes are picked, then
ripened. The presence of the vine doesn't tell you when or where the
tomatoes were ripened. For that matter, the presence of the vine
indicates to me that the tomatoes were NOT ripened the natural way in
the sun on a vine with roots in the ground. The tomatoes would fall off
in that case.


--Lia

jmcquown wrote:

> I spotted some nice looking "tomatoes on the vine" at Publix the other day.
> They weren't cherry or grape tomatoes (in fact, the sign didn't specify the
> type of tomatoes).
>
> I've seen Gordon Ramsay plop the little ones, still on the vine, right into
> a pan with a little olive oil to pan-roast them. Okay, that's nifty but
> these were far too big for that. Whatever I chose to do with them I'd be
> taking them *off* the vine. And they were $4.99/lb! What are they trying
> to do, prove tomatoes grow on vines?!
>
> Plum tomatoes were 99 cents/lb. but I was thinking "hamburgers" So I
> picked up a very nice Beefsteak tomato (49 cents/lb) instead.

I think that it may be a marketing ploy. They do seem to be redder and riper
looking than most of the other tomatoes for sale. That may make them more
appealing to the customers. If they were sold individually at that price people
might take only one or two, but since they come on the vine people are tempted
to take the whole vine.

Julia Altshuler wrote:
> Darren wrote:
>> Jill,
>> My guess is that they were being sold that way to indicate that they
>> were "vine-ripened", the way they are naturally supposed to be.Most
>> tomatoes are picked green and ripen along the way while in transit to
>> your produce department.
>
>
> But were they vine ripened? I may be cynical, but I'd guess that the
> whole stalk of green tomatoes was cut, then ripened in transit, no
> different from the way individual green tomatoes are picked, then
> ripened. The presence of the vine doesn't tell you when or where the
> tomatoes were ripened. For that matter, the presence of the vine
> indicates to me that the tomatoes were NOT ripened the natural way in
> the sun on a vine with roots in the ground. The tomatoes would fall
> off in that case.
>
>
> --Lia
>
There's a small lawn & garden center nearby that also happens to sell
in-season produce from time to time. When they put the sign out front
saying they have "vine ripened tomatoes" that's what they mean. And they
aren't still on the vines. This whole "on the vine" thing smacks of
gimmicky marketing to me.

Jill

"Darren" schrieb :
> Jill,
> My guess is that they were being sold that way to indicate that they
> were "vine-ripened", the way they are naturally supposed to be.Most
> tomatoes are picked green and ripen along the way while in transit to
> your produce department.

Sorry, your argument is flawed.
When you cut the vine, the tomatos will still ripen in transit.
I think the truth is more along the lines :
Cutting the vine instead of picking them will lower labour-costs.
As you pay per pound, you also pay for the vine.
Plus, it looks "organic".

Cheers,

Michael Kuettner

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
>I spotted some nice looking "tomatoes on the vine" at Publix the other day.
>They weren't cherry or grape tomatoes (in fact, the sign didn't specify the
>type of tomatoes).

One of my former customers produced/sold one of these type products. Yes you
do get a bit of the vine for authenticity and *generally* they will be a tad
more juicy and flavorful than the larger tomatoes available this time of
year (don't remember what variety either) ......But, like the others in the
store, they are picked and shipped green and gassed to get'em to turn red
prior to hitting the store shelves. Bottom line, your still buying a green
tomato.

>
> I've seen Gordon Ramsay plop the little ones, still on the vine, right
> into a pan with a little olive oil to pan-roast them. Okay, that's nifty
> but these were far too big for that. Whatever I chose to do with them I'd
> be taking them *off* the vine. And they were $4.99/lb! What are they
> trying to do, prove tomatoes grow on vines?!

