Why are the Tomatos so rubbish in Cyprus

petemate


Joined: 16/09/2008
Posts: 228

Message Posted:
25/07/2011 20:32

The heading says it all, So is most of the other veg

dippersgirl



Joined: 04/05/2010
Posts: 795

Message Posted:
25/07/2011 20:43

There does seem to be a problem with tomatoes. Last year the bugs got most of them and this year its similar. I didn't even know that tomatoes had so many enemies!!

as for the other veg in my garden, no problems, fab beans and courgettes, peppers a bit iffy, aubergines very nice. If you buy from shops you need to check on their delivery days. Famagusta Market/Pazar veg are very nice!! I don't think you go to the right places!!

yorgozlu



Joined: 16/06/2009
Posts: 4437

Message Posted:
25/07/2011 20:54

goes to show what you all miss whilst living in a so called civilised western country/ies.



It's called organic,grown out in the open with no need of green houses and chemichals.Of course they have the downside of not being in factory made size and shapes.

Glasbury


Joined: 13/08/2010
Posts: 268

Message Posted:
25/07/2011 20:56

I have to say that I agree with Msg 3 whenever I visit TRNC I always think how delicious the tomatoes are !

Tootie


Joined: 28/08/2008
Posts: 2037

Message Posted:
25/07/2011 20:58

I love the tomatoes here.

In the UK they were so hard you had to keep them on the window sill for at least a few days before they softened up.

Turtle


Joined: 28/05/2007
Posts: 2669

Message Posted:
25/07/2011 21:06

Have to agree totally organic,... a bit rough around the edges but delicious.



I bought some granny smiths from tesco the weekend, 5 in the bag all exactly the same size, not a blemish or scar on them they are absolutely perfect,.................but tastless and £2.49 for 5







£2.49 for 5 designer apples ?

vonny


Joined: 25/06/2009
Posts: 476

Message Posted:
25/07/2011 21:08

some of the tomatoes may not look perfect but like yorgozlu said,they are organic,we grew some real beauties this year,when you cut a tomato in half it smells like a tomato,when you eat it,it tastes like a tomato. back in the uk,it had no smell and was tasteless.

davedee



Joined: 01/12/2008
Posts: 479

Message Posted:
25/07/2011 21:10

I think the tomatoes are lovely;just got to pick through them.

Woodspeckie


Joined: 25/01/2009
Posts: 2263

Message Posted:
25/07/2011 21:14

Turtle. At that price I would leave them where they are, 6 Braburn at Morrisons £1 lovely. dave is right if you know what to look for and pick through them yourself the tomatoes there are lovely, I buy them there in Dec/Jan.

Tootie


Joined: 28/08/2008
Posts: 2037

Message Posted:
25/07/2011 21:15

80 kurus a kilo of Tomatoes in NC = .32p +/-

£1.75 a kilo of Tomatoes @ Tesco. Offer Valid until: 31/07/2011

Tootie


Joined: 28/08/2008
Posts: 2037

Message Posted:
25/07/2011 21:17

Note thats on offer.

Normal price £2.00.

denali2007


Joined: 04/01/2008
Posts: 111

Message Posted:
25/07/2011 21:34

Here in the UK we have all become so used to seeing and eating fruit and veg that looks perfect. However, I have to say that, although the 'looks' of TRNC fruit and veg do not conform to what we have become used to, I know which I prefer to eat, and it is not the supermarket variety!



And how BIG are the radishes???

bigOz


Joined: 29/09/2010
Posts: 1244

Message Posted:
25/07/2011 21:36

it's 60 kuruş in Erülkü Superstore! 23p a kg! Best to buy some ripe ones, throw them in a mixer and crush them. Fry some onions in olive oil first, and pour over the tomato slush. Let it fry for about 5 minutes then stir in 2-3 eggs. Cover and let it simmer for 1-2 mins (with black pepper, and cumin powder, plus a touch of cinnamon of course). Taste this and you will never eat an omelet again

It is an old traditional Mediterranean dish called "Menemen" here, and favorite of many TC households...

