Transcript Tomato Facts - Alabama Cooperative Extension System

 Lycopersicon lycopersicum is the scientific term
for the common tomato.
 Botanically, tomatoes are a fruit. This is because,
generally, a fruit is the edible part of the plant
that contains the seeds, while a vegetable is the
edible stems, leaves, and roots of the plant.
 Tomatoes belong to the same family as
nightshade, the tomato's deadly cousin.
A Little Tomato History
 The tomato is native to the Americas. It was initially cultivated by
Aztecs and Incas as early as 700 A.D. Europeans first saw the tomato
when the Conquistadors reached Mexico and Central America in the
16th century. Tomato seeds were taken back to Europe where they
quickly found favor in the Mediterranean countries of Spain, Portugal
and Italy.
 As the tomato traveled north, it was veiled in mystery. The French
called it “The Apple of Love,” the Germans “The Apple of Paradise;” but
the British, while admiring its brilliant red color, disclaimed the tomato
as a food--they believed it was poisonous. This same fear persisted
among colonists in the United States until the early 19th century; but in
1812, the Creoles in New Orleans put their cooking on the map with
their tomato-enhanced gumbos and jambalayas. The people of Maine
quickly followed suit, combining fresh tomatoes with local seafood.
 By 1850, the tomato was an important produce item in every American
city. People were planting tomatoes in their home gardens, while
farmers commercially produced fresh tomatoes throughout the year.
When cold weather halted local production, consumers relied on areas
with temperate climates to furnish their supply of tomatoes.
HARVESTING
Tomatoes are harvested by machine while still
green.
CHARACTERISTICS
Tomatoes are grown for one trait only: to be
hard enough to withstand shipping.
RESIDUES
Tomatoes have chemical residues on them from
pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers.
RIPENING
Tomatoes are ripened with chemicals.
HARVESTING
Only processing tomatoes are harvested by machine. California's fresh
tomatoes are always hand selected for quality and ripeness based upon the
specific needs of the customer.
CHARACTERISTICS
Tomatoes are bred for flavor, color, disease resistance, symmetry, ease of
harvest, and to meet the needs of specific climates. Some of the varieties
produced commercially in California are grown by backyard growers today.
California is also a leading producer of heirloom tomatoes, varieties that
have been passed down from one generation to another.
RESIDUES
California's conventionally grown tomatoes are virtually residue free. Few
pesticides are used thanks to California's arid climate, which does not
promote disease. Most growers employ strict safety protocol that begins in
the field and extends through the packing shed. An increasing number of
growers utilize “third party testing” to ensure their tomatoes meet these
requirements.
RIPENING
Some tomatoes are encouraged to ripen further with ethylene, the plant's
natural ripening hormone.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 medium tomato (148g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 35
Total Fat 0.5 g
Saturated Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0g
Sodium 5mg
Potassium 360mg
Total Carbohydrate 7g
Dietary Fiber 1g
Sugars 4g
Protein 1g
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Calcium
Iron
Calories from Fat 0
% of Daily Value*
1%
0%
0%
0%
10%
2%
4%
20%
40%
2%
2%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
At the Store
 Trust your senses.
 Look for fresh-looking tomatoes that are not
bruised, shriveled, moldy, or slimy.
 Buy only what you need that can be used within
a few days.
 Handle tomatoes gently at the store.
 Keep tomatoes on top in the cart (putting groceries
on top of tomatoes can bruise them).
At Home
 Germs can adhere to the surface of tomatoes and can be
passed to the flesh when cut (cross contamination).
 Wash tomatoes just before you use them in clean drinking
water.
 Wash tomatoes in slightly warm water (~80°F to 100°F) to
bring out the flavor and aroma of the tomatoes.
 Do not use detergent when washing tomatoes. Detergent
residues can be left on the tomatoes.
 The Food and Drug Administration has not labeled
detergent to be used on foods.
In addition to washing, you should:
 Clean surfaces, utensils, and hands after touching raw
meat and poultry and before you use them on fresh
produce.
 Keep refrigerators clean and cold. Cover and refrigerate
produce you have cut.
 Wash your hands thoroughly after using the toilet or
changing diapers, and before preparing food.
 Keep cut produce items in the refrigerator until just before
serving. Discard cut produce items if they have been out of
the refrigerator for more than four hours.
Don’t Refrigerate Your Tomatoes!
 Most fresh tomatoes sold in supermarkets are firm, not yet
ripe. This is because soft, ripe fruit is easily bruised, even
under today's highly-controlled shipping conditions. But the
fruit will ripen properly and develop good flavor and aroma
if kept at room temperature, between 55° F and 70° F.
 Select tomatoes at various degrees of ripeness and keep
them at room temperature. Use the ripest fruit first, just as