Nope, seperate you from your money with clever marketing :-)

KW

James Silverton wrote:
> jmcquown wrote on Sat, 5 Apr 2008 10:36:58 -0400:
>
> j> I've seen Gordon Ramsay plop the little ones, still on the
> j> vine, right into a pan with a little olive oil to pan-roast
> j> them. Okay, that's nifty but these were far too big for
> j> that. Whatever I chose to do with them I'd be taking them
> j> *off* the vine. And they were $4.99/lb! What are they
> j> trying to do, prove tomatoes grow on vines?!
>
> j> Plum tomatoes were 99 cents/lb. but I was thinking
> j> "hamburgers" So I picked up a very nice Beefsteak tomato
> j> (49 cents/lb) instead.
>
> The tomatoes sold around here "on the vine" are a bit like
> magnified cherry tomatoes and much juicier than beefsteak ones.
> Sliced, they make much better mixed salad ingredients, IMHO.
>
> James Silverton
> Potomac, Maryland
>
Trust me, these were a lot larger than (even "magnified") cherry tomatoes!

Jill

Julia Altshuler wrote:

> But were they vine ripened? I may be cynical, but I'd guess that the
> whole stalk of green tomatoes was cut, then ripened in transit, no
> different from the way individual green tomatoes are picked, then
> ripened.

I guess that, technically, since they are ripe and they are on the vine,
they are vine ripened. However, they could have ripened on the vine after
they had been harvested.

jmcquown wrote:
> I spotted some nice looking "tomatoes on the vine" at Publix the
> other day. They weren't cherry or grape tomatoes (in fact, the sign
> didn't specify the type of tomatoes).
>
> I've seen Gordon Ramsay plop the little ones, still on the vine,
> right into a pan with a little olive oil to pan-roast them. Okay,
> that's nifty but these were far too big for that. Whatever I chose
> to do with them I'd be taking them *off* the vine. And they were
> $4.99/lb! What are they trying to do, prove tomatoes grow on vines?!
>
> Plum tomatoes were 99 cents/lb. but I was thinking "hamburgers" So I
> picked up a very nice Beefsteak tomato (49 cents/lb) instead.
>
> Jill

Go here http://www.eurofresh.com/faq.asp and read the FAQ. Other areas of
the site will answer more questions.
Janet

jmcquown wrote on Sat, 5 Apr 2008 11:03:41 -0400:

j> James Silverton wrote:
??>> jmcquown wrote on Sat, 5 Apr 2008 10:36:58 -0400:
??>>
j>>> I've seen Gordon Ramsay plop the little ones, still on the
j>>> vine, right into a pan with a little olive oil to
j>>> pan-roast them. Okay, that's nifty but these were far too
j>>> big for that. Whatever I chose to do with them I'd be
j>>> taking them *off* the vine. And they were $4.99/lb! What
j>>> are they trying to do, prove tomatoes grow on vines?!
??>>
j>>> Plum tomatoes were 99 cents/lb. but I was thinking
j>>> "hamburgers" So I picked up a very nice Beefsteak
j>>> tomato (49 cents/lb) instead.
??>>
??>> The tomatoes sold around here "on the vine" are a bit like
??>> magnified cherry tomatoes and much juicier than beefsteak
??>> ones. Sliced, they make much better mixed salad
??>> ingredients, IMHO.
??>>
??>> James Silverton
??>> Potomac, Maryland
??>>
j> Trust me, these were a lot larger than (even "magnified")
j> cherry tomatoes!

But that's what I meant! The ones I've seen are smaller than
most beefsteak tomatoes but are like cherry tomatoes two inches
or so in diameter. They are more like the tomatoes I remember
growing at home. I would be suspicious of vine tomatoes as large
as beefsteaks (I don't even like those much except for cooking.)

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

jmcquown said...

> I spotted some nice looking "tomatoes on the vine" at Publix the other
> day. They weren't cherry or grape tomatoes (in fact, the sign didn't
> specify the type of tomatoes).


I see vine-ripened tomatoes, about plum sized, usually four to a vine. I
forget what the downside to them was but read *something* negative about
them.

I've been having the grape tomatoes in salad recently. Just the perfect
bite-size but a blood glucose hit, diabetic-wise.