Pugwash


Joined: 06/09/2010
Posts: 1797

Message Posted:
25/07/2011 21:42

Do you live here petemate or are a visitor?

Mambosun


Joined: 27/05/2011
Posts: 112

Message Posted:
25/07/2011 22:16

heaven the tomatoes here, i eat loads every week

flowerfairy


Joined: 17/09/2008
Posts: 1277

Message Posted:
25/07/2011 22:24

Thanks for the recipe Ali, guess what's for lunch tomorrow?

Turtle


Joined: 28/05/2007
Posts: 2669

Message Posted:
25/07/2011 22:30

Must give that a go big oz,... it sounds very tasty

Woodspeckie


Joined: 25/01/2009
Posts: 2263

Message Posted:
25/07/2011 22:37

bigOz. Had that treat in Turkey many times but never seen it on the menus in NC, one year in Turkey a fisherman took 12 of us out in his boat for the day, he made a big frying pan full of it and gave each of us a fork, sat round the pan and all dipped in along with a few loaves of bread, great.

joandjelly


Joined: 24/02/2008
Posts: 2953

Message Posted:
25/07/2011 23:19

I love menemen and am currently working my way through a massive bag of tomatoes straight from the field (and aubergines and peppers). But, if anyone thinks the veg here is organic you need to think again.

yorgozlu



Joined: 16/06/2009
Posts: 4437

Message Posted:
25/07/2011 23:27

Bigoz;



some chilli peppers is a must.

yorgozlu



Joined: 16/06/2009
Posts: 4437

Message Posted:
25/07/2011 23:31

must also add.............it has to be eaten with just bread and fingers,no knife and fork in order to get the real taste.

phylray



Joined: 21/09/2007
Posts: 1727

Message Posted:
25/07/2011 23:34

Tomatoes are really tasty here and also carrots, and patlican - sorry aubergines too and so cheap!

The fresh herbs are great too, parsley and coriander - such big bunches, and so good for you.

dippersgirl



Joined: 04/05/2010
Posts: 795

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 00:05

Menemen, best breakfast here, but I agree, not many places serve it!!

In Dipkarpaz no problem!!!!!!!!!

Jefferson


Joined: 17/05/2010
Posts: 360

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 00:30

Tomatoes brilliant. In the UK at the moment, lemons special offer 3 for 90 pence. Can,t wait to get back!

petemate


Joined: 16/09/2008
Posts: 228

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 00:56

Msg 14

I live here and am fed up of trying to find good tomatoes.

My mum used to grow really tasty ones in UK and we did ourselves.

But most often here in the shops they are soft, tasteless, oversized and no seeds in them and past their best.

Maybe its down to the variety, but I would have thought that in this climate that they could do a lot better.

Thanks for all your replies.

petemate

negativenick


Joined: 10/11/2008
Posts: 6023

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 06:59

mess 12 - some similarity in the trnc property ten..



in the sales brochure, your new villa looks perfect, but what they finally build you rarely is........

Agobard


Joined: 20/08/2008
Posts: 271

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 07:29

I'm not sure why people assume that the tomatoes here are all organic as they most assuredly are not! I'm sure that some are but virtually every year there are reports of hundreds of tons of tomatoes being destroyed in the fields due to excessive levels of pesticide residues.

cavalryman


Joined: 08/11/2010
Posts: 314

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 08:46

Must say the best tomatoes for looks are normally in the army shop but for taste ALL better than eu toms.They taste just like they used to before they all had to be a "certain size or flown 3000 miles and last forever."Uk toms no taste here they taste like tomatoes seeeemples

simbas



Joined: 16/07/2007
Posts: 5943

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 08:56

Love the tomatoes , buy mine from Famagusta Market { on a thursday }

Simbas

Tango1


Joined: 19/02/2011
Posts: 1151

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 08:56

I agree with Msg.13 pick through the "better" ones if you want them for salad, but the "squashy, mishapen" ones are perfect for chopping up and making into sauces, provided you add sufficient cracked black pepper and mint and thyme (just a matter of choice). I also agree with Msg.27, all vegetables and fruit are almost certainly NOT organic and people are deluding themselves if they think that is the case. I am trying to ascertain some of the chemicals used as I suspect some of the insectacides are possibly banned in the EU. I have no proof, just a suspicion I have.

