Tomato dishes 'may protect skin' BBC A team found adding five tablespoons of tomato paste to the daily diet of 10 volunteers improved the skin's ability to protect against harmful UV rays.
Taller isn't better for tomato plant starts Seattle Post-Intelligencer When you buy tomato starts, look for the sturdy, short ones, rather than the thin long ones.
Genetic sleuths unmask secrets of big tomatoes Reuters he secret behind growing large tomatoes lies not in the fertilizer or the perfect soil conditions, but in just a few genetic changes that over time have resulted in tomatoes 1,000 times bigger than their wild ancestors.
Return of upside-down tomato San Jose Mercury News The hands-down favorite with readers - worthy of the Tomato Experiment Hall of Fame - is the upside-down tomato.
Huntington Hartford began life as one of the richest men in America but he wanted to be remembered for more than his money. In this he succeeded only insofar as he became celebrated for the ways he lost it.
June 02, 2008
We need to talk.
I believe that, in general, faithful readers of these dispatches are as intelligent and sensible as they come. But word is that some of you have not even thought about planting a tomato garden.
Surely you realize that whatever you experience during the next few months cannot properly be called "summer" if it does not include the consumption of tomatoes picked five minutes ago from vines growing in your own dirt.
Sweet Solanum lycopersicum. Is there another plant that varies so greatly between the supermarket version and the homegrown? Surely we can all agree that winter supermarket tomatoes -- bred for durability, picked green and ripened with noxious gases -- are measly, flavorless abominations. But even the better heirloom varieties at your local Bodega Organica are but a pale imitation of the bright, sweet, tangy essence of life borne by a freshly picked homegrown fruit. (Yes, they're fruits, not vegetables.)
And there's really no excuse anymore for not growing your own. Variable climate? One of the new breed of small, patio- or deck-friendly greenhouses will keep plants comfortably warm even in conditions as extreme as the foggy, arctic outer reaches of San Francisco.
Not much space? Any reasonable living space can at least accommodate a few cherry tomato plants grown in suitable containers.
Just not good with plants? Comprehensive tomato-growing systems such as the TopsyTurvy or a self-watering planter make the process all but idiot-proof. Organic fertilizers, grow-cloths and hormone sprays stack the odds even more in your favor.
Not sure it's worth the trouble? How can a sensate person not be intrigued by a plant with nicknames such as "wolf peach" (a reference to the plant's supposed role in turning unwitting consumers into werewolves) and "love apple" and heirloom varieties such as the Boxcar Willie, the UglyRipe and the Mortgage Lifter? Whose history in the Western world was for centuries clouded by beliefs that the fruit was either a dangerously potent aphrodisiac or poisonous, to the extent where a British agent reportedly tried to assassinate George Washington by sneaking tomatoes onto his dinner plate.
More pragmatically, tomatoes are loaded with lycopene, a potent antioxidant shown in various studies to reduce the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer, particularly of the prostate. Tomatoes are also thought to have natural blood-thinning properties, making them beneficial for preventing diabetes and stroke, and they're rich in bone-building Vitamin K. All these benefits are more pronounced in fruits allowed to fully ripen on the vine.
Tomatoes are an important part of popular culture, from the "tomayto/tomahto" debate in Gershwin's "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" to George Clooney's breakthrough role in Return of the Killer Tomatoes. (Sample dialogue: "That's the bravest thing I've ever seen a vegetable do.")
But it's likely that nobody's ever said it better than Texas songwriter/sage Guy Clark in his ode to the joys of backyard gardening:
Homegrown tomatoes, homegrown tomatoes
What'd life be without homegrown tomatoes
Only two things that money can't buy
That's true love & homegrown tomatoes
Share the Eye:
Hey, Nice Tomatoes... Vince Sweeney's Blog Beefsteaks don't fly with tomato snobs, those who sniff with contempt at any tomato that isn't' some obscure heirloom variety grown only by people smarter than you are. I don't like tomato snobs.
Burger King stalls on increasing tomato pickers' salaries Slashfood Tomato pickers have to pick 125 buckets worth of the fruit in order to get $50-60 per day, and work 10-12 hours in the hot Florida sun.
