A Matter of Taste - Soil: Reflections on the Basis of our Existence - page 117

Sweden, with the Danish coast visible across the sea. The aroma of wild garlic
among the oak trees and the view over the shimmering blue sea bring back nostal-
gic childhood memories. On my way back home after a day spent at Kullaberg, I
was driving through the region's tomato-growing heartland and decided to stop at
a farm to stock up on provisions. A sea of tomatoes—red and yellow, green and
deep purple, oval and pear-shaped—greeted me. I had often wondered if tomatoes
must be grown in soil for maximum taste and here was an opportunity to find out:
all the tomatoes here were grown in soil-free rock wool.
I asked a lady packing tomatoes in boxes if she could point out any tasty
varieties.
“They're all good,” she replied. “It all depends on your personal taste.”
“But do they really taste as good when not grown in soil?” I asked.
“Whether there's soil or not is irrelevant,” she told me. “It's all about having the right
fertiliser.”
A young woman walked past and put down a stack of boxes with newly picked
tomatoes. I could not resist asking her if she had any tips for how to grow sweet-
tasting tomatoes.
Fragile taste . Soft-skinned tomatoes are often full of flavour. But because they are difficult to
transport they are not cultivated commercially and are seldom found in stores. If you grow your
own tomatoes, you have much more choice. Several of the varieties in the bowl come from seeds
bought from ￅke Truedsson, a Swede who propagates and maintains hundreds of different varie-
ties of tomatoes, selling seeds to those who join his tomato club