Product review: grape tomatoes

I am one of those rare people who actually almost always prefers vegetables or fruit to sugary candy (chocolate is a whole different story…if it comes down to dark chocolate vs. an apple, that apple might get its feelings hurt). Although I used to love jelly beans, Swedish fish, and all those gummy candies in the shape of fruits, I no longer have much interest in them. Occasionally I want to try a jelly bean, but know I’d be overwhelmed by the sugar after just a few. (Regarding the Swedish fish, I think that eating an entire Costco-size box in about a week during college probably contributed to my being perfectly content with never eating another one again!)

One of my favorite vegetables (fruits? Let’s not have that debate here…) is the tomato. I like them fresh or cooked (I love chunky pasta sauce and the sauce is generally how I rate pizza, rather than the more common focus on the dough, cheese, or special toppings), and even sour and green (when I was much younger, I tried to sneak one out of a NY deli, only to have it fall out of my pocket on the way out…so my plan failed…I got caught (not that anyone cared), my tomato was dirty (not that I cared), and my jacket smelled like sour tomato (we all cared). Really, my only negative tomato experience was the one time I tried stewed tomatoes in college, figuring, “they’re tomatoes. I love tomatoes. How bad could they be?” (Answer: very very bad).

Among tomatoes, I have further preferences and grape tomatoes are one of my favorites. They always look so fresh and bright in Costco so it was time to give them a try.

These were some stellar grape tomatoes. In true Costco-fashion, they were larger than a typical grape tomato, but still perfect for a bite-size treat. They were all bright red, with only a hint of white/yellow where the stem was, indicating that they were ripe but not overly so. They were firm and crisp but still juicy, and virtually every one in the container was perfect (unlike when you buy a pack and, aside from the few good ones on top, the rest is a mushy mess with seedy juice bursting out).

The taste is very sweet, but not overly so. I had them in a salad with my favorite dressing, but almost wished I had eaten them plain so that the pure tomato taste was all I had in my mouth. I was tempted to just eat a bowlful…maybe another time. I also think they would be delicious in a cold pasta salad or with some cottage cheese (Product review: Breakstone’s cottage cheese).  I realize the latter may sound like a strange combination, but I love fruit and vegetable with cottage cheese and sometimes find that even fruit can be too sweet.

It is a huge carton but, because they are so firm, I think they will last longer than tomatoes typically do. Also, knowing my family, I can imagine we might divide them up amongst a few people.

At $5.99 for 2 lb, these are well worth it. I plan on buying these all summer.

Have you tried these grape tomatoes? What did you think?

Do you eat them plain? In salad?

Any other suggestions?

And, out of curiosity, for people in the Boston area…what Italian restaurants and/or pizza places have the best tomato sauce?