100 Things - Tomatoes

First, Happy 4th to those in the U.S.

I got to sleep late, and then allowed my puppy to wander the garden while I picked these:



It's a mixture of cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and "Tiny Tim" tomatoes (and I still have a great many left to be picked). So this is my inspiration for an entry in my 100 things.


{Take the 100 Things challenge!}

Random Facts:

* The tomato is native to South America. Genetic evidence shows the progenitors of tomatoes were herbaceous green plants with small green fruit in the highlands of Peru and later transported to Mexico.

* The tomato was first domesticated by the Aztecss around 500 BCE and was a small yellow fruit.

* The original name was xitomatl which meant “plump thing with a naval”. Later Mesoamericans named it tomatl and was used by the Aztecs was in a mixture with peppers, salt and corn. (This may be the origin of salsa.)

* It is unclear whether Columbus brought the tomato to Europe in 1493 or whether Cortez was the first to bring it to Europe as part of his bounty from conquering the Aztecs in Mexico City. It was not mentioned in European writing until Pietro Andrea Mattioli included it in his catalog of herbs where he named it “the golden apple.”

* Latin botanical name, Lycopersicon esculentum, translates to "wolfpeach". ( Peach because it was round and luscious and wolf because it was erroneously considered poisonous. )

* Because they were considered poisonous (because they are part of the nightshade family), in more northern European countries (at least north of likes of Italy and Spain) and in the early U.S., tomatoes were grown as ornamental plants. It did not become part of English cuisine until the mid 1700s and even later than that in the U.S. However, the first known European recipe including tomatoes dates to 1692 Naples).

* And as per the New York Times this week:

Plant geneticists say they have discovered an answer to a near-universal question: Why are tomatoes usually so tasteless?

Yes, they are often picked green and shipped long distances. Often they are refrigerated, which destroys their flavor and texture. But now researchers have discovered a genetic reason that diminishes a tomato’s flavor even if the fruit is picked ripe and coddled.

The unexpected culprit is a gene mutation that occurred by chance and that was discovered by tomato breeders. It was deliberately bred into almost all tomatoes because it conferred an advantage: It made them a uniform luscious scarlet when ripe. ( Read more... )

100 Things - Tomatoes

First, Happy 4th to those in the U.S.

I got to sleep late, and then allowed my puppy to wander the garden while I picked these:



It's a mixture of cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and "Tiny Tim" tomatoes (and I still have a great many left to be picked). So this is my inspiration for an entry in my 100 things.


{Take the 100 Things challenge!}

Random Facts:

* The tomato is native to South America. Genetic evidence shows the progenitors of tomatoes were herbaceous green plants with small green fruit in the highlands of Peru and later transported to Mexico.

* The tomato was first domesticated by the Aztecss around 500 BCE and was a small yellow fruit.

* The original name was xitomatl which meant “plump thing with a naval”. Later Mesoamericans named it tomatl and was used by the Aztecs was in a mixture with peppers, salt and corn. (This may be the origin of salsa.)

* It is unclear whether Columbus brought the tomato to Europe in 1493 or whether Cortez was the first to bring it to Europe as part of his bounty from conquering the Aztecs in Mexico City. It was not mentioned in European writing until Pietro Andrea Mattioli included it in his catalog of herbs where he named it “the golden apple.”

* Latin botanical name, Lycopersicon esculentum, translates to "wolfpeach". ( Peach because it was round and luscious and wolf because it was erroneously considered poisonous. )

* Because they were considered poisonous (because they are part of the nightshade family), in more northern European countries (at least north of likes of Italy and Spain) and in the early U.S., tomatoes were grown as ornamental plants. It did not become part of English cuisine until the mid 1700s and even later than that in the U.S. However, the first known European recipe including tomatoes dates to 1692 Naples).

* And as per the New York Times this week:

Plant geneticists say they have discovered an answer to a near-universal question: Why are tomatoes usually so tasteless?

Yes, they are often picked green and shipped long distances. Often they are refrigerated, which destroys their flavor and texture. But now researchers have discovered a genetic reason that diminishes a tomato’s flavor even if the fruit is picked ripe and coddled.

The unexpected culprit is a gene mutation that occurred by chance and that was discovered by tomato breeders. It was deliberately bred into almost all tomatoes because it conferred an advantage: It made them a uniform luscious scarlet when ripe. ( Read more... )