It’s Tomato Time!
Staff Photo by Elizabeth Lane
The summer season brings with it special traditions and delicacies that just aren’t as enjoyable all year around. Swimming and fishing just don’t go well with the brisk winds of fall or the harsh snow of winter. The same can be said for the fruit beloved by southerners: the tomato.
With the arrival of tomato season in the area, many are wondering about the bright red fruit and its many universal uses. According to Tennessee Home and Farm.com, the tomato itself was introduced to our region long before we ever reached statehood back in the mid eighteenth century. The tomato has thrived in our region for so long due to the unique Tennessee climate, which offers a long growing season typically from mid-June to late-September. In fact, we as a state love the tomato so much that it was declared our official fruit in 2003.
What is it about tomatoes that make us love them so much? According to the USDA, Americans eat 22-24 pounds of tomatoes per person, per year. Usually about half of the tomatoes consumed are in the form of ketchup or tomato sauce. That’s a lot of tomatoes! HGTV reports that 93% of American gardeners grow tomatoes in their yards. The world’s largest tomato tree was grown in the experimental greenhouse at Walt-Disney World Resort. It produced more than 32,000 tomatoes in the first 16 months after it was planted. However, as much as Americans love tomatoes, China is the world’s number one producer of tomatoes around the world, with the U.S. coming in second.
What are some other interesting facts about tomatoes? Their scientific name is lycopersicon lycopersicum, meaning “wolf peach” in Latin. Experts say that the mix up between the tomato possibly being a fruit or vegetable goes back to the government classifying it as a vegetable in the 1800’s so it could be taxed under custom regulations. Today, the argument has been settled and the tomato is considered a fruit once more. WEB MD gives a few fun facts about the care and color of tomatoes. Tomatoes get their reddish hue from a chemical called lycopene, an anti-oxidant that may protect cells from cancer-causing free radicals. They also offer words of wisdom to the typical tomato eater, in that you should think twice before storing up ripening tomatoes in the fridge. Doing so halts ripening and dramatically reduces the flavor. It’s best overall to keep them at room temperature.
Tomatoes could even be used the next time you want to give yourself a beauty treatment. Experts state that tomatoes can be used to cleanse and tone skin. This can be done by squishing the fruit to make a facial mask that is smoothed onto the skin for 15 to 20 minutes. Tomatoes can also shrink pores, treat acne, and remove blackheads. Some even claim that you can use the fruit in your hair to condition dry hair and relieve an itchy scalp. Whether it’s eating them, throwing them, or using them on the skin, the tomato is an essential tool of summer life in the south. This unique red fruit has survived the ages and will almost certainly continue to thrive for years to come.
