Tomatoes!

by Mary Jo

When I was a kid in Western New York, tomatoes were just another vegetable.  I didn't grow them in my garden, and while there were plenty of farm stands with great produce, I don't remember tomatoes as being especially prominent. (Picture: Hyzeyfe Turcan))

Now I live in Maryland, where it is warmer and a there's a much longer growing season, and tomatoes are treated as almost a religious experience.  People (justly) rhapsodize about the heavenly taste of perfectly ripe Eastern Shore tomatoes and swap tips on where to buy the very best tomatoes. Which is important because there are a fair number of disappointing red imposters lurking under signs that say "Tomatoes."  (Developing tomatoes that ripen at the same time and are a uniform red might have been good for mass production, but in my experience, the texture is too often like Styrofoam.)

 

To give some history, tomatoes originated on the western side of South America, Central America, and Mexico.  Technically they aren't vegetables, but fruit.  Berries, in fact. Generations of breeding turned them into very large berries, usually red but can be yellow or orange or green. Originally they were quite small but by the time the Spaniards arrived, the Aztecs had developed numerous tomato varieties that were widely used in numerous dishes.  (Picture on right: Justus Menke)

They became part of what is called the "Columbian exchange," which describes how things and people and cultures were transferred between the Old World and the New.  Europe gave the Americas contagious diseases that decimated indigenous populations, and the New World gave the Old World potatoes, tomatoes, and lots of silver. 

Tomatoes flourished in the sunny Mediterranean climate. And they soon became popular in Spain and Spanish colonies even as distant as the Philippines.  It took longer for them catch on in other parts of Europe.  Tomato plants were prized as garden ornamentals, but they weren’t considered edible since they were recognized as members of the nightshade family, which includes deadly nightshade.  (Potatoes and eggplants are also in the nightshade family--and now we love them all!)  Click here for more on the history of tomatoes.

Eventually tomatoes were accepted as good eating and now they're everywhere from marinara sauces to pizzas to sliced up in sandwiches.  In the off season I avoid dishes that use fresh tomatoes because a pale depressed winter tomato is a very sad thing.  But canned tomatoes work fine in soups and sauces and other culinary uses.  Canning fresh Eastern Shore tomatoes was a major industry in Maryland for decades. 

The Mayhem Consultant's Family Tomato Salad Recipe

The Mayhem Consultant explained how to make a simple tomato salad that was popular with the Italian side of his family. Good tomatoes are needed. I buy Compari tomatoes, which are a little larger than golf balls and are usually sold in one pound plastic boxes. I believe they're grown hydroponically and while they can't match the best fresh tomatoes, they're sweet and tasty and have a nice texture. Best of all,  they're reliable.  (Salad photo: Groveland Designs)   

For just the two of us, I usually wash and slice two or three Compari tomatoes, depending on how large they are.  After they're sliced, I splash on a nice olive oil, enough to coat the tomatoes but not drown them.  I grind on some fresh pepper, maybe add a bit of salt, but the real magic is adding chopped fresh basil and maybe oregano harvested from my deck garden.

The basil is growing gangbusters this summer.  Fresh herbs are wonderful and they really bring foods alive.  (I also toss rosemary and sage into soups and other dishes.  Luckily, fresh herbs are pretty widely available in supermarkets at all seasons.)  I generally chill the tomato salad in the refrigerator for a few hours, but that's not necessary.  That's all there is to it! A salad that's pretty, healthy, and delicious. 

Do you like tomatoes?  If so, how are your favorite ways to eat then?  (Soup photo by Karolina Kolodziejczak. All photos on this page from Unsplash.com)

Mary Jo

Comments

[Kareni]

My husband (like the Mayhem Consultant of Italian descent) can no longer eat tomatoes after cancer surgery a few years ago; he mourns that loss but kindly continues to grow them for me. I am a fortunate woman! Store tomatoes just do not compare to one freshly picked from the gatden. Your post has me drooling, Mary Jo....

[Mary T]

Although in my mind they are forever vegetables, I do know they are a fruit. But this is the first time I ever heard of them referred to as berries.

I spent a lot of time on my aunt's farm as a child and I can remember eating them right off the vine. I did the same thing thing when picking berries. Love home grown tomatoes, although the quality of store bought have gotten better over the years.