Got a pack of sirloin burger today out of red meat "dispair" but forgot the
beefsteak tomato. Trade you a half Hass avocado for a slice of beefsteak!??


Best,

Andy

On 2008-04-05, jmcquown > wrote:
> I spotted some nice looking "tomatoes on the vine" at Publix the other day.

These have been around CA stores for 10 yrs or more. Small-medium in size,
usually about $3-4lb, but on sale as low as $1.50lb. They look more red,
have nice texture, but like all other supermarket tomatoes, they have no
more flavor than any other red blobs. Buy if they are on sale and cheaper
than other tomatoes, but they offer little or no advantage over other
flavorless orbs. Besides, when you buy them you are also paying for
inedible vine at $3-5lb. In short, it's a scam.

nb

James Silverton wrote:
> jmcquown wrote on Sat, 5 Apr 2008 11:03:41 -0400:
>
> j> James Silverton wrote:
>>> jmcquown wrote on Sat, 5 Apr 2008 10:36:58 -0400:
>>>
> j>>> I've seen Gordon Ramsay plop the little ones, still on the
> j>>> vine, right into a pan with a little olive oil to
> j>>> pan-roast them. Okay, that's nifty but these were far too
> j>>> big for that. Whatever I chose to do with them I'd be
> j>>> taking them *off* the vine. And they were $4.99/lb! What
> j>>> are they trying to do, prove tomatoes grow on vines?!
>>>
> j>>> Plum tomatoes were 99 cents/lb. but I was thinking
> j>>> "hamburgers" So I picked up a very nice Beefsteak
> j>>> tomato (49 cents/lb) instead.
>>>
>>> The tomatoes sold around here "on the vine" are a bit like
>>> magnified cherry tomatoes and much juicier than beefsteak
>>> ones. Sliced, they make much better mixed salad
>>> ingredients, IMHO.
>>>
>>>
> j> Trust me, these were a lot larger than (even "magnified")
> j> cherry tomatoes!
>
> But that's what I meant! The ones I've seen are smaller than
> most beefsteak tomatoes but are like cherry tomatoes two inches
> or so in diameter. They are more like the tomatoes I remember
> growing at home. I would be suspicious of vine tomatoes as large
> as beefsteaks (I don't even like those much except for cooking.)
>
I guess we just aren't understanding each other this morning. They weren't
as big as the beeftsteak tomato I bought but still much bigger than cherry
tomatoes. They were slightly larger than plum tomatoes. Whatever they
were, they certainly aren't worth $4.99/lb!

Jill

Andy wrote:
> jmcquown said...
>
>> I spotted some nice looking "tomatoes on the vine" at Publix the
>> other day. They weren't cherry or grape tomatoes (in fact, the sign
>> didn't specify the type of tomatoes).
>
>
> I see vine-ripened tomatoes, about plum sized, usually four to a
> vine. I forget what the downside to them was but read *something*
> negative about them.
>
> I've been having the grape tomatoes in salad recently. Just the
> perfect bite-size but a blood glucose hit, diabetic-wise.
>
> Got a pack of sirloin burger today out of red meat "dispair" but
> forgot the beefsteak tomato. Trade you a half Hass avocado for a
> slice of beefsteak!??
>
> Best,
>
> Andy
>
My mother would love half of that avocado. (They were $1.29 each and hard
as rocks.)

Jill

jmcquown wrote on Sat, 5 Apr 2008 12:49:09 -0400:

j> James Silverton wrote:
??>> jmcquown wrote on Sat, 5 Apr 2008 11:03:41 -0400:
??>>
j> I guess we just aren't understanding each other this
j> morning. They weren't as big as the beeftsteak tomato I
j> bought but still much bigger than cherry tomatoes. They
j> were slightly larger than plum tomatoes. Whatever they
j> were, they certainly aren't worth $4.99/lb!

