Suncreek Garden Chronicles: The Tomato Debate

 

Suncreek Garden Chronicles...The Tomato Debate

 The tomato was once referred to as the Love Apple, Moor’s Apple and a Wolf Peach.  The name wolf peach comes from the long-held belief that the tomato was poisonous.  One 17th Century cookbook declared, while it was safe to eat a cooked tomato it was ”not advisable”.  However eating a raw tomato would cause instantaneous death.  Although untrue, this lethal accusation lingered until the early 1800′s.

The controversy over the toxic tomato was only the beginning of the tomato debate.  An additional debate was most likely the topic of many garden conversations…was the tomato a vegetable or a fruit.  The issue seemed to cause such division that the debate was taken before the United States Supreme Court.   In 1887 the issue was settled when the powers to be decided to split the difference.  The Court ruled that although “botanically speaking tomatoes are the fruit of a vine” they were vegetables “in the  common language of the people.”

Here at Suncreek Garden there really isn’t much of a debate.  We grow heirloom tomatoes.  We enjoy them cooked as well as raw and thus far no one has fallen ill or even worse.  Also, we don’t prefer the tomato fruit over the tomato vegetable or vice versa…we just prefer tomatoes!

*On a side note…The tomato serves as both the official state vegetable and the official state fruit of Arkansas, in honor of the South Arkansas Vine Ripe Pink Tomato, sometimes known as “Bradley Pink.”

What say you about the tomato debate?

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Suncreek Garden Chronicles…Heirloom Tomatoes are the best fruit ever

suncreek garden chronicles…installment #8

Did you know that tomatoes are botanically a fruit, but considered a vegetable for culinary purposes which of course causes some confusion.  Tomatoes are grown world-wide and are the most popular home garden fruit grown. 

Heirloom tomatoes are seed varieties that have been handed down through the generations.  They are the real deal!  Unlike the tomatoes we see in the local grocery store that are perfectly shaped and uniform in color most often have little or no real tomato flavor.  The heirlooms can range from a deep plum color to pale pink.  They have cracks and bumps and are misshapen.  Each heirloom has great characteristics and a wide range of flavor.

The heirloom tomato are not just for gourmet foodies.  The heirloom tomato is the people’s tomato bred by amateurs, farmers and gardeners-designed to be homegrown. 

Some of you who have been stopping by the blog know we are growing a garden.  We are anxiously anticipating the tomato crop.  The plants are looking great, very health and full of flowers and yes tomatoes. We purchased our plants from a couple of local growers which has turned out to be a very good decision.  The plants are healthy and obviously from good seed stock.

We have planted black cherry , beefmaster, heatwave and goliath’s which are heirloom tomatoes.  The goliath tomato has been reported to grow as large as three pounds.  WOW 3#!!! 

By the way, is it Tomatos or Tomatoes?  They both look wrong to me…but I always choose to spell it Tomatoes because its easier for me to make an “es” at the end instead of just an “s”.  Either way tomatoes are delicious!!! 

My favorite way to enjoy a red ripe tomato is on a sandwich.  A tomato sandwich!!!  Two slices of bread, mayo, sliced tomato sprinkled with salt and pepper…delicious!!!

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U is for…Un, Une and Unique

Today the A-Z challenge is dedicated to the letter “U”.  This weeks WordPress weekly photo challenge topic is “One”.  I decided to roll them together into a little package.

The words Un and Une are the masculine and feminine words for the french word One.

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 This morning I prepared breakfast for Une, a little french bistro breakfast; blackberry croissant, fresh fruit drizzled with vanilla agave syrup and une tasse de cafe! 

Country Living at its Best…

There is a great little place out in the country, just down the road and over the tracks. 

 You will be able to pick up an assortment of fresh veggies and seasonal fruits. 

During early spring you can even head out into the strawberry fields. 

You will be able to pick your own berries until your heart is content. 

After a morning of picking strawberries under the big Blue Texas Sky you will have worked up an appetite.    

You can stop into the smokehouse and pick up a quick bite to eat.

 Then you will want to cop a squat under the big live oak and enjoy your paper wrapped BBQ sandwich and cold drink. 

 All in all a day at Frobergs Vegetable and Fruit Farm is a day well spent. 

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