Hard to pick my favorite way to eat them. I even loved my aunt's fried green tomatoes. But one of my favorite treats nowadays is bacon, tomato (no lettece) and mayo on fresh bread. Yum!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Kareni, my sympathies to your husband. It's just no FAIR! You're right that fresh picked are the best, but alas, sometimes we have to lower our standards. Hopefully not too far. *G*

[Mary Jo Putney]

Mary T, our usual summer Saturday supper is a BLT, but I do include the lettuce. (Red leaf.) The bread is always toasted whole grain. IT's not an accident that the BLT--or BT--is an American classic!

[Nancy Mayer]

Bacon , lettuce, and tomato sandwiches are great. I have also made fried green tomatoes.However, nothing beats the taste of a sun warmed tomato, fresh off the vine. Lately, however, I have been eating the tiny tomatoes called cherry tomatoes or cherubs, or snacking tomatoes. They make a good snatch .

[Kareni]

And then there are BLATs which I can happily recommend ~ bacon, lettuce, avocado, and tomato.

[Anne Gracie]

I do love fresh homegrown tomatoes — that smell! So good.

I read an article this morning that archaeologists studying Pompeii found a fresco of what they're calling an early version of pizza, but, the writer of the article added, there was no sign of tomato or mozzarella cheese. No tomatoes in Italy 2000 years ago? Really? What a surprise. LOL

[Binnie Syril Braunstein]

Mary Jo: Maryland tomatoes are one of my great loves, but I haven't gotten to a farmstand in years. However, I believe those golfball size Campari tomatoes must have been developed with ne in mind. Dinner tonight was an everything bagel with a schmear of cream cheese, topped with carefully laid out Campari tomato slices. Yum! My other favorite thing to do with tomatoes is to make gazpacho. I've done it with fresh tomatoes, but most often, I used canned tomatoes. The chilled soup (my friend Kathy's recipe from a Life Magazine cookbook) is delicious every time, Because the recipe yields a big batch, I freeze portions. There's nothing more refreshing than icy cold gazpacho on a stifling summer day. Thanks for a delicious post, Mary Jo.

[Mary M.]

I haven't had a truly delicious tomato since my father and I grew beefsteaks back in Michigan. Not for lack of trying! But Camparis and Cherubs are sometimes close. I like the MC's salad, Mary Jo. I would have to include some (buffalo) mozzarella. That plus olive oil-brushed crostini would be a perfect meal. Mmmm …

[Mary T]

Hey Kareni - that sounds good, but I think I'll make it a BAT (smile).

[Christina Courtenay]

I LOVE tomatoes, Mary Jo! I eat them almost every day as I usually have tomato and mozzarella salad for lunch with olive oil and balsamic vinegar - delicious! My favourites are the tiny Pomodorino tomatoes, sweet and full of flavour, but I'll eat most anything. Great post!

[Carol Reynolds]

Maryland tomatoes in August are the best! When my daughter was a young girl, she had a slice of tomato on a sandwich in a restaurant in the winter. Although she liked her summer tomatoes, she couldn't identify this "fake" tomato. That's my Maryland girl.

[Mary Jo Putney]

That sounds great, Kareni. Hmmm, could use quacamole which would be easier than sliced avocados....

[Mary Jo Putney]

Nancy, you're right that the small tomatoes are great and healthy snacks.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Anne, flatbreads are everywhere, but pizza had to await the arrival of tomatoes. There might have been some form of mozzarella then, though.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Binnie, you're the one who suggested that I try the Compari tomatoes, for which I am forever grateful!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Mary M, may I join you for your perfect meal???

[Mary Jo Putney]

Christina, the small varieties do seem to be sweeter, tastier, and more consistent. Let's hear it for the plant breeders!

[Mary Jo Putney]

LOL, Carol! She's a smart girl with real Maryland DNA. *G*

[Karin]

Tomatoes are also a religion in New Jersey, and many would argue that ours are the best! I've always loved garden grown tomatoes, and I will be trying a BLAT as soon as mine get ripe, thanks Kareni!
I like to try different heritage varieties, along with the tried and true Beefsteak and Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes. Cherokee Purple is one of the best I've found. Someone gave me a few seeds of a variety called Paul Robeson, which I am growing this year, and I also was lucky enough to find a San Marzano seedling, which is better than the more common Roma plum tomato.

