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Know Your Fruits and Veggies™ - Tomato
By Dawn Swidorski, Public Outreach Director
The perfect red ripe tomato – bursting with juices and rich
flavor is the ultimate taste of summer. Yet, so often, what passes for a tomato
at the supermarket is a bland, mealy, thick skinned offering that’s traveled
thousands of miles to get to your plate – it’s no wonder people don’t like
eating their vegetables!
Tomatoes are actually one of the 5 top vegetables eaten by
Americans, though most of the time they are eaten cooked in ketchup, barbecue
sauce or tomato sauce. Fortunately, cooking actually brings out one of the
important antioxidants in tomatoes: lycopene.
Tomatoes originated
in South America somewhere in the Peruvian highlands and were small green fruits.
They were first domesticated by the Aztecs of Mexico because they were similar
in size and appearance to the tomatillo, a staple of their diet. There is some disagreement among historians
on whether the tomato was taken to Spain by Columbus (1493) or Cortez (1521)
but it was first mentioned in Western literature in 1544 by an Italian botanist,
who named it pomo d’oro, golden apple
presumably because, by then, they were yellow in color.
The tomato is the fruit of the plant Lycopersicon
lycopersicum and is a member of the Solanaceae, or Nightshade family like
peppers and eggplant. Lycopersicon means "wolf peach" in Latin so they
were originally thought be to poisonous by Europeans who used it primarily as
an ornamental plant.
Although there are
literally thousands of varieties of tomato there are three main types:
Cluster tomatoes -- which are generally very
small in size from a large pea to a golf ball and may be round, grape or pear
shaped – these include cherry tomatoes and grape tomatoes
Globe tomatoes – which are round and grow
between 4 – 9 inches in diameter – these include Beefsteak, Brandywines, Early
Girls and most Heirlooms
Plum tomatoes – which are more elongated and
meatier than other tomatoes – these include Roma’s and are most often used for
sauces
Tomatoes can also be categorized by their skin color which
includes: white, red, green, yellow, orange, purple, brown, multi-colored and
even black.
Tomatoes actually will ripen off the vine though the taste
is not as good as those that are vine ripened.
There are a couple of ways to combat the plague of inferior
grocery store tomatoes: buy them from a farmer or roadside market – this way
you get vine ripened tomatoes that are grown for characteristics that don’t require
long distance shipping (thinner skins, juicier, sweeter) – plus you get to know
the farmer that grows your food; or you can pick them at a u pick farm – this way you get to hand select your
own, meet the farmer that grows your food and lay in enough to can, dry, or
turn into tomato sauce; or (and this is
best) grow them yourself.
No matter where you live, even if it’s only a small
apartment with a fire escape you can grow a single tomato plant. There are many
varieties that are perfectly suited for growing in containers that are quite
prolific and well worth the minimal effort. Grape and Sweet One Hundreds are
good examples of cherry tomatoes; early girl and Brandywine for round tomatoes
and Roma for plum tomatoes.
Although tomatoes are considered fruit in the botanical
sense, they have a slightly bitter and acidic taste and a subtle sweet flavor
that doesn’t rise to the level of other fruits. They are generally prepared and
served like other vegetables, which is why they are often considered a
vegetable and not a fruit.
Tomatoes can be eaten straight off the vine but for some
varieties cooking enhances their
warm, rich, sweetness.
Choose tomatoes that have a deep rich color and yield to
slight pressure and have a noticeably sweet fragrance. Tomatoes are very
sensitive to cold so always store them at room temperature unless they start to
become over ripe. If you aren’t ready to eat them when ripe you can store them
in the butter compartment for a few days. Let them warm slightly before using
to maximize the juiciness.
If absolutely necessary you can speed the ripening process
by placing them in a paper bag with a banana or apple – both produce ethylene
gas that increase the tomato's maturation.
Canned tomatoes are an excellent option for many dishes --
just be sure to buy from suppliers in the US because they have strict standards
for lead content in containers.
Tip:
When Buying Ketchup, Choose Organic Organic ketchup contains 3 times as much lycopene as
non-organic brands. Lycopene, which may help protect against certain types of
cancer and reduce the risk of heart is present in much higher amounts in
organic brands of ketchup.
Tomatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin A,
and vitamin K. They are also a very good source of, potassium, manganese,
dietary fiber, chromium, and vitamin B1. In addition, tomatoes are a good
source of vitamin B6, folate, copper, niacin, vitamin B2, magnesium, iron,
pantothenic acid, phosphorus, vitamin E and protein.
Tomatoes can be eaten fresh by adding to salads, sliced for
sandwiches, turned into salsa or simply drizzled with a little olive oil and
salt. They can be used in soups, sauces and stews. Tomatoes can be baked, roasted,
grilled, stuffed, dried, or dried and cured in oil.
