By Sunny Baker – September 11, 2024
Del Norte CalFresh Healthy Living program supports healthy, active and nourished lifestyles by teaching Del Norte residents about good nutrition and how to stretch their food dollars, while also building partnerships in communities to make the healthy choice, the easy choice.
Visit Del Norte CalFresh Healthy Living website and learn more about nutrition and physical activity resources and healthful tips. Let’s celebrate healthy victories that lead your families healthier and happier!
Harvest of the Month – Tomato
There are more than 4,000 varieties of tomatoes ranging in size, shape, and color.
Botanically, the tomato is a fruit. However, in the 1893 U.S. Supreme Court case of “Nix v. Hedden,” the tomato was declared a vegetable, along with cucumbers, squashes, beans, and peas. This came about as a result of tariff laws in 1887, which imposed a duty on vegetables but not fruits.
In 17th and 18th century England, tomatoes were believed to be poisonous. (Eating the stems and leaves may cause illness and should be avoided.) The tomato is a berry of the nightshade family, which includes potatoes, eggplants, and peppers. The word “tomato” is derived from the Nahuatl (Aztec language) word, tomatl, meaning “something round and plump.” Over the years, the tomato has endured many names including “love apple,” “golden apple,” “apple of paradise,” and even “devil apple” by those who believed the tomato to be poisonous.
George Washington Carver believed tomatoes had “medicinal virtues.” After World War I, he issued “115 Ways to Prepare It [Tomatoes] For the Table” thus marking the introduction of the tomato into popular culture.
Tomatoes are a good source of vitamin A and C. They are one of only three vegetables that are more nutritious cooked than they are raw, the reason is lycopene. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant with many health benefits, including sun protection, improved heart health and a lower risk of certain types of cancer. Though it can be found as a supplement, it may be most effective when consumed from lycopene-rich foods like tomatoes and other red or pink fruits. Lycopene is found in the softest parts of the tomato protected by its outer walls. When cooked, the outer walls breakdown and the lycopene is released.
According to USDA, Americans eat more than 22 pounds of tomatoes each year, more than half of this amount in the form of ketchup and/or tomato sauce.
Tomatoes are grown in every state in the United States except Alaska however; California is the nation’s tomato capital. Ninety-five percent of processing tomatoes and about 75 percent of all tomatoes are grown in California. They are grown throughout the state, but about 90 percent of California grown tomatoes are harvested in nine counties.
The tomato is a warm-weather perennial plant, sensitive to frost at any stage of growth. In California, fresh-market tomatoes are grown using one of two methods: bush or pole. In the Central Valley, 100 percent of all tomatoes are grown using bushes, while most Southern California coastal counties practice the pole method.
September is National Eat Local Food Month! Throughout the month the Del Norte & Tribal Lands Community Food Council will host various activities and ways for you to celebrate.