[Karin]

And I forgot to add, sometimes when I have a surplus of cherry tomatoes, I drizzle them with oil and slow roast them in the oven. The sweet taste is amazing!

[Annette N]

When I was a kid, I ate tomatoes straight off the vine - they were wonderful. That was then - this is now. The store bought tomatoes are pulpy and flavorless - but other than that they are fine.
I generally like the small ones - one type or another. They do taste better and are not pulpy. And they make great snacks when I want a little something.
And BLT - I think someone should write an anthem to that wonderful thing. Remember the song from Bye, Bye Birdie? "I love you Birdie, Oh yes I do..." My song would be be I love you BLT, Oh yes I do...and the next verse could be about a BLAT. Who needs the Great American Songbook writers?
Yes, the preceding was written in the sarcasm font.

[Kareni]

Ooh, that does sound good, @Karin!

[Ernestine D ranson]

Mentioning avoiding tomatoes in winter reminded me of attending a company dinner at a restaurant. The salads served to each of us contained two wedges of pale pink tomatoes. I took note as that course was cleared. Every bowl went back to the kitchen with two wedges of pale pink tomatoes. Since then, I never buy tomatoes in the winter.

[kc]

When I think of various ways to eat fresh tomato, I always think of my grandfather; at the end of dinner, he'd take slices of fresh tomato from the garden, spread them over the plate (and if a platter was available, even better), sprinkle them with sugar, not a lot but enough to flavor, and then eat happily! To him, that was better than pie & ice cream!

[Pat Dupuy]

I love tomatoes and I'm growing some now for the first time in years! Our previous home was in the big city and just too hot for them to thrive. I eat cherry tomatoes plain like grapes or berries. I slice larger tomatoes and have BLTs or tomato sandwiches. Just bread, mayo, and tomato. I think I'll branch out to bruschetta this summer!

[Jane Irish Nelson]

I'm not really a tomato aficionado, but I don't think life would be the same without them. I just read The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray, and there is an amusing scene where Mr. Knightley eats his first ripe tomato, and can't wait to get some of his guest to try them as well.

[Laura Lee]

Tomatoes are the bomb, as they say in Jersey. I'm from Ohio and summer meant fresh tomatoes and corn on the cob. Dad had a large garden so we had fresh tomatoes as soon as they ripened. To this day, I can't eat tomatoes out of season, except for Campari, which are pretty close. Our relatives had greenhouses for their tomato produce (because Ohio--winter). In the Summer, the roofs would be off so the tomatoes ripened on the vine. Sometimes I couldn't wait to take them inside and would just eat them like apples. I live in Virginia now and have a large garden. Unfortunately, the trees have grown much taller since we put the garden in (and built the fence to keep out critters. Did you know squirrels eat them green before they have a chance to ripen?). I'm not getting much sun this year so the tomatoes are suffering. Boohoo. I read The Murder of Mr. Wickham too and loved Mr. Knightly eating the tomato! Oh, my favorite way to eat them is on toasted garlic multi grain baguettes with Basil, Oregano, Feta, Parm or Mots cheese
with basil, oregano

[Tricia Dellas]

Mom made "winter salad " with shredded lettuce, bell pepper,onion and chilled canned tomatoes. It's still my favorite.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Karin, I've never heard of Cherokee Purple tomatoes, but the name alone intrigues. When I buy canned plum tomatoes for soup making, I always get the San Marzonos if I can find them. Good luck with growing yours!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Karin, we had tomatoes like these when we were on our honeymoon in Bermuda. Scrumptious! I mad them a few times at home, but have gotten out of the habit. Clearly I need to start roasting again!

[Mary Jo Putney]

LOL, Annette! I think you could have a hit song there. *G*

[Mary Jo Putney]

Ernestine, clearly your coworkers had good judgment. Adding awful winter tomatoes for decoration is NOT a good strategy.

[Mary Jo Putney]

kc, I'd prefer pie and ice cream, but no question that your grandfather's dessert was a lot healthier!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Pat---ooooh, did someone mention bruschetta?????

[Mary Jo Putney]

Jane, what a clever bit for the author to put in her story! Tomatoes must have been pretty rare there and then.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Laura Lee--squirrels are cute, but they're little thugs when it comes to eating! But sign me up for one of your tomato/basil/oregano/etc meals!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Tricia, your mother's winter salad sounds like a second cousin of gazpacho, so no wonder you like it!