Tomato Growing Tips - Growing Tomatoes in Your Garden The Magic of Gardening Anyone who has sliced a fresh tomato on a sandwich...knows that the taste of store-bought tomatoes can't come thick to that of a fresh garden tomato.
tomato starts, 2008 Culinaria Eugenius I’ve been mucking about in our native heavy clay, prepping my vegetable beds, and buying starts.
still thinking about today...
Which is best homegrown?
56% 6% 13% 25%
I like tomatoes.
I prefer hothouse tomatoes because they have that distinctive small and taste. A day without tomatoes is a day without sunshine.
I like tomatoes in any form: fresh, canned, dried. It's a versatile fruit. It can be eaten raw, cooked or dried, or made into a sauce. I find them easy to grow here in Southern California; especially cherry tomatoes.
They are fantastic in a bacon and tomato frittata.
I've also grown zuchinni. The first time I misread the instructions. Instead of one seed every 3 or 4 feet I planted 3 or 4 seeds every foot. I had a jungle of zuchinni. Sometimes I'd leave them growing and they would grow to the size of small watermellons.
If there is anything that tastes better and is more refreshing on a sunny summer day than a just-picked-from-your-own-backyard-tomato sandwich (with naught but a drizzle of olive oil and coarse sea salt) then it should be immediately shot and then imprisoned for it is surely both illegal and immoral.
Good tomatoes are hard to find these days. Those and strawberries; that's why we're growing our own.
And they're so easy - don't even need "garden" space, some big pots will do.
I agree with Heiress....now I'm off to make a BLT!
I hope Mr. Peterman will not expel me from this community for my lack of inclination to join in the homegrowing activities. Mr. Peterman is a gentleman of the country and his passion for that is an enormous part of his charm. I am ultra-metropolitan, not just in geography but in virtually every aspect of my interests (and I HOPE that is part of my charm). I enjoy a good tomato sauce or the addition to a sandwich as much as anyone, but one of my favorite aspects of city life is the variety and convenience of restaurants and shops of virtually any quality in the world.
As for many in a city like mine, it's actually rather rare that I eat at home. Eating out is one of the beloved rituals of our super metropolitan culture. When I do eat at home, I find the legendary Union Square Greenmarket every bit as satisfactory as the multitude of widely admired chefs who personally shop there.
I have little doubt that, if I lived in a more rural area, I would feel differently on this subject, mostly because I would be inclined re-distribute my time and efforts toward things more traditionally associated with that atmosphere, and growing one's own produce is surely one of them. In the meantime, my heart belongs to the culinary wizards who have made it their life's work to do it for me.
Spinner said...
It's called "burn out", folks. Yes, I love the so-much-better taste of home grown tomatoes, but if you recall a comment some time past, we had a big garden when we lived in small town America and my husband even dared to give me a rototiller for my birthday one year. So been there, done that, and for a lot of years. Now that we live in the big(ger) city, I prefer going to the local fresh produce market. So I guess, even though I am coming from the other side of the barn, I, too, agree with DPR.
Apartment dweller here. I will admit to thinking about growing my own vegies and/or herbs, but I don't have the time or the space. But when I get into a house later this year (knock on wood), my opportunities to returns to my farming roots increase. Like Spinner, I have been there, grew that in my youth. I was a farm boy in Indiana with a decent sized garden. Now, as a Dallas dweller, Whole Foods is my garden.
To: Agent666,
Your in Dallas!?! I'm in Keller!
Hello LaDonna, I think you asked me a question a couple of days ago - yes, I do live in France. There are marvelous varieties of old-fashioned beefheart tomatoes here by the way. ;)
A portion of my family is moving to Austin... So I'll be a sort of Texan too, whence "home" in the USA.
To: Heiress,
Love the old-fashioned beefheart tomatoes (the best). And, Welcome to Texas! You are a very lucky lady, to be able to live in two wonderful places!
DPR,
My friend (if I may be so presumptuous), being an ultra-metropolitan is most certainly a part of your charm; just as I hope that my penchant for fresh tomato sandwiches is not my only ticket into this wonderful circle of creative, fresh minds and diverse, thoughtful opinions.
I live in both worlds, a small city surrounded by corn fields that is slowly, but surely shedding it's agricultural past and I'm only an hour away by train from the Chicago Loop.
Mr. Peterman,
You have quickened my desire to watch "Return of the Killer Tomatoes". I've always been a sucker for "B" movies. We need another environmental-nature v.s. science topic that could incorporate the movie "The Blob".