I'll go along with that; it's a ridiculous price. About a dollar
a pond more than beefsteaks is my guiding line.

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

jmcquown said...

> Andy wrote:
>> jmcquown said...
>>
>>> I spotted some nice looking "tomatoes on the vine" at Publix the
>>> other day. They weren't cherry or grape tomatoes (in fact, the sign
>>> didn't specify the type of tomatoes).
>>
>>
>> I see vine-ripened tomatoes, about plum sized, usually four to a
>> vine. I forget what the downside to them was but read *something*
>> negative about them.
>>
>> I've been having the grape tomatoes in salad recently. Just the
>> perfect bite-size but a blood glucose hit, diabetic-wise.
>>
>> Got a pack of sirloin burger today out of red meat "dispair" but
>> forgot the beefsteak tomato. Trade you a half Hass avocado for a
>> slice of beefsteak!??
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Andy
>>
> My mother would love half of that avocado. (They were $1.29 each and
hard
> as rocks.)
>
> Jill


Jill,

I'll trade you TWO half Hass'd avocados for a slice of beefsteak tomato!

And YOU'RE getting the best of the bargain! <VBG>

Best,

Andy

On Apr 5, 11:01�am, "jmcquown" > wrote:
> Julia Altshuler wrote:
> > Darren wrote:
> >> Jill,
> >> My guess is that they were being sold that way to indicate that they
> >> were "vine-ripened", the way they are naturally supposed to be.Most
> >> tomatoes are picked green and ripen along the way while in transit to
> >> your produce department.
>
> > But were they vine ripened? �I may be cynical, but I'd guess that the
> > whole stalk of green tomatoes was cut, then ripened in transit, no
> > different from the way individual green tomatoes are picked, then
> > ripened. �The presence of the vine doesn't tell you when or where the
> > tomatoes were ripened. �For that matter, the presence of the vine
> > indicates to me that the tomatoes were NOT ripened the natural way in
> > the sun on a vine with roots in the ground. �The tomatoes would fall
> > off in that case.
>
> > --Lia
>
> There's a small lawn & garden center nearby that also happens to sell
> in-season produce from time to time. �When they put the sign out front
> saying they have "vine ripened tomatoes" that's what they mean. �And they
> aren't still on the vines. �This whole "on the vine" thing smacks of
> gimmicky marketing to me.

Those on the vine thingies are hydroponically grown hybrid tomatoes
that were developed to have fruit with tenacious stem cling... the
gimmick is *presentation*, not flavor/texture. The only way to get
true vine ripened tomatoes that have that home grown flavor is to grow
your own, or buy from a farm stand that sells fresh picked locally
grown produce. Many farm stands sell the same imported produce that's
sold at stupidmarkets... be wary, just because it's from a farm stand
is no guarantee it's locally grown and fresh picked.

jmcquown wrote:
> I spotted some nice looking "tomatoes on the vine" at Publix the other
> day. They weren't cherry or grape tomatoes (in fact, the sign didn't
> specify the type of tomatoes).
>
> I've seen Gordon Ramsay plop the little ones, still on the vine, right
> into a pan with a little olive oil to pan-roast them. Okay, that's
> nifty but these were far too big for that. Whatever I chose to do with
> them I'd be taking them *off* the vine. And they were $4.99/lb! What
> are they trying to do, prove tomatoes grow on vines?!
>
> Plum tomatoes were 99 cents/lb. but I was thinking "hamburgers" So I
> picked up a very nice Beefsteak tomato (49 cents/lb) instead.
>

I think tomatoes on the vine are picked riper and don't get
shriveled as
quickly.

As far as prices go, our plum tomatoes have been $1.49-1.99
lately. Beefsteak types have been ~$3.49 a pound.

