Truss tomatoes are grown in such a way that the tomatoes are left attached to the vine. This is a sort of quality control so that the consumer has a guarantee that all of our Red Baron premium truss tomatoes are left to ripen on the vine, maximising the flavour and juiciness in every tomato.

If you look closely at a truss tomato, they vary in ripeness between the top and the bottom tomato. The top tomato is the ripest and should therefore be eaten first, however all of the tomatoes should be left on the vine as each tomato will continue to draw nutrients out of the vine, giving the tomatoes longer shelf life, and more sugars as they ripen. It is therefore very important to treat the tomatoes carefully so as to keep them attached to the vine and out of the fridge, maximising the eating qualities of our tomatoes.

By now you've probably been told a million times that you should never put tomatoes in the refrigerator. But aside from knowing they'll get soggy and taste a little worse for the wear, do you really know why?

Tomatoes originate from warm, desert-like climates, so they prefer to be hot. Tomatoes stored in the fridge aren't just unhappy, they undergo a chemical change that weakens their flavor and alters their texture. The beloved tomato taste -- that deep, grassy flavor -- is the result of aroma volatile compounds. Refrigeration not only stops the production of new aroma volatiles, but it also deteriorates already existing ones, a study from French National Institute for Agricultural Research proved.

And then there's the texture. The cold breaks down cell walls in tomatoes, causing them to turn mealy. Actually, that can occur when temperatures dip below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and most refrigerators are set below that at 40 degrees. In sum, a refrigerated tomato will taste like nothing, and consist of a mealy texture (especially if that refrigerated tomato wasn't perfectly ripe to begin with).

No. The seeds we use are hybrids. This is true for almost all commercial varieties and is a way for seed companies to recoup the money they invest into research for new varieties that are resistant to pests and have stronger growth habits. We make sure that the seed companies’ breeding programs are all natural and that our tomatoes are definitely not genetically modified.

There is a lot of confusion about what products are organic and what products are not. A recent survey showed that many consider greenhouse tomatoes as less healthy than field grown produce. This is not true because firstly the greenhouse limits insects from getting to the plants and we have been able to reduce our chemical use by 50% compared to outdoor growers.

However hydroponic does not mean organic because we still have to use some pesticides to combat insects. However, there are naturally occurring insects that combat tomato pests, without the use of chemicals. Unfortunately there is not a full arsenal for each pest that can affect tomato plants, but the technology of breeding natural enemies of tomato pests is rapidly improving, we can see a future of not using any pesticides at all. If people continue to demand healthy foods, that future maybe a lot closer than you think, so while we do not spray for some pests, we do for other pests. Because we would kill the beneficial insects if we would spray them with the harsh chemicals that other farmers might use, we choose our chemicals very carefully.

We use food grade fertilisers and we select our suppliers based on how food safe their fertilisers are. We are able to then provide our plants with the optimum ‘diet’ of nutrients so the plants grow healthy and the fruit tastes great. The use of the word diet is not accidental as all the fertilisers we use consist of non organic nutrients which you’ll find in any vitamin supplement pill. Nutrients such as Calcium, Iron, Magnesium etc. Those exact nutrients end up in the tomato which we feel is a much better and tastier way of maintaining your body’s mineral level than swallowing a pill!

Our tomatoes are grown in a growing medium called coco peat. This is a by-product from the coconut industry that is recycled as a growing medium. The material is made from the husk of the coconut and has the same characteristics as peatmoss. The coco peat, as it is called, is great for growing tomatoes or any kinds of plants as it has a great capacity to hold nutrients but also retains oxygen. In this system nutrients are still added to the feeding solution.

After use in our glasshouse, the coco peat is reused by a nursery to improve and enrich soils that are low in organic matter content so there is no waste.

Red Baron Tomatoes are available from selected quality purveyors of fine fresh foods.

Contrary to popular belief there is no such thing as low acid tomatoes. This is a concept that was introduced by the tomato canning industry in the 1950’s. Research has been done into the acidity of various tomato varieties, but very little difference was found. The best way to reduce acidity in tomatoes is to let them ripen on the vine, which is exactly what we do. Part of the reason our tomatoes taste good is because we only harvest them when they are ripe. This allows the natural sugars to develop fully, and reduce the acid. The best advice we can give is to only eat the ripest fruit and avoid orange coloured fruit.!

Tomatoes contain calcium and vitamin C, to name just two of their beneficial properties. A study done recently found that people in Northern Italy who ate 7 or more servings of raw tomato per week had up to 60% less chance of developing colon, rectal, or stomach cancers compared to individuals who ate two servings or less. There are also indications that tomatoes may play a role in the prevention of heart disease, high cholesterol, and fatty deposits in the arteries.

The nutrient most responsible for these health benefits is lycopene. Lycopene provides the red colour to tomato products and is one of the major carotenoids in the diet of Europeans. Lycopene has been found to have an anti-oxidant effect on cells, decreasing the risk of a host of cancers, with prostate cancer being the most notable and increasing evidence of a decrease in breast cancer.

However whilst our tomatoes are good for you, we also endeavour to provide you with the best tasting tomato. A lot of people complain ‘why can’t the tasty things be good for you?’ We at Red Baron think we have changed this, so enjoy our tomatoes for the taste, whilst getting the nutrition and health benefits that tomatoes provide.