jimchris09


Joined: 13/02/2009
Posts: 547

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 09:19

When we visit Cyprus one of the pleasures is the fruit and veg available!

Troodo


Joined: 12/06/2008
Posts: 1002

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 09:30

msg 30.

Not killer tomatoes again?

Navek



Joined: 01/06/2008
Posts: 2656

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 09:58

Some of the best tasting tomatoes are the big ugly ones,

that you would not normally give a second look at back home!

Looks are only skin deep.

YUM YUM YUM

Navek

Tango1


Joined: 19/02/2011
Posts: 1151

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 14:20

Msg. 33, great for making tomatoe soup either hot or cold. BTW, supermarkets appear to be bowing to pressure now. They are selling a whole load of fruit, all of which appears to be cloned - e.g. imported apples. Only wish it was possible to buy really decent avocados!!



T1

martinD41


Joined: 06/09/2010
Posts: 3001

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 14:39

Coming from an Island which is World famous for it's Tom's,I have to agree with msg1,most of the tom's here would be rejected before they even got to the inspection stage..And the Avocados are just awful......But the Melons are very good...

YFred


Joined: 06/05/2009
Posts: 1471

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 15:12

Take the trouble to buy from local shops or the farmers themseles and you will taste real tomato. I reccomend Lurucina Tomatos. Well known to the locals.

andre514


Joined: 05/10/2010
Posts: 763

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 15:57

yorg,



in many parts such as tatlisu etc there are extensive greenhouse complexes

and truly vast ones in southern turkey



although in hotter countries I think it is partly to conserve water, and also to

get started earlier



as regards organic, products labelled so are on sale everywhere in the west

Serkan


Joined: 12/05/2009
Posts: 75

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 18:02

I don't where you get your tomatos from but try local farmers or people who don't it for mass production.

JohhnyLee


Joined: 25/04/2009
Posts: 2495

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 18:29

What a ridiculous heading,



We must have the best fruit and veg in the world.



Or maybe some people would rather have the EU approved correct shaped stuff with no taste.



It's just remined me I was in a supermarket yesterday, in Lapta, and I heard an English woman say to her Husband, "these potatoes are all dirty" (it may have something to do with the fact that they are grown in proper soil)

Fawkes


Joined: 18/07/2011
Posts: 86

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 18:44

Rubbish and trnc seem top be frequent bedfellows.

Clarissa2


Joined: 12/06/2009
Posts: 1476

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 18:56

Re: Msg 39,

"... in Lapta, and I heard an English woman say to her Husband, "these potatoes are all dirty"..."



Perhaps the closest they've been to potatoes is Aunt Bessie's oven chips from a freezer.

martinD41


Joined: 06/09/2010
Posts: 3001

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 19:10

The point is Clarissa2,,,,,you are paying for the soil....as well as the spuds....



Msg39 "Best fruit and veg in the world"........rather a sweeping statement me thinks.

yenibob


Joined: 13/10/2010
Posts: 1203

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 19:16

The fruit and veg in the North at the moment is rubbish. Not sure where the good stuff is going (exported?), but it is not into the shops/markets hereabouts.

Those with green tinted glasses apparently have very low standards.



Bob

JohhnyLee


Joined: 25/04/2009
Posts: 2495

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 19:20

Fair point martinD41. But the best I have tasted and Iv'e travelled a fair bit.



They don't always look good, but to us it's the taste that counts.