your do with bananas and avocados. Never refrigerate a
tomato that is not fully red or ripe! Cold temperatures
destroy flavor and stop the ripening process. Once fully
ripe, a tomato can be refrigerated, but only for a few days;
any longer results in flavor deterioration.
Raw Tomatoes
 Can be quickly frozen without blanching first.
 Can be frozen without their skins
 Can be frozen whole with their skins.
Frozen Tomatoes
 Best used in cooked foods such as soups,
sauces and stews as they become mushy
when they're thawed.
Tomatoes
 May be frozen whole, sliced, chopped, or puréed.
 Can be frozen raw or cooked, as juice or sauce, or
prepared in the recipe of your choice.
Thawed Raw Tomatoes
 May be used in any cooked-tomato recipe.
 Should not be substituted for fresh tomatoes as
freezing causes their texture to become mushy.
 Should be seasoned just before serving rather than
before freezing.
Tomato Preparation
 Select firm, ripe tomatoes.
 Sort, discarding any that are spoiled.
 Wash under clean running water.
 Dry by blotting with paper towels.
Whole Tomatoes with Peels
 Cut away the stem scar.
 Place the tomatoes on cookie sheets and freeze.
 Once frozen, transfer tomatoes into freezer bags or other containers,
label and seal tightly.
 Tomatoes maybe removed a few at a time or all at once.
 To peel, run frozen tomato under warm water and skin will slip off easily.
Peeled Tomatoes
 Wash, dip in boiling water 30 to 60 seconds until the skins split.
 Peel and then freeze as noted above.
Drying Tomatoes for Stewing
 Steam tomatoes or dip them in boiling water to loosen
skins.
 Dip in cold water then peel.
 Cut into sections about 3/4 of an inch wide or slice
them.
 Cut small pear or plum tomatoes in half.
 Blanch in steam for 3 minutes or in water for 1 minute.
 Dry in a dehydrator 5 to 8 hours or 6 to 12 hours in an
oven.
 20 lbs. fresh tomatoes yield ¾ lbs. dried
Pasteurizing and Conditioning of
Dried Foods
 All sun-dried foods must be pasteurized to
destroy insects.
 Place dried food evenly in shallow trays no
more than 1 inch in depth.
 Vegetables should be heated at 150 °F for
30 minutes or 160 °F for 10 minutes.
Storing the Food
 Cool dried food should be placed in a closed container
that has been washed and dried before storing.
 Home canning jars are good containers for storing
dried foods.
 Store in a cool, dry, dark place.
 Dried foods should be used within 3 to 6 months as
they will lose their flavor and color to some extent
during storage.
Reconstituting Dried Foods
 Dried foods may be reconstituted (restoring moisture) by soaking
the food in water.
 Time for reconstituting will depend on the size and shape of the
food and the food itself.
 Generally most dried vegetables take 2 hours to be reconstituted.
 To prevent growth of microorganisms, dried foods should be
reconstituted in the refrigerator.
 One cup of dried vegetable will yield approximately 2 cups of
reconstituted vegetable.
 Reconstituted foods should be cooked in the water in which they
were soaking.
Use only fresh, firm, red-ripe tomatoes
free of decayed spots, weather cracks
and fungal growth
Wash tomatoes
under cool,
running water
Cut small “x” on
tomatoes; this
helps with peeling.
Dip tomatoes in boiling
water for 30 to 60 seconds
or until skins split.
Then dip in cold
water.
Remove from water,
peel, cut stems, core
and cut tomatoes
into eighths.
Place tomatoes
in thick bottom
sauce pan.
Bring tomatoes
to a boil and boil
about 5 minutes.
Prepare canning jars and 2piece lids by washing in hot
soapy water. Rinse well.
Sterilize jars in boiling water
and lids in hot water. Keep
hot until ready to fill.
Add 1 tbsp. bottled
lemon juice to pint
(2 tbsp. quart) jars.
Fill hot jars with
tomatoes and
liquid leaving ½
inch head space.
Remove air
bubbles, wipe jars
and adjust lids.
Process in boiling
water bath canner, 35
minutes for pints and
45 minutes for quarts.
Label with food and
date and store in
cool dry place.
Once finished, rings
can be removed
and used again.
Note: Once cool, check seals by pressing middle of
lid with finger. If not sealed, reprocess or refrigerate.

Q: Is it true that adding fresh tomatoes slows the cooking of certain
foods? I've heard this before and wondered if it is a myth or not.
 A: Some foods such as rice and potatoes take longer to cook when
tomatoes are added. It seems the acid from the tomato prevents
the starch from these foods from breaking down. I cannot find
evidence to support any other vegetable as yet, but in my years
of test kitchen work, this seems to be the case for at least these
vegetables.

Q: What happens if I cook a tomato sauce in an iron pan? Do the
vitamins of the tomatoes absorb some of the iron?
 A: Studies have shown that iron utensils such as cast-iron skillets
and Dutch ovens contribute significantly to the iron content in
cooked foods. The amount that leaches into the food varies
depending on which food you are cooking. If you are concerned
with any health risks because of a medical problem that limits
the intake of iron, I would contact your physician just to be safe.
.
Food Preservation Questions
 Local Extension County Office
 Alabama Cooperative Extension website
www.aces.edu
 National Center for Home Food
Preservation
www.uga.edu/nchfp/