Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

Our Recent Essays Behind the Front Page

Much Sorry with Delays
Birth, Death and All That Stuff in Between
How to Honor Labor Day, Every Day
My Yom Kippur Miracle (Repost from 2010)
Good intro to fly casting
Peach update, with pie
NYC update
Easy for you to say: To the elites on mass immigration
For NYC on 9/11, Sailors' Snug Harbor
Pickled Peaches
Water Shoes
Labor Costs in U.S.
Your "identity"
Good news about The Great Courses
Uses of Hot Pepper Jelly/Sauce, Chutneys, and Jams
A Saturday Drive to Litchfield County, CT
How to Pick a Kayak
Civilized: Fruit forks and knives
Loads of kayaking on Cape Cod
Psychology Experiments' Questionable Results

Categories


All categories

Quicksearch

Links

Blog Administration

Open login screen

RSS Readers

Add to Google

Subscribe with Bloglines

Thursday, August 18. 2022

Tomato season

August/September is tomato season in the northeast and central US.


Why are so many varieties red? Because marketing, same as apples.  Much genetic engineering to come up with the amazing Beefsteak Tomato.


The first tomatoes were introduced to Europe from Mexico via the conquistadores.  They were mainly viewed as ornamental plants. The fruit was the size of cherry tomatoes, and yellow-green when ripe. I guess that was the real "heritage tomato".


Why pomodoro? Pomo d'oro - Golden apple. 


 Why the Tomato Was Feared in Europe for More Than 200 Years


Italian food before the tomato.  He is wrong about one thing - peppers came to Europe and to the world via Central America too.  Same as polenta (maize meal), beans, and so much else.

Posted by Bird Dog in Gardens, Plants, etc. at 12:19 | Comments (9) | Trackbacks (0)

Trackbacks
Trackback specific URI for this entry

No Trackbacks

Comments
Display comments as (Linear | Threaded)

Our favorite is the heirloom variety Cherokee purple. A gardener friend just gave us about 20 pounds of fresh tomatoes. Going to freeze them to make stewed tomatoes or marble cutters soup during the winter when only the tasteless kind are available in stores. I don't do tomato sauce.
#1 JC on 2022-08-18 15:31 (Reply)
'marble cutters soup,
A new one for me.
Recipe looks like good.
#1.1 RL on 2022-08-18 17:42 (Reply)
It is essential to make or buy a good hearty loaf of bread, not some white bread out of a bag. It has to be strong enough to hold up in the soup. This is a good soup and will fill you up.
#1.1.1 JC on 2022-08-18 19:02 (Reply)
I just ordered some Purple Cherokee seeds on your recommendation.
#1.2 Texan99 on 2022-08-19 09:27 (Reply)
I suggest you improve your reading comprehension skills. He never said peppers. He mentioned pepper which is indigenous to India.

"He is wrong about one thing - peppers came to Europe and to the world via Central America too."
#2 willful knowledge on 2022-08-18 15:58 (Reply)
I can't read very well, but I think he meant using peppers in recipes. Maybe not.
#2.1 BD on 2022-08-18 16:11 (Reply)
Piper nigrum is grown to make black pepper and originated in the Old World. Species of the genus Capsicum bear chili peppers and originated in the New World.
#2.1.1 Zachriel on 2022-08-18 17:34 (Reply)
That's true. Same name, different things.
#2.1.1.1 BD on 2022-08-18 17:55 (Reply)
To me, the best flavor is from a perfectly ripe Beefsteak tomato.

My grandmother used to make something called 'Belgium Tomatoes', which was perfectly-ripened Beefsteaks sliced on a platter, with a bit of diced red onion, fresh parsley leaves (coarsely chopped), a bit of honey, a bit of balsamic vinegar, chilled in the fridge. Then just before serving, salt & black pepper, a few dabs of sour cream here and there, and then poured over all this, some browned butter. You will not believe the complexity of the flavors. It is truly a salad days dish.
#3 Aggie on 2022-08-18 23:03 (Reply)

Add Comment
(Your e-mail will not show in your comment)

By commenting on this site you agree to the site rules listed here. Email
addresses will not be displayed and will only be used for email notifications.

Quick reference guide: [i] italics [/i], [b] bold [/b], [u] underline [/u],
[url] (web address) [/url]. More tips here.

Enclosing asterisks marks text as bold (*word*), underscore are made via _word_.
E-Mail addresses will not be displayed and will only be used for E-Mail notifications.

To prevent automated Bots from commentspamming, please enter the string you see in the image below in the appropriate input box. Your comment will only be submitted if the strings match. Please ensure that your browser supports and accepts cookies, or your comment cannot be verified correctly.
CAPTCHA

BBCode format allowed
 
 
A Chris Southern Consulting website.