I remember trying and trying to get tomatoes and carrots in the UK with some taste to them, and it was very difficult.

martinD41


Joined: 06/09/2010
Posts: 3001

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 19:36

"Travelled a fair bit"



So have I Lee,but for instance the Cauliflowers look like they have been kicked round a Coal yard,and the carrots feel like rubber.And when the racks start to empty they just chuck the New stock on top of the old..

JohhnyLee


Joined: 25/04/2009
Posts: 2495

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 19:46

martinD41, where do you buy your veg ? Do you ever use Lemar I find there produce is generally very well presented, yes at this time of year they struggle a bit and certain veg etc. go out of season as they should.

Clarissa2


Joined: 12/06/2009
Posts: 1476

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 19:56

Re: Msg 42,"The point is Clarissa2,,,,,you are paying for the soil....as well as the spuds.... "



The point, martinD42, is that in the UK they charge you more than double for 'the privilege' to have potatoes with the soil direct from the farm!

Clarissa2


Joined: 12/06/2009
Posts: 1476

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 19:57

Re : Msg 47,



Sorry, you are martinD41.

Fawkes


Joined: 18/07/2011
Posts: 86

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 20:14

wait til it comes out how many have goten cancer from the pestacides they are using on the fruit and veg in trnc.







5th highest cancer rate in the world

martinD41


Joined: 06/09/2010
Posts: 3001

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 20:24

msg48....yes Martin D41, that's correct,the Martin D42 is a rather more ornate guitar.



In the UK you have a choice of potatoes,about 50 varieties, here it's the same old same old..very tedious

martinD41


Joined: 06/09/2010
Posts: 3001

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 20:25

msg 49 Fawkes you beat me to it..

rocking


Joined: 05/11/2008
Posts: 421

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 20:43

I love every veg here, fresh and appetising, the thing is lots of UK residents do not know how to cook some of the veg (I don't, but my husband does, thank goodness). Mulaher (probably spelt incorrectly) a wonderful dish all the different pulses cooked so many ways. When we go to the UK to see family never buy a tomato or cucumber absolutely tasteless. We grow a lot of our own stuff and I personally think the spuds are great here. Also we normally here can only buy what is in season you will not get cauliflowers until the winter. Taste the new celery out at the moment, very thin but great. Let's stop moaning about a bit of veg.

martinD41


Joined: 06/09/2010
Posts: 3001

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 22:07

I thought that moaning about Veg here was the topic...

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11281

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 22:21

@ msg 1, moaner Petemate: (...) Why are the Tomatos so rubbish in Cyprus? The heading says it all, So is most of the other veg (...)

▶ Why don't you buy you tomatoes and vegs in the UK - and eat them THERE?! What a ridiculous sad post again.

mitsi


Joined: 14/08/2008
Posts: 345

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 22:30

Why moan about the tomatoes when everything else is rubbish too. Never seen such rotten produce. This year even the broccoli, which is normally wonderful, was very poor indeed. Kiwi fruit is as hard as bullets and doesn't ripen up, just goes rotten. Avocadoes are the worst I'cve ever tasted. Strawberries and cherries are the best ever but all else is not fit for purpose.

dalartokat


Joined: 14/04/2008
Posts: 734

Message Posted:
26/07/2011 23:52

I think you all should come home now, its obviously getting to you all...housing, roads,the driving, flights, work permits, dogs, cats, lack of electricity, no water,(I'm welling up now, can't take it) and finally the tomato....mitsi you poor thing, would you like me to meet you at the airport? It must be awful for you, no Avocado, brocolli, Kiwi fruit, I do feel for you...let me know when you arrive and I'l greet you with a nice Hamper from Lidl....

CarrieRBag



Joined: 23/12/2008
Posts: 1374

Message Posted:
27/07/2011 08:50

Msg 56 made me chuckle but have to agree, I find the fruit and veg disappointing but once you get used to the disappointment, you make the most of it. Wed market does seem to have the best fruit and veg, if you can be bothered in this heat. IMHO of course!

