So starting to write this article I think back to all of the tomatoes that I have eaten over the years. There is really nothing that makes me happier than a fresh juicy full flavored tomato.
The memories that come up are standing in the garden and picking fresh tomatoes directly from the vine and eating them like an apple with the fresh sweet juice running from them. The garden was always such an important part of the summer season, starting early with the peas, radishes and asparagus on the lunch table each day. As the season progressed the early corn would come along and the rhubarb.Going to the garden to pick vegetables for lunch would always mean going down the pea row and eating vine fresh peas, but also fresh baby carrots.The end of summer was always the magical time when the garden is ripe and an abundance of fresh vegetables was on the table every day, but the crown to a good growing season was,is,and always will be the fresh red tomatoes.
Each day our lunch table would feature a plate or fresh tomatoes that we would liberally help ourselves to, just a little salt and pepper and you have one of the perfect foods. Let us not forget the tomato sandwiches,also what we called summer sandwiches. Just tomatoes, mayo salt and pepper on bread is the perfect sandwich, only improved by adding fresh sliced cucumber. These are such vivid memories of days gone by. Over the last 20 years sadly I have drifted away from the ability to have fresh garden vegetables, and sadly many less fresh tomatoes. I have complained for many years that the tomatoes from the grocery store were not really even worth eating.
Having a fruit that resembles a tomato in looks alone but missing the taste is a pointless purchase. But to be fair, I have done my part to keep tomato producers in business. I check, touch,squeeze each tomato hoping that I have the luck to actually find good ones that will satisfy my longing for a juicy tasty tomato. Sadly in 20 years I have never purchased a tomato in a grocery market that was worth the money spent for it. Burgers, tacos, and endless other foods that are enhanced by the addition of tomatoes have been diminished in their quality for every person that eats them.
I have always thought that the low flavor quality of tomatoes was the byproduct of hothouse or greenhouse production farming for commercial tomatoes, and I have held close to this idea for an extensive time. I know that any fruit that is picked prematurely to allow it extra time to make it to the market shelves. These will always be lower quality than a fruit that is picked vine fresh. So I still think my idea holds some weight. I had never thought to give it any extra thought other than that and just complain about the dissatisfaction that I feel each time I make a purchase. I know that good tomatoes are available, as anyone that has visited a farmers market that has field picked fruit and vegetables knows, there are good available. Roadside vegetable stands are where you can make a nightly stop on the way home to pick up fresh field picked vegetables. This is generally better than some farmers markets that I have been to that sell warehouse purchased produce. In the current day my goal is fresh field picked organic GMO free vegetables. That seems a lot to ask for, but really it is just fresh clean food is all I want for me and my family.
Factory farming, or heavily mechanized and corporate farming have had a very significant impact on the food that we eat. No longer can you trust that you can just go to the market and browse the produce section and take home clean fresh vegetables and fruit. Now if you have any concern for your families health you have to search for specialized produce. Entire stores are now dedicated to delivering what should be the standard, I feel we should not need high priced specialty stores to get clean organic food on our tables. This is the world we live in. No longer is thought given to quality, but rather the demands of corporate contracts yields must be high or the profit margins for farmers are so low that they are unable to sustain the crop cycles. When I was younger I had never heard of global agri-business and the giants of industry were not present at the level that they are now. The food production throughout the world is contained to only a handful of mega agriculture companies. They are able to control every aspect of the produce items from seed to table. So think about this, a company wants you to produce a crop, they sell you the seed, it is a one use seed that you have to purchase again next crop cycle, they mandate that you use the pesticides and herbicides that they have developed genetically modified strains of the plant to resist the chemicals that are dumped on our food and absorbed by the plants, the yields are mandated and mono-culture crops are relentlessly cycled on the soil to keep production to mandated levels.
You purchase the seed from them,you purchase the chemical pesticides and herbicides from them, you purchase the fertilizers from them , and you sell the crop to them at a contracted value and not at a free market price. Agriculture has become a tool of the mega corporate farms and is no longer the idealistic lifestyle that has supported generations of farmers and their families for thousands of years.
Ok I got sidetracked there, this story is about tomatoes, but I think it is important to understand the industry and the practices that are overarching the food supply chain, and that agri-business has become very globalized.
