Day 208

Pickled Green Tomato: If you guys didn't know by now, I'm a big fan of all things pickled. I even went through a phase about a year ago where I was pickling things at home on a regular basis, and the results were always tasty. In my opinion, almost anything tastes better pickled. I know that most people like to use "fried" in that sentence, but if you haven't explored the world of pickled food (other than cucumbers), you're missing out.

On that note, I was happy to find a pickled item at Your Dekalb Farmer's Market this week that I'd never had before: green tomatoes. I've eaten a lot of interesting pickled items (eggs, garlic, carrots, celery, okra, beets), but tomatoes have always eluded me. I've never bought much out of YDFM's deli section other than meat and cheese, but when I saw these green tomatoes nestled in between the various salads and salsas, I couldn't resist buying one. Luckily, they sold them by the pound, so I got the deli attendant to wrap up a single one for the low cost of $0.20. Score.

After eating a quick dinner tonight, I realized I hadn't done my blog entry for the day, so I got the tiny tomato out for some sampling. I took the lid off the plastic container, and immediately noticed a strong vinegar odor. Not a great first impression, and I hoped it tasted better than it smelled.

I cut it in half and took a bite, and the taste wasn't any better than the smell. Instead of a mildly sweet pickled flavor, I was hit with a pungent, overly vinegar-y taste that wasn't pleasant at all. The tomato apparently wasn't cooked before pickling (which is sometimes normal), but it resulted in a tougher texture than I expected. Maybe these weren't brined for long - I'm not sure what the normal procedure is for tomatoes. Either way, it wasn't even kind of good.

I know all my food finds cant be great, but this was a major disappointment. I could only get through one bite before giving up, and that rarely happens. Oh well - better luck tomorrow.