I personally Love Tomatoes ~ growing up in a farming community we had a garden & grew them in the summers.
Where I live now there isn't really enough sun on the land to get anything to grow. I buy at the local Farmers Markets & some boothes are home grown from the garden ones. Those are the best & they are the best priced also. I mean really who wants perfectly shaped & colored tomatoes?
About a month ago I went to this little cafe in Door County & had for breakfast what they call "The Tomato" it is a toasted bagel with basil pesto, cream cheese and roma tomatoes. It was WONDERFUL ~ It was a great way to welcome Spring to WI.
Of course in my perfect world the ideal spring/summer menu would be tomatoes, strawberries, peas (shelling or pod) and Sweet Corn on the Cob....
And as always wishing we had a Trader Joes & a Whole Foods in my area.....
MACKDADDY1 said...
My Dad grew the worlds most delicious beefsteak (the big red kind) tomatoes among other fruits and vegetables in a tiny backyard garden for many years. I have not had a tomato that even comes close to his since he passed away almost eight years ago. I would go out into our backyard as a child, pick several ripe ones (and steal a few green to fry as well) almost every single day. That was living! Thank you for reminding me of my Dad and the wonderful smells, taste, and memories of the bounty I was so blessed with. It was a good thing.
To: La Donna
Yep, I'm in Dallas. Far North Dallas to be exact. I've run a couple of triathlons in your neck of the woods this year. Perhaps you saw me during the cycling leg: I was the one with the look of agony!
To: Agent666,
Soooooo that was YOU! ; )
La Donna,
Don't tell ExPat! We don't want him to get jealous or start any rumors about us. Who needs Twitter when I've got the real deal. Three cheers for tomatoes!
SSJ:
Peter the Great once pointed out to his closest advisor that he was bestowed with "the title of Friend, far higher than that of Prince or Boyar." You are not remotely presumptuous. And I am honored to hold the title.
DPR;
"right back atcha" as they say on the South-Side.
Nordo said...
JP, you are right. A tomato garden would be a worthy venture. And I have the perfect spot that gets some nice morning sun.
Either that, or I may start a row or two of grapes. Now THAT would be courageous, no?
Spinner said...
Macdaddy1, you reminded me of my parents and their garden. It was in the same spot forever and apparently the soil got depleated of whatever tomatoes need and they no longer would grow. But they had grown cherry tomatoes a lot and apparently they were still close enough to the wild, that for some years after they quit their garden, they had cherry tomato plants growing around the fence and anywhere the mower couldn't quit hit. Very tasty little critters, or as an unnamed past VP would say, tomatoe.
Funny you should bring this up.
Even though the "dog days of summer" haven't truly hit yet, it IS sultry hot here. Grilling is in full swing and so are the casual "bring a dish" parties.
My fall back? Insalata Caprese. I can't get enough of it. The tomatoes have to be perfect or it just doesn't cut it. It also has to be room temperature or the flavors won't meld right. It disappears pretty quickly!
Once, when our family was visiting my grandmother in North Dakota, I disappeared for a few hours before anyone noticed.
I had wandered into my grandma's backyard and noticed the neighbor lady gardening. I had never seen anyone garden before. I asked her what she was doing and she said that she was picking cucumbers to make pickles.
It had never occurred to me before that moment that pickles WERE cucumbers! I told her that and she laughed and got a big kick out of it {I suspect b/c my grandparents had previously been farmers too}! She invited me over to help her pick some cucumbers and tomatoes.
My mom found me eventually and asked me what I was doing. I told her that I was helping "the pickle lady" (as she was henceforth known) boil the mason jars. I was super excited and even had my first hand picked tomato with salt and pepper while I was patiently waiting for the water to boil. It was probably some of the best tomatoes that I have ever had. Something about hand picking them myself, I bet :)
Mr. Peterman,
Is that your baby tomato all grown up? It is a beauty!
Greetings from the coast of NC. I am afraid that most folks think that the "red tomato" found on their salad or cheese burger or purchased from the local supermarket is a fresh tomato. As Mr. P. stated, these fruits are picked while still green and ripened artificially, kept cool to keep them looking "new".
Sadly, we are raising an entire generation of people who don't know what a true farm (or garden) fresh tomato tastes like. Not all progress is forward.
I apologize for always being last. I really must be a sloth.