Hey all, well I got my first Tomato! Although it is really acidic, any way to cut down on the acidity of tomatoes? I also have my eggplant coming along very well, I don't want them to be really acidic either, again any way to cut that?
Thanks Dave
Is there nothing to do to the soil etc.? Not necessarily this year but in the future?
No. Just select from a less acidic variety. Don't mess with your soil too much. It is already showing itself fertile and you don't want to change that except to possibly make it even more fertile.
Bill
Was it fully riped?
I don't think there is necessarily a distinct relationship between acidity level of the soil and acidic "tasting" tomatoes. While it seems a simple relationship it often isn't true. Its not like you can pour sugar on the ground and get sweeter fruits. At least no one has have suggested it! This is much like the assumption that eating fat makes you fat. Yet we don't feed pigs lots of oils and butter and they seem rather plump. And lots of people have lost wait on Atkins-type diets that eat lots of fats and no carbs. The chemistry involved usually doesn't work that simply.
I found some web pages that discussed that the difference in acidity we taste in tomatoes isn't due to changes in acidity but the presence of other flavors (particularly sweetness) that mask the ever-present acidity. Some hybrid do offer lower acidity, but I wonder if they just mask the acidity or actually have a significant;y lower pH.
Try eating them at diffrent amounts of ripeness. Taste them when they've just barely turned and then taste others that are left on the vine an extra day, two, three. Mine turn reddish orange, then spend a few days deepening to a deep solid red. I've eaten them at different points and leaving them on the extra day or two has made a diference. Most recommend backing off on water and fertilizer at this point. The drier conditions supposedly producing sweeter/concentrated flavor in fruits or more fragnant/pungent herbs.
You may not like the strain of tomato you are growing. I believe my neighbor is growing a type of tomato that is low in acidity. I'm thinking it was Jet Star-but I'm not positive.
There may be trace minerals that are lacking, or insufficent nutrients.
A soil test will let you know how your soil is doing in major and minor nutrients. DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email) Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound
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