Hawaii's Share Your Table

You’ll love Fresh Roasted Tomatoes – simple to prepare and so delicious that you’ll want to make them all the time. Full of tomatoey flavor and goodness, these tomatoes are addictive!

As always, good food begins with good ingredients. Buy the best tomatoes you can find at the supermarket. Slow roast them in this classic Italian preparation and enjoy them with pasta, on top of fish or bread or even in a salad.

“Supermarket” Tomatoes vs. Branded Tomatoes

About three quarters of all the tomatoes found in local supermarkets are grown right here in Hawaii. Surprised?

Most of the tomatoes come from Kunia where Sugarland grows an abundance of beefsteak tomatoes. These are your basic “supermarket” tomatoes, low in price, picked green and gassed to enhance the ripening process. At the supermarket these tomatoes will appear orangey-red in color and will be firm to the touch. It’s best to let them ripen for a few days before using.

Supermarkets also stock a variety of branded tomatoes like Green Grower tomatoes from Hauula, Hamakua Country Springs and Kamuela tomatoes from the Big Island. You’ll pay a bit more for these tomatoes but they are naturally ripened, often on the vine, and usually pack more flavor. Smaller tomatoes like cocktail, cherry and grape varieties also tend to be more flavorful; buy these for salads where they will really add some punch. Farmers' markets are a good source of tasty tomatoes, too.