Tomato

Tomato is a fruit, but it is eaten as a vegetable. It is closely related to eggplant, chili peppers, potato and tobacco.

It's almost impossible to imagine an Italian dish without tomato. But before Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas, tomatoes were not know in Europe, Africa or Asia. So what did Julius Caesar eat? Caesar salad?

This page provides some basic information on tomato, together with some photos, some tomato proverbs and quotes, and tomato recipes.

 

Scientific name:	Solanum lycopersicum
Family:	Solanaceae (= nightshade family)
Order:	Solanales
Common names:	English: Tomato
	Spanish: Tomate
	Dutch: Tomaat
	Italian: Pomodoro (= golden apple)
	German: Tomate
	French: Tomate
Origin:	Central and South America (area between Peru and Mexico)
Distribution:	Now grown in all continents and in a wide range of climates.
Annual, biennial, or perennial:	Perennial, but often grown as an annual.
Flowers:	Yellow flowers of 1 to 2 cm diameter grow together in clusters of 3 to 12 flowers. Tomatoes have "perfect" flowers with both male and female parts.
Leaves:	Stem and leaves are densely hairy. The compound leaves are 10 to 25 cm long and consist of 5 to 9 leaflets on petioles. The leaflets are up to 8 cm long and have a jagged or toothed margin.
Fruits:	The tomato fruit is a berry. Inside the fruit are two to five hollow cavities full of moisture and seeds. Fruits are first green, but turn bright red when ripe. In some cultivars the ripe fruits are yellow or orange in color.
Climate and weather:	Tomatoes are grown in a wide range of climates from tropical to temperate.
Pollination:	Self fertilization is common, but also cross pollination occurs (wind, insects). Gently shaking of the tomato plant improves pollination.
Height:	Tomato can reach a height of 1 to 3 meter, but needs support or grows up over other plants.
Blooming period
Type of soil:
Preferred pH:
Moisture:
Light:
Growth rate:
Spacing (close range)
Spacing (wide range)
Canopy:
Propagation:	Usually propagated from seed. Seeds should be obtained from mature fruits and have to be dried before sowing. Sometimes tomatoes are grafted on disease resistant rootstock.
Insect pests:	A wide variety of insects can attack tomato including: cutworms, hornworms, aphids, whiteflies, tomato fruitworms, flea beetles, red spider mite, etc.
Diseases:	Different fungal, bacterial, and virus diseases: tobacco mozaic virus, mildew, blight, fusarium and vertisillium wilt, etc.
Other pests:	Nematodes: Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne sp.
Fruit development:
Harvesting:	Picking when tomatoes are ripe or almost ripe. Fruits grow in clusters and can be harvested as clusters or as single fruits.
Uses:	Eaten fresh (in salads) or cooked in a variety of dishes (pizza, pasta, etc.) and soups. Processed to concentrated tomato paste, tomato ketchup, or tomato juice.

Photos

 

Proverbs and Quotes

• It is the fool whose own tomatoes are sold to him. (proverb from Ghana)
• The best cook drops a whole tomato. (proverb from Spain)
• It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato. (Lewis Grizzard)
• A world without tomatoes is like a string quartet without violins. (Laurie Colwin)
• Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
• Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; Wine and tarragon make it French; Sour cream makes it Russian; Lemon and cinnamon make it Greek; Soy sauce makes it Chinese; Garlic makes it good. (Alice May Brock)
• Home grown tomatoes, home grown tomatoes What would life be like without homegrown tomatoes? Only two things that money can't buy. That's true love and home grown tomatoes. (John Denver)
• A cooked tomato is like a cooked oyster: ruined. (Andre Simon)

Recipes

Tomato - Mozzarella salad

Ingredients
500 gram ripe tomatoes, 250 gram Mozzarella cheese, 4 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, 15 black olives, salt, pepper, sugar

Instructions
Wash and slice the tomatoes. Slice the mozzarella cheese. Place the tomatoes in an overlapping pattern on the outside of the dish. Place the mozzarella slices in the center. Sprinkle the herbs over the tomato together with a pinch of sugar, salt and pepper. Dress the tomatoes with the olive oil and decorate with the olives. Refrigerate shortly before serving.