Solanum lycopersicum

Nightshade

Filters. A taxonomic species within the family Solanaceae — the garden tomato, native to and domesticated in Mexico. pronoun.

The botanical classification: Tomatoes are fruits. A botanical fruit would have at least one seed and grow from the flower of the plant. With this definition in mind, tomatoes are classified as fruit because they contain seeds and grow from the flower of the tomato plant.

Tomatoes are the major dietary source of the antioxidant lycopene, which has been linked to many health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. They are also a great source of vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K.

Eating tomatoes daily will ensure that you get an array of nutrients which will help in better functioning of your body. Always wash tomatoes properly before eating or cooking them. Always try to consume tomatoes with its skin. The skin of tomatoes are rich in phytochemicals which are important for our body.

It’s completely safe to eat a portion of tomatoes everyday and as an added bonus they are low in calories and have a high water content.

Tomatoes are packed with an alkaloid called solanine. Consistent research shows that excessive consumption of tomatoes can result in swelling and pain in the joints as they are packed with an alkaloid called solanine. The Solanine is responsible for building up calcium in the tissues and it later leads to inflammation.

Tomatoes release a cancer-fighting antioxidant when cooked. Tomatoes certainly have many health benefits when eaten raw. According to a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, tomatoes release more lycopene (a cancer-fighting antioxidant) when cooked.

Tomato peels contribute a high concentration of the carotenoids found in tomatoes. The tomato skin also holds most of the flavonols (another family of phytochemicals that includes quercetin and kaempferol) as well. So to maximize the health propertiesof tomatoes, don’t peel them if you can help it!

While it’s true that tomatoes are members of the nightshade family, they actually produce a slightly different alkaloid called tomatine. Tomatine is also toxic but less so. However, when ingested in extremely large doses, it may cause gastrointestinal problems, liver, and even heart damage.

To can or freeze tomatoes, or to make sauce or soup it is best to remove the tomato skins (and seeds) before doing so. Tomato skins and seeds are harder to digest and they do not cook down like the flesh does and will appear as seeds and strips of skin in your finished product.

Each cherry tomato is three-quarters of an inch across and has a sweet, rich tomato flavor with tender, thin skin.

In order to get your tomatoes ready for mashing into a marvelous tomato sauce, you need to peel and seed them. With a paring knife, remove the hard, green core of the tomatoes. 2. Boil a large pot of water and fill a large bowl with cold water and ice.

Tomatoes can develop tough skin due to excessive heat, intense sunlight, or certain diseases such as anthracnose and curly top virus. Certain tomato varieties, such as Roma or plum tomatoes, are bred to have thicker skins to resist damage from insects.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and lower the tomatoes into the water a few at a time. Blanch the tomatoes for 5 seconds and transfer them to the bowl of ice water using a slotted spoon. For cherry tomatoes you should be able to pop them out of their skins by giving them a twist and squeeze.

The tomato skin is a different texture from the tomato flesh, and will remain so in sauces and purées—you’ll get tiny chunks of skin instead of an uniformly smooth mixture. Moreover, the tomato skin is heavy in a kind of nutrient called flavonols, which impart a bitter flavor.

Tomato fruit often develop a tough white core in the center under stressful conditions. Many older varieties produce a fruit with five distinct cavities, which are filled with seeds and surrounded by a jelly-like material called locular jelly. The walls between the cavities join in center to form the core.

Powdery mildew (Erysiphe lycopersici or Leveillula taurica) can cause a white, powdery fungal growth on tomato leaves, stems and sometimes fruit. The mildew isn’t just unattractive, it prevents the tomato from absorbing the sunlight it needs for proper growth, which can stunt and sometimes kill the plant.

For rich, balanced flavor try Bonnie Original, Big Beef, Red Beefsteak heirloom, Better Boy, flavor favorite Cherokee Purple, and any All America Winner. Full-size tomatoes with sweet or low-acid characteristics include Lemon Boy, Mr. Stripey heirloom, Bush Goliath, and Black Prince heirloom tomato.

Tomatoes get too much fertilizer. Excessive fertilizer (especially accompanied by stressful weather) contributes to a tomato’s tough center core.

Unfortunately, there is no bacterial speck treatment once the disease sets in. For the home gardener, if you can deal with the ugly spots, you can simply leave the plants in the garden as fruit from affected plants are perfectly safe to eat. This disease hides within tomato seeds and is often how it is spread.

Choose a fertilizer that has a balanced ratio of the three major elements, such as 10-10-10, or where the middle number (phosphorus) is larger than the first number (nitrogen), such as 2-3-1. Tomatoes are heavy feeders and usually do need fertilizer unless your soil is very rich.

Early signs of overwatering in tomato plants include cracked fruit and blisters or bumps on the lower leaves. If the overwatering continues, the bumps or blisters on the leaves turn corky. Meanwhile, the roots begin to drown, die and rot, which reduces the amount of water the green part of the plant receives.

Water newly planted tomatoes well to make sure soil is moist and ideal for growing. Early in the growing season, watering plants daily in the morning. As temperatures increase, you might need to water tomato plants twice a day. Garden tomatoes typically require 1-2 inches of water a week.

High winds, blowing dust and low humidity can damage the leaves and stems on tomato plants. Heat and low moisture can cause the edges of the tomato leaves to die back, then twist and curl. This is a self- defense response, where leaves and leaflets curl slightly to prevent further water loss (Fig. 6).

ANSWER: Once your tomato plants have reached 12 to 18 inches tall, you may notice that some of the leaves are dying or turning yellow. It’s fine to remove those leaves as long as they are below the first set…