This column was originally published in the Hamilton County Herald on August 5, 2011.
Cherry