Well this was a surprise to me!
Striped Cavern, Black Cherry and Homestead are among the group that tested higher than 10 mg/kg iron.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sh ... MPLASM.pdf

Principe Borghese was an Iron, Beta-Carotene and Vitamin C standout in the study.

Seems surprising to me there’s so much variation in nutrient and elemental content between these different tomatoes. These wide variations in elemental, mineral, and such levels could relate to the wide variations in flavor between the various tomatoes.

What an interesting study. It is well known that mineral content does affect the flavor of the fruits which is why many of use use products that maximize the mineral content of our soil.

It would be very interesting to me to see the difference in nutrient/mineral content in hybrids vs OP's. The store tomatoes lack so much flavor that I would think that they also lack much nutrient value. Big Ag me thinks is ruining our food supply as well as our soil.

ok. question, why would there be lots of iron in fish? Why the assumption I guess. Calcium, phosphorus, I expect. Iron?
Chicken, maybe. Beef or deer, yeah I expect it from red meat.

Fish is pretty variable on iron between fish species. Sardines and Anchovies are loaded with iron and above ground beef, but flounder or halibut are real low on iron.

I think a lot of tomatoes (especially red ones) can accumulate lots of chlorine/chloride, too, give the availability. I definitely notice a difference when I water them much (we have city water).

MissS wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 9:39 am What an interesting study. It is well known that mineral content does affect the flavor of the fruits which is why many of use use products that maximize the mineral content of our soil.

It would be very interesting to me to see the difference in nutrient/mineral content in hybrids vs OP's. The store tomatoes lack so much flavor that I would think that they also lack much nutrient value. Big Ag me thinks is ruining our food supply as well as our soil.

Most supermarket tomatoes grown in this country are grown hydroponically, so they have all the nutrients they need, but still no flavour! It's amazing to me how they can produce such tasteless tomatoes in the middle of summer.

Shule wrote: ↑Wed Aug 30, 2023 5:35 am I think a lot of tomatoes (especially red ones) can accumulate lots of chlorine/chloride, too, give the availability. I definitely notice a difference when I water them much (we have city water).

I shouldn't think that the chlorine/chloride in the water would effect the flavor too much since it evaporates so rapidly (almost immediately when exposed to air). Perhaps it is the addition of water itself that is diluting the flavor for you.

Clearly bloody butcher must be high in iron.


lol just such a strange name for a tomato.

rossomendblot wrote: ↑Wed Aug 30, 2023 7:05 am

MissS wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 9:39 am What an interesting study. It is well known that mineral content does affect the flavor of the fruits which is why many of use use products that maximize the mineral content of our soil.

It would be very interesting to me to see the difference in nutrient/mineral content in hybrids vs OP's. The store tomatoes lack so much flavor that I would think that they also lack much nutrient value. Big Ag me thinks is ruining our food supply as well as our soil.

Most supermarket tomatoes grown in this country are grown hydroponically, so they have all the nutrients they need, but still no flavour! It's amazing to me how they can produce such tasteless tomatoes in the middle of summer.

Is it about the variety of tomatoes they grow hydroponically or is simply that they are hydroponically grown that makes the flavor so muted?

Would a Cherokee Purple tomato or a Stump of the World tomato grown hydroponically taste the same as one grown outdoors in a soil medium?

karstopography wrote: ↑Wed Aug 30, 2023 12:22 pm

rossomendblot wrote: ↑Wed Aug 30, 2023 7:05 am

MissS wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 9:39 am What an interesting study. It is well known that mineral content does affect the flavor of the fruits which is why many of use use products that maximize the mineral content of our soil.

It would be very interesting to me to see the difference in nutrient/mineral content in hybrids vs OP's. The store tomatoes lack so much flavor that I would think that they also lack much nutrient value. Big Ag me thinks is ruining our food supply as well as our soil.

Most supermarket tomatoes grown in this country are grown hydroponically, so they have all the nutrients they need, but still no flavour! It's amazing to me how they can produce such tasteless tomatoes in the middle of summer.

Is it about the variety of tomatoes they grow hydroponically or is simply that they are hydroponically grown that makes the flavor so muted?

Would a Cherokee Purple tomato or a Stump of the World tomato grown hydroponically taste the same as one grown outdoors in a soil medium?

I'm not sure. They mostly grow varieties which have long shelf life, all fruit on a truss ripen at the same time, very uniform in shape, tough skin to withstand handling etc. They look great but taste of nothing. All of the tomatoes imported from Holland taste awful too and they grow the same way there, hydroponically in coir blocks. The plants grow so tall they use a scissor lift to tie in, prune and pick. Same with the bell peppers, they just taste of water with no sweetness at all.

MissS wrote: ↑Wed Aug 30, 2023 7:46 am

Shule wrote: ↑Wed Aug 30, 2023 5:35 am I think a lot of tomatoes (especially red ones) can accumulate lots of chlorine/chloride, too, give the availability. I definitely notice a difference when I water them much (we have city water).

I shouldn't think that the chlorine/chloride in the water would effect the flavor too much since it evaporates so rapidly (almost immediately when exposed to air). Perhaps it is the addition of water itself that is diluting the flavor for you.

Trust me. It affects it, a lot.

Tomatoes or any vegetables will not taste the same grown in hydroponic medium or anything like it.
Even soil pH will effect the flavor.
Onions take up sulfur and it makes them hot.
No sulfur and you have a mild onion.
I would also suspect tomatoes grown in the iron rich areas of the north would have more iron in them than tomatoes grown where I live that used the be ancient sea bed.
Chlorine in the water will kill the bacteria in the soil that helps break down minerals and other things for a healthy soil.
It doesn't have to stay there long.
Basically everytime you water with this type of water you're killing your soil to a degree.
They do make in line hose filters for this.

Well, many of us have learned from experience that you can make a good tomato taste blah by overwatering or wrong soil nutrient balance. Commercial growers selling by weight have the goal of plumping up the fruit for maximum revenue. Extra N and water is a recipe for bland fruit with maximum weight. I know some hydroponics enthusiasts add micronutrients and carefully balance with K, but the "N + water" approach has to be an easy road for a commercial hydroponic grower.

What micronutrients make tomatoes taste better?

High tunnel tomatoes typically taste more watery, simply because they have to be irrigated more. Water restrictions for the last 30 days of fruiting, especially with reds and especially in clay soils, make excellent flavor.

Moth1992 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 29, 2023 9:48 pm What micronutrients make tomatoes taste better?

I almost gave a flip answer without googling.... expecting to find nothing.
I know that potassium is correlated with sweetness in the macronutrients, the rest of it, a mystery...

But the search terms "micronutrients tomato culture taste" turned out to be ripe for finding out, and brought up the google scholar list with a ton of interesting things I have no time to read right now.

Try this 2021 publication for starters! :
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8740158/
The Bacterial Microbiome of the Tomato Fruit Is Highly Dependent on the Cultivation Approach and Correlates With Flavor Chemistry