It is not surprising that the tomato is the number one vegetable grown in American gardens. Nearly 90% of all gardeners grow these from either seed or a plant from a nursery. Are tomatoes a fruit or a vegetable? Technically speaking tomatoes are considered berries or fruits. However, in the late 1880s the US put a tariff or tax on vegetables but not fruits. This caused a great debate and the argument eventually ended up in the US Supreme Court. In 1893 the high court of the land judged that tomatoes would be considered a vegetable and not a fruit.
In the 16th century the Spanish explorers were coming to Mexico in search of Aztec gold. They discovered the population was growing tomatoes and using them to flavor their food. The Spanish brought the tomato back to Europe where it spread quickly to other nations.
In the 1700s British explorers brought the tomato to North America. While it was eaten by some, but many felt the tomato was deadly poisonous, as were other plants within the same plant family. At this time tomatoes were grown as an ornamental plant. It wasn’t until the late 1700s when people realized tomatoes were not poisonous and were widely used in recipes.
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Tomatoes fall into two general groups.
Indeterminate tomatoes are plants with weak stemmed vines that continue to grow until frost, often growing ten feet of higher and needs support. They tend to produce a few tomatoes at a time throughout the season. Many old heirloom varieties fall into this category.
Determinate are often called bush tomatoes which grow to a certain height and stop. They tend to produce fruits all at one time. Many of the new hybrids fall into this group.
There are nearly 9000 kinds of tomatoes. They fall into various categories:
Beefsteak: Larger tomatoes grown by home gardeners and used for sandwiches. Beefmaster and Beefsteak are popular cultivars.
Plum and Pear: these thicker meaty tomatoes are used in sauces and paste. Amish Paste and Roma are very popular varieties.
Grape and Cherry: These smaller tomatoes often have a sweeter taste and are used in salads. Super Sweet 100 is very popular. I have grown these tasty treats for many years.
Globe or slicing: tomatoes specifically bred for commerce and have a longer shelf life. There are many varieties that fall into this category, Big Boy, Big Girl, Goliath, 4th of July, Jet Star and many others. I like to grow Burpee’s 4th of July tomatoes because they produce smaller, very tasty fruits, often a week before the 4th of July Holiday.
In the past few years heirloom tomatoes have become very popular. These older varieties have been handed down throughout the ages and tend to be less disease resistant and produce a few fruits on and off throughout the season. Many feel these older varieties have a better taste. They tend to be lumpy and often have cracked skins. Some popular heirloom tomatoes include, Amish, Mortgage Lifter, Cherokee Purple, Black Krim, Hillbilly, Brandywine and many others. I’ve grown Brandywine in the past and they produce large, juicy, very tasty fruits.
Tomatoes don’t have much nutritional value. They provide a minimal amount of vitamin C and a chemical called Lycopene , which many feel helps fight the development of cancer. However, there are no studies that substantiate this claim.
Tomatoes are subject to numerous fungus, blights, and insect infestation. The newer modern hybrids are more resistant to disease. A host of insects can damage and spread disease to your plants. In my opinion the ugliest and scariest insect is the large green tomato Hornworm. Other nasty critters attacking tomatoes are stink bugs, aphids, whiteflies, beetles, slimy slugs and the tiny red spider mites.
Eating your own red ripe tomato is a summer delight. In the fall I can remember my mother enjoying recipes from her Tennessee roots and fixing up a pan of fried green tomatoes and canning wonderful sweet green tomato relish. On the hot days of mid summer I can remember as a kid slicing up a big ripe fruit and making myself a bread, tomato and mayonnaise sandwich!
There is nothing that shouts summer more, than growing your very own red, ripe and luscious tomatoes!
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