In a recent documentary that I watched, “Red Gold”, I was surprised to find out that China is the largest producer of tomatoes in the world,followed by India,Turkey and then USA. A very interesting bit of trivia is that China as the largest producer of Tomatoes, and Tomato concentrate as a country does not even consume tomatoes. The tomato concentrate from China is used by all major tomato product suppliers from tomato paste to ketchup, we all eat chinese tomatoes each time we use a sauce or soup or other tomato based product. Now the seeking of increasing profits has led to some insidious business practices that I was unaware of. The chinese tomato industry commonly and in the full knowledge of the clients they supply add up to 50 percent of the net product in additives, like soy fiber. It is not on the label , it is not advertised and it is being fed to us without knowledge.
Tomato concentrate and tomato paste generally have the full flavor that you expect, because the time from field to can is very short, the fruit is picked ripe and delivered directly to the processing facility. This does allow the full flavor of the tomato to be expressed in these products. There is some significant science being put into the production of tomatoes as the amount used world wide is a substantial amount in almost every country.
The process is hybridization. Through hybridization plant scientists are able to create varieties that can increase yields to much higher than traditional varieties. One of the more common hybrids found today is in every supermarket and food distribution outlet around the world. The hybrid was created to increase the shelf life of a tomato. A traditional tomato only has a very short shelf life from field to table, and to overcome this perceived deficiency, hybrids have been created that allow the fruit to last up to 3 weeks from when it is picked from the vine. The hybrid for long shelf life introduces a natural strain with ripening inhibitors. Yes that is right, the prefect red round beautiful tomato on the shelf is actually just not ripe. These tomatoes last a very long time. I understand the reasoning behind this hybrid, I am no different when I walk into a grocery store that I want my fruits and vegetables to look like they are farm fresh and naturally ripe and ready. I had finally found my answer to the low flavor quality of tomatoes, it is science. The market demands good-looking tomatoes, not good tasting tomatoes.
If everything I have written so far is not bad enough, there is yet more to consider. Nutritional values have declined substantially over the last 50 years. From 1950-1999, tomatoes have decreased 55% in calcium, 25% in iron, and 17% in ascorbic acid (a type of vitamin C). All Hybrid vegetables and fruits have a documented decline in minerals and vitamins, tomatoes have been tested with a decline in the hybrid common tomatoes of over 50 percent in Vitamin C and the magic compound in tomatoes is lycopene, this give the red color but is also known as a cancer fighting compound, lowering stroke risk,lower cholesterol, and thought to be helpful in managing high blood pressure and other ailments.
Tomatos are picked green and and are firm for boxing and shipping; but when ready for distribution they are treated with a special hormone called ethylene, the tomatoes are artificially ripened and this is why we have beautiful red firm tomatoes at the market without any flavor or nutrition.
So I feel that I am naturally drawn to tomatoes as they are well known to be an incredibly nutritious and healthful food. Recent studies have found that eating tomatoes can help lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of cancer, aid diabetes management, and improve skin health. Tomatoes contain numerous beneficial compounds called carotenoids, flavonoids and lycopenes that are thought to be especially effective agents against disease – in fact some studies suggest that these compounds can be more potent when eaten in tomato form rather than isolated as supplements.
One last interesting fact. Studies have found that cooking tomatoes helps to release lycopene and other carotenoids responsible for tomato’s health benefits, making tomato dishes more nutrient-dense and beneficial to the body than their raw counterparts. Specifically, cooked tomato dishes are associated with better heart health, improved skin tone, and even some protection against cancer risk. Although raw tomatoes still provide excellent nutrition, taking advantage of the health benefits of cooking tomatoes can be very beneficial.
So the ketchup with the high sugar content and other processed foods are not really that good, but making homemade soups and sauces can actually increase the benefits of eating tomatoes.
Bottom line, for those who are limited on space or do not have the necessary climate conditions to grow tomatoes, you can still try your luck with local farmers markets or organic store suppliers. Although, these tomatoes may not necessarily be heritage tomatoes, you can still get the chance to taste some of the best varieties of tomatoes. Either way, whether you grow your own heritage tomatoes or buy from the local farmers market or organic store, you can guarantee to get the best tasting tomatoes.
More information–
NEW TOMATO HYBRIDS WITH LONG SHELF LIFE
Worlds leading Tomato producing countries
Study Suggests Nutrient Decline In Garden Crops Over Past 50 Years