About Tomatoes

I am going to fuss now. Please forgive me.
The flavor of the tomatoes is very important and it is hard to find good ones. Home grown are always best but for many of us this is not a real alternative. Farmer's markets can be good but beware the "farmer" who has just unpacked his or her produce from commercially labeled cardboard cartons. We have to face the fact that the produce available in grocery stores, at least in the US, is chosen at every step of the way for appearance and shelf life rather than for flavor and nutritional quality. What is in the store looks good but is not necessarily good to eat. Kudos Alice Walker.
There are some round golf ball sized tomatoes in the stores that have good flavor and texture. These are quite costly but at times may be worth the expense. Canned tomatoes are often better than the fresh tomatoes available, so if you can't find good fresh ones consider using canned. A warning is needed even here: read the list of ingredients on the can. If calcium chloride is on the list look for a different brand. Calcium chloride is used in canning to "firm" the tomatoes. The actual result is that the tomatoes are hardened and will at best take much longer to cook into a dish or sauce properly. Canned tomatoes without calcium chloride are a bit hard to find but they are out there. I use them whenever I can.