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
27/07/2011 09:05

In RoC, I frequently saw many examples of now banned, highly dangerous agrochemicals being used on every type of veggies - how did I know for sure?



Simple - the discarded [labelled] containers were just discarded in the paddocks!



I have no proof that this practice occurs in TRNC..............but!!!

Tango1


Joined: 19/02/2011
Posts: 1151

Message Posted:
27/07/2011 11:32

BTW, re message about Cauliflowers looking as if they had been kicked around and were bruised. The locals prefer them with some brown bits on, they say they taste better and are ripe and after a few years here I'm inclined to agree. Whenever i've brought the rock hard, pure white cauliflower as per Tesco they seem tastless. Rather one with brown bits on, than frozen, which is what some places are dishing up here.



I do think that lack of water is the cause of a lot of the problems. Plus the fact that the "pickers" and local farmers pick and package what they would eat themselves, whereas Lemar etc will import what they think we now want and are prepared to pay over the top for.

YFred


Joined: 06/05/2009
Posts: 1471

Message Posted:
27/07/2011 11:48

Why on earth would anybody wish to kill a decent vegetable by frying it when it tastes a million times better eaten fresh in a salad. Just think of all that oil and what it does to your body.



Yorg I am beging to have doubts about your Lurucadi heretage! lol

Tango1


Joined: 19/02/2011
Posts: 1151

Message Posted:
27/07/2011 12:18

Good film that "Fried Green Tomatoes"!!

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
29/07/2011 13:57

The most dangerous agrochemical I saw frequently used in the RoC is 'Parathion' - not systemic, but deadly nevertheless!



If you want to know how toxic, simply 'Google/Wiki':- 'parathion'!



Be prepared to be horrified!



Does anyone know if it is used in TRNC............. ???

Clarissa2


Joined: 12/06/2009
Posts: 1476

Message Posted:
29/07/2011 14:05

Re : Msg 62

Tenakoutou,



Aren't they in RoC supposed to follow the EU rules on the chemicals allowed for the agricultural use?

andre514


Joined: 05/10/2010
Posts: 763

Message Posted:
29/07/2011 14:11

there is a wartime recipe for green tomato jam

anybody tried it?



...excuse me while I puke

martinD41


Joined: 06/09/2010
Posts: 3001

Message Posted:
29/07/2011 16:08

msg63 Clerissa2 They (the RoC) are supposed to follow the EU rules on "everything".God alone knows what happens here............

hulyatoon


Joined: 30/05/2011
Posts: 21

Message Posted:
29/07/2011 17:04

when you live in the UK (like us) :( you are used t 'plastic fruit and veg' that tastes like nothing.. the tomoatoes and all other fruit and veg are amazing in north cyprus. love it!

daisy dukes


Joined: 06/09/2008
Posts: 3815

Message Posted:
29/07/2011 17:22

Maybe your taste buds are just so crap from years of genetically modified 'perfect' fruit that now you simply don't remember what the 'real' taste is supposed to taste like?!!



Said in jest...please don't get the hump with me...





DD

keithr


Joined: 20/08/2008
Posts: 720

Message Posted:
29/07/2011 17:32

The veg here is lovely,cheap and wholesome,what is your problem ???



Missing Waitrose's Locally sourced,grown by hand,harvested by sustainable tractors with organic Polish slave workers Tomatoes....???



At least they are grown in soil,unlike most of the Uk crap...

keithr


Joined: 20/08/2008
Posts: 720

Message Posted:
29/07/2011 17:51

The veg here is great,maybe you are missing your Waitrose crap ???

cyprusdave



Joined: 18/08/2009
Posts: 83

Message Posted:
29/07/2011 18:21

THE TOMATOES ARE LOVLEY IN CYPRUS TRY 3TL FOR 4 TOMATOES IN THAILAND FROM TESCOS

LittleQueenie


Joined: 20/04/2011
Posts: 107

Message Posted:
30/07/2011 01:07

I worry about the use of pesticides here.. Everyone tells me all produce here is 'organic' but then some produce for example in Lemar has an 'organic' sticker on.. So what is the rest of the produce?