Yeah, I know they blame gas prices, but for those prices each
tomato could have driven to Colorado in its own Jaguar!

gloria p

jmcquown wrote:

> I spotted some nice looking "tomatoes on the vine" at Publix the other
> day. They weren't cherry or grape tomatoes (in fact, the sign didn't
> specify the type of tomatoes).
>
> I've seen Gordon Ramsay plop the little ones, still on the vine, right
> into a pan with a little olive oil to pan-roast them. Okay, that's nifty
> but these were far too big for that. Whatever I chose to do with them I'd
> be taking them *off* the vine. And they were $4.99/lb! What are they
> trying to do, prove tomatoes grow on vines?!

Don't make me mention those 20 cents per pound on-the-vine tomatoes I got
last week again.


--
Blinky
Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project: http://improve-usenet.org
Blinky: http://blinkynet.net

Blinky the Shark wrote:
> jmcquown wrote:
>
>> I spotted some nice looking "tomatoes on the vine" at Publix the
>> other day. They weren't cherry or grape tomatoes (in fact, the sign
>> didn't specify the type of tomatoes).
>>
>> I've seen Gordon Ramsay plop the little ones, still on the vine,
>> right into a pan with a little olive oil to pan-roast them. Okay,
>> that's nifty but these were far too big for that. Whatever I chose
>> to do with them I'd be taking them *off* the vine. And they were
>> $4.99/lb! What are they trying to do, prove tomatoes grow on vines?!
>
> Don't make me mention those 20 cents per pound on-the-vine tomatoes I
> got last week again.
>
At an Asian market, right? Nary a one to be found. Besides, I'm not paying
for vines at any price

Jill

Andy wrote:

> jmcquown said...
>
>> Andy wrote:
>>> jmcquown said...
>>>
>>>> I spotted some nice looking "tomatoes on the vine" at Publix the
>>>> other day. They weren't cherry or grape tomatoes (in fact, the sign
>>>> didn't specify the type of tomatoes).
>>>
>>>
>>> I see vine-ripened tomatoes, about plum sized, usually four to a vine.
>>> I forget what the downside to them was but read *something* negative
>>> about them.
>>>
>>> I've been having the grape tomatoes in salad recently. Just the
>>> perfect bite-size but a blood glucose hit, diabetic-wise.
>>>
>>> Got a pack of sirloin burger today out of red meat "dispair" but
>>> forgot the beefsteak tomato. Trade you a half Hass avocado for a slice
>>> of beefsteak!??
>>>
>>> Best,
>>>
>>> Andy
>>>
>> My mother would love half of that avocado. (They were $1.29 each and
> hard
>> as rocks.)
>>
>> Jill
>
>
> Jill,
>
> I'll trade you TWO half Hass'd avocados for a slice of beefsteak tomato!
^^^^^^^^^^^

Nice.

Throw in your sister and I'll give you a whole tomato and a half-shot
salad shooter.

(Just kidding. I don't even know if you have a sister -- or if you *do*,
if she looks like a schnauzer.)


--
Blinky
Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project: http://improve-usenet.org
Blinky: http://blinkynet.net

Puester wrote:
snip>
> Yeah, I know they blame gas prices, but for those prices each
> tomato could have driven to Colorado in its own Jaguar!
>
> gloria p

??? Haven't you overlooked other things that contribute to the price? It's
not like getting tomatoes from the guy at the edge of your city. Commercial
growers today have hundreds of acres of hydroponically grown plants under
glass greenhouses. Then there's the specialized equipment and labor etc.
If you are willing to eat tomatoes only when they are in season in your
area, the price will be considerably less. Having the luxury of winter
tomatoes means extra cost.
Janet

On Sat 05 Apr 2008 11:22:33a, Puester told us...

> jmcquown wrote:
>> I spotted some nice looking "tomatoes on the vine" at Publix the other
>> day. They weren't cherry or grape tomatoes (in fact, the sign didn't
>> specify the type of tomatoes).
>>
>> I've seen Gordon Ramsay plop the little ones, still on the vine, right
>> into a pan with a little olive oil to pan-roast them. Okay, that's
>> nifty but these were far too big for that. Whatever I chose to do with
>> them I'd be taking them *off* the vine. And they were $4.99/lb! What
>> are they trying to do, prove tomatoes grow on vines?!
>>
>> Plum tomatoes were 99 cents/lb. but I was thinking "hamburgers" So I
>> picked up a very nice Beefsteak tomato (49 cents/lb) instead.
>>
>
> I think tomatoes on the vine are picked riper and don't get
> shriveled as
> quickly.
>
> As far as prices go, our plum tomatoes have been $1.49-1.99
> lately. Beefsteak types have been ~$3.49 a pound.
>
> Yeah, I know they blame gas prices, but for those prices each
> tomato could have driven to Colorado in its own Jaguar!
>
> gloria p
>

I have found, regardless of price, that the tomatoes-on-the-vine are
generally of better flavor than bulk tomatoes, especially when it's not
tomato season. I think it's because the bulk tomatoes are picked while not
fully ripened and the vince tomatoes have been allowed to ripen more. The
vine tomatoes are the only ones I buy in the supermarket, until local
tomatoes are available at the farmer's market.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Saturday, 04(IV)/05(V)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
Countdown till Memorial Day
7wks 1dys 11hrs 50mins
-------------------------------------------
Who knows the mind of a cat?
-------------------------------------------

I buy those Amorosa or Campari(sp) tomatoes on the vine at Publix every
week. The Amorosa ones are from California.....I'm not sure about the
others.
They are about the size of a ping pong ball and very tasty, especially
during the winter season when we can't get decent tomatoes.

When they first started carrying them at Publix, they were $3.99 per
box. I was standing there looking at them, and a woman walked up and
said...."These sure are pricey, but they're worth it......and so are
we!" I never hesitated after that.

Libby

"Wayne Boatwright" > wrote

> I have found, regardless of price, that the tomatoes-on-the-vine are
> generally of better flavor than bulk tomatoes, especially when it's not
> tomato season. I think it's because the bulk tomatoes are picked while
> not
> fully ripened and the vince tomatoes have been allowed to ripen more. The
> vine tomatoes are the only ones I buy in the supermarket, until local
> tomatoes are available at the farmer's market.

Some times of the year I have bought them because, as you say, they
are better than the other tomatoes in the supermarket. I never noticed
them to be far more expensive than regular tomatoes around here.

One time I wanted to pick up some of those and wound up stuck
behind an elderly man who was taking each stacked cardboard display
case of them apart, one by one, to pick the best tomato off each vine.
I finally gave up, I think I went home tomato-less that day.

nancy

On Apr 5, 10:36�am, "jmcquown" > wrote:
> I spotted some nice looking "tomatoes on the vine" at Publix the other day..
> They weren't cherry or grape tomatoes (in fact, the sign didn't specify the
> type of tomatoes).
>
> I've seen Gordon Ramsay plop the little ones, still on the vine, right into
> a pan with a little olive oil to pan-roast them. �Okay, that's nifty but
> these were far too big for that. �Whatever I chose to do with them I'd be
> taking them *off* the vine. �And they were $4.99/lb! �What are they trying
> to do, prove tomatoes grow on vines?!
>
> Plum tomatoes were 99 cents/lb. but I was thinking "hamburgers" �So I
> picked up a very nice Beefsteak tomato (49 cents/lb) instead.


http://www.windset.com

http://www.eurofresh.com

There are quite a few companys producihng these products.

jmcquown wrote:

> Blinky the Shark wrote:
>> jmcquown wrote:
>>
>>> I spotted some nice looking "tomatoes on the vine" at Publix the other
>>> day. They weren't cherry or grape tomatoes (in fact, the sign didn't
>>> specify the type of tomatoes).
>>>
>>> I've seen Gordon Ramsay plop the little ones, still on the vine, right
>>> into a pan with a little olive oil to pan-roast them. Okay, that's
>>> nifty but these were far too big for that. Whatever I chose to do with
>>> them I'd be taking them *off* the vine. And they were $4.99/lb! What
>>> are they trying to do, prove tomatoes grow on vines?!
>>
>> Don't make me mention those 20 cents per pound on-the-vine tomatoes I
>> got last week again.
>>
> At an Asian market, right? Nary a one to be found. Besides, I'm not
> paying for vines at any price

Dudette. At 20 cents, they could be *half* vine and still be a helluva
bargain.

--
Blinky
Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project: http://improve-usenet.org
Blinky: http://blinkynet.net

Nancy Young wrote:
snip
> One time I wanted to pick up some of those and wound up stuck
> behind an elderly man who was taking each stacked cardboard display
> case of them apart, one by one, to pick the best tomato off each vine.
> I finally gave up, I think I went home tomato-less that day.
>
> nancy

Depending upon my mood that day, I would have explained to him one way or
another about that quirk of his. ;o} That's like picking all the grapes you
want off the vine and leaving ickt looking bunches for someone else.
Janet

Julia Altshuler > wrote:

> Darren wrote:
>> Jill,
>> My guess is that they were being sold that way to indicate that they
>> were "vine-ripened", the way they are naturally supposed to be.Most
>> tomatoes are picked green and ripen along the way while in transit to
>> your produce department.
>
> But were they vine ripened? I may be cynical, but I'd guess that the
> whole stalk of green tomatoes was cut, then ripened in transit, no
> different from the way individual green tomatoes are picked, then
> ripened.

You are correct. Most large commercial growers have dropped the
"vine-ripened" phrase, and are now calling them "on the vine", whcih
doesn't do anything except make them smell better (I love the smell
of tomato branches).

Which brings up the point - what is the word "vine" even used?
Aren't they *branches*?

-sw

"Janet Bostwick" > wrote

> Nancy Young wrote:
> snip
>> One time I wanted to pick up some of those and wound up stuck
>> behind an elderly man who was taking each stacked cardboard display
>> case of them apart, one by one, to pick the best tomato off each vine.
>> I finally gave up, I think I went home tomato-less that day.

> Depending upon my mood that day, I would have explained to him one way or
> another about that quirk of his. ;o} That's like picking all the grapes
> you want off the vine and leaving ickt looking bunches for someone else.

You know I agree. I tried not to be annoyed by it, but I don't
think it was right for him to do that. I'll be darned if I know what
he was looking for, anyway. They all looked equal to me.

nancy

Sheldon wrote:
> There are quite a few companys

Uhoh Shelybum let us not forget our perfect English eh???

Company - singular Companies - plural

producihng

This would be - producing!

these products.

Nancy Young > wrote:

>"Janet Bostwick" > wrote

>> Nancy Young wrote:

>>> One time I wanted to pick up some of those and wound up stuck
>>> behind an elderly man who was taking each stacked cardboard display
>>> case of them apart, one by one, to pick the best tomato off each vine.
>>> I finally gave up, I think I went home tomato-less that day.

>> Depending upon my mood that day, I would have explained to him one way or
>> another about that quirk of his. ;o} That's like picking all the grapes
>> you want off the vine and leaving ickt looking bunches for someone else.

>You know I agree. I tried not to be annoyed by it, but I don't
>think it was right for him to do that. I'll be darned if I know what
>he was looking for, anyway. They all looked equal to me.

I guess the alternative is a European system where they don't
let you pick produce; the vendor selects it for you. Or
if you're fluent enough in the requisite language and feeling chatty,
you can have some influence over it. Simple pointing doesn't seem
to work.

I kinda prefer the American system in this case.

Steve

"Steve Pope" > wrote

> Nancy Young > wrote:
>
>>"Janet Bostwick" > wrote
>
>>> Nancy Young wrote:
>
>>>> One time I wanted to pick up some of those and wound up stuck
>>>> behind an elderly man who was taking each stacked cardboard display
>>>> case of them apart, one by one, to pick the best tomato off each vine.
>>>> I finally gave up, I think I went home tomato-less that day.
>
>>> Depending upon my mood that day, I would have explained to him one way
>>> or
>>> another about that quirk of his. ;o} That's like picking all the grapes
>>> you want off the vine and leaving ickt looking bunches for someone else.
>
>>You know I agree. I tried not to be annoyed by it, but I don't
>>think it was right for him to do that. I'll be darned if I know what
>>he was looking for, anyway. They all looked equal to me.
>
> I guess the alternative is a European system where they don't
> let you pick produce; the vendor selects it for you. Or
> if you're fluent enough in the requisite language and feeling chatty,
> you can have some influence over it. Simple pointing doesn't seem
> to work.
>
> I kinda prefer the American system in this case.

You probably don't mind when all the tomatoes have little
half moon fingernail cuts in them because someone didn't
think anything of what they did to the produce they left
behind.

nancy

:
> "Steve Pope" > wrote
>> I guess the alternative is a European system where they don't
>> let you pick produce; the vendor selects it for you. Or
>> if you're fluent enough in the requisite language and feeling chatty,
>> you can have some influence over it. Simple pointing doesn't seem
>> to work.

Not so in UK! In supermarkets there is a choice of prepacked or 'choose
your own'.

In markets, you can pick out what want from what is on show and hand it to
the owner to weigh.

Ophelia > wrote:

>> "Steve Pope" > wrote

>>> I guess the alternative is a European system where they don't
>>> let you pick produce; the vendor selects it for you. Or
>>> if you're fluent enough in the requisite language and feeling chatty,
>>> you can have some influence over it. Simple pointing doesn't seem
>>> to work.

>Not so in UK! In supermarkets there is a choice of prepacked or 'choose
>your own'.

Right, I keep forgetting the UK is in Europe.

The non-pick-your-own method I've mostly seen in Italy and Spain.

(Those being the only two contries on the continent I've been
to in decades, not counting spending the night in Franfurt
in an airport hotel earlier this week, which was no fun, but
I digress.)

> In markets, you can pick out what want from what is on show and
> hand it to the owner to weigh.

Yes, the English method seems more or less identical to the U.S.
method in this case.

Steve

Steve Pope wrote:
> Ophelia > wrote:
>
>>> "Steve Pope" > wrote
>
>>>> I guess the alternative is a European system where they don't
>>>> let you pick produce; the vendor selects it for you. Or
>>>> if you're fluent enough in the requisite language and feeling
>>>> chatty, you can have some influence over it. Simple pointing
>>>> doesn't seem to work.
>
>> Not so in UK! In supermarkets there is a choice of prepacked or
>> 'choose your own'.
>
> Right, I keep forgetting the UK is in Europe.
>
> The non-pick-your-own method I've mostly seen in Italy and Spain.

You are not entirely wrong. What you describe is how it used to be here

In article >,
"Ophelia" > wrote:

> :
> > "Steve Pope" > wrote
> >> I guess the alternative is a European system where they don't
> >> let you pick produce; the vendor selects it for you. Or
> >> if you're fluent enough in the requisite language and feeling chatty,
> >> you can have some influence over it. Simple pointing doesn't seem
> >> to work.
>
> Not so in UK! In supermarkets there is a choice of prepacked or 'choose
> your own'.

Same in New Zealand.

> In markets, you can pick out what want from what is on show and hand it to
> the owner to weigh.

And again, same here.

Miche

--
Electricians do it in three phases

Dave Smith wrote:
> Julia Altshuler wrote:
>
>> But were they vine ripened? I may be cynical, but I'd guess that the
>> whole stalk of green tomatoes was cut, then ripened in transit, no
>> different from the way individual green tomatoes are picked, then
>> ripened.
>
> I guess that, technically, since they are ripe and they are on the vine,
> they are vine ripened. However, they could have ripened on the vine after
> they had been harvested.
>
When I want a larger tomato for something anymore, I just aim for those
Ugli Ripes, found in the white padded netting. Taste REALLY good!