there is no such thing.

there is no such thing.

*****

And I agree with Bakersville.

THe primary determinates of taste are the genes in any specific variety that synthesize those organic compounds. And over 400 of them have been IDed by mass spectroscopy, but not yet IDed or isolated.

So it's the specific combination of those organic compounds in any one variety that is the primary determinate of taste.

Tastes can also vary from year to year based on the weather and some folks say that using fertilizers with ammonia can affect taste negatively.

But as for enhancing taste the only comment I can make about that is that many folks in CA dry farm tomatoes and they say that taste can be enhanced that way. I know it can for melons, but as for tomatoes I don't know b'c when my tomatoes get dry b'c of no rains I water them.

And again, taste is a personal perception and also has a genetic influence in that we all don't have the same genes that allow us to agree compltely on the taste of any one variety.

Carolyn

Greensand can be an effective soil amendment and can improve plant health IF your soil is depleted in the minerals it supplies (potash, iron, magnesium, silica, and other trace minerals). But I agree with the above comments, any effect it might have on flavor would only be because you have healthy plants that you wouldn't have had otherwise. ;)

I will add that I think avoiding excess watering and even restricting water as fruit are ripening can intensify the genetically determined natural flavor of the fruit simply because it isn't "watered down".

Dave

bluemater, there is no magic bullet but maybe this link may help. One thing I have used as a drench and foliar is molasses. It feeds the soil and plants and inexpensive to boot. It is also a good spreader/sticker for foliar applicatios.

Here is a link that might be useful: Brix=Quality

Thanks all for the info!

I do irrigation in my raised bed to control the water as much as I can...last year we had a hellacious amount of rain right at the beginning of August (remnants of a tropical storm) that split all of my ripened fruit and I had to turn almost all into tomato juice and dried tomatoes...that was heartbreaking as this was at the height of the season...

I'll (try to) keep it on the drier side, weather permitting...

According to the research, playing with the levels of potassium can and does influence flavor qualities. Other "salts" at key points can also concentrate more assimilates (like sugars) in the fruit.

All this is a matter of timing and correct levels. It isn't something most people can fool with easily and you could easily screw up the soil by adding these "salts" (thus I wont mention them). Potassium will leach and if too much it will only be a short term problem.

But making sure you have a decent level of potassium will help.

I know an Old Italian guy who swears that the sweetest, best tasting tomatoes he has ever grown where the ones he grew one year over the top of his cesspool.

He said he took them into work with him and everyone raved about the flavor.

Here in RI, we have a lot of "Old World" Italians that speak broken English and have a tendency to be a little backwards in what they do. It was much worse 15 years ago as they seem to be fading out nowadays.

I never had the honors of tasting his tomatoes (thank heavens) and I'm not sure I would recommend trying it either.

Just though you all might get a chuckle.

Tim

timmy1...that is funny...I knew you had a lot of Portuguese in RI but not Italians...

I certainly will not be planting anything near a cesspool!

bluemater - according to Wikipedia, Rhode Island has 19% of it population as Italian-American, the highest of any other state.

And then there was that long thread from last year that claimed the best (and most) tomatoes were from the plants that you stripped all the leaves off except the top 4 or 5 leaves. Remember that one?

What tomatoes have the best flavor? The ones grown in my garden. ;)

Dave

jbann...so who'd of thought that 19 out of the 100 or so actual residents of RI are Italian-American ;-)

Tim,
I grew up eating raspberries that were "fertilized" by the septic tank (10-15 ft. away). The raspberry patch was always lush.

Then you could say you used 10-15-20.

Or the septic tank was between 10-15- or 20 feet away!

mr.tim,
as an italian american, raised by hardworking immigrants.
i take severe offense for your ignorant remark
about italian immigrants being backwards, i guess
its still politicly correct to take cheap shots at
italians. furthermore italian americans in urban areas
tend to have twice the knowledge of any other ethnic
group about growing food. and it was them who discoverd
how do grow figs out of the climate range.
and one oldtimer i knew was in the guiness book
of world records for growing the largest zuchini.
so put that in your pipe and smoke it.do
some research.

marcantonio

From one Italian-American to another, try not to be offended where no one was meaning anything to be offensive. Many old-time Americans, not just the ones from the Italian variety, have some backwards type of things they do. Backwards from todays standards in many cases is not a bad thing, so take it as a compliment. LOL

furthermore italian americans in urban areas
tend to have twice the knowledge of any other ethnic
group about growing food

You're pretty ignorant yourself Mr. Antonio

There must be nutrients in the soil that gives the tomato "Character" because hydroponic tomatoes all taste so bland. If you took two seeds from identical plants and planted them in different soils in different parts of the world I am willing to bet there will be noticeable differences. Which means it can't all be genetics.

I have always subscribed to the idea that there are no soil additives that can improve flavor in fruit. However, I am also of the belief, as a wine snob, that there are wines and regions that have undeniable connections. You can taste it. I don't claim to understand everything, so I often wonder why tomatoes wouldn't express terroir, as the French call it. I am wondering if there isn't something in the soil that can make a difference.

bhhstudios...I have also found hydroponically grown tomatoes to be rather bland as well...

landarc...I'm also a wine snob and know that there is a difference in flavor depending on the region/terroir...so why not so for tomatoes?

Tomatoes and grapes seem to have these elements in common: longer "hang time" on the vine usually means more complex flavors (that's one reason why heirlooms taste so much better -- they almost always have longer ripening times than the hybrids); too much rain/watering splits the fruits and dilutes the sugars, flavors...