I have driven past and seen them clearly spraying crops with pesticides (I have no proof), unless they are misting the crop like i do with my own plants ;-)



Maybe home grown/allotment type growing between a group of equal minded people is the way forward.. I would rather buy misshapen fruit & veg from an 'organic farmers market stall' than assume it is organic as we are in Northern Cyprus...

bondi


Joined: 12/07/2007
Posts: 116

Message Posted:
30/07/2011 08:52

When I buy and eat the tomatos in TRNC I am on a nostalgia path back to when my father had an allotment in the 1950s - the produce was mishapen sometimes a little green round the edges but smelt beautiful - there was so much taste if I recall and the TRNC ones bring those memories back to life - whilst waxing lyrical I always buy them at the Girne market. Returning home to Tesco recently I bought - I think they are Dutch - symmetrical, all red and all the same shape totally tasteless but they look good! The ones on the vine are better but not as good as TRNC.

Ossie


Joined: 19/01/2008
Posts: 311

Message Posted:
30/07/2011 08:54

To all the negative comments especially message 1----- Bullshit

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11281

Message Posted:
30/07/2011 09:21

@ msg 72, Bondi: (...) Returning home to Tesco recently I bought - I think they are Dutch - symmetrical, all red and all the same shape totally tasteless but they look good! (...)

▶ I fully agree (and you may believe that I have some experience with Dutch tomatoes...). And imagine: you buy export quality in the UK! Guess what we buy (bought) in Holland..!

If the Germans were ever right and hit the nail on the head: a couple of years ago en masse they refused to buy Dutch tomatoes, calling them (translated) "water bombs".

We love the tomatoes we buy in TRNC.

martinD41


Joined: 06/09/2010
Posts: 3001

Message Posted:
30/07/2011 10:39

msg74...Well let's face it,the Germans know a thing or to about Bombs,but I guess coming from Holland you would know that......."We love the tomatoes we buy in TRNC", No surprise there!,,,Personally I prefer the real "Guernsey Organic" tomatoes,and judging by the number exported to Germany ,so do they................

chocoloco


Joined: 01/09/2010
Posts: 43

Message Posted:
30/07/2011 10:52

What a load of C**p post 1. I went back to UK for a couple of weeks last month and made a complaint the other way. Unless you pay £5 for a box of cherry tomatoes from Marks and Spencers. Your normal tomato in Tesco has no flavour and is made to look good but not taste good. As goes for all the other fruit and veg, i would rather eat it here than in the UK. I think the only problem here is the storage. They need to be more chilled temp once they are picked.





D

martinD41


Joined: 06/09/2010
Posts: 3001

Message Posted:
30/07/2011 11:09

msg 76....The Tomatoes in Tesco are probably Dutch, and therefore fall into DC's description,"Water Bombs"...I agree that the fruit and veg here is very badly Handled/Stored.....and the excessive heat causes it wilt almost immediately....

mikelapta



Joined: 20/11/2008
Posts: 2186

Message Posted:
30/07/2011 11:24

Why do you have to BUY tomatoes here?

I have a few pots on my patio,and have been picking them "fresh"as requiredfor the past few months

These were grown from seed in the Spring.

I also have a crop of cucumbers,again picked as required.

In the pots?handfuls of old sheep manure,some compost and earth,



And my friends come round and "pick their own "



I LOVE the produce here,esp.if you "grow your own"

martinD41


Joined: 06/09/2010
Posts: 3001

Message Posted:
30/07/2011 11:27

Absolutely right Mike.....we do the same,at least you know what you are eating as regards pesticides,or should I say the lack of them......

mikelapta



Joined: 20/11/2008
Posts: 2186

Message Posted:
30/07/2011 11:30

Yes Martin,100%organic.



I could never eat tomatoes in UK......here,they are so delicious.



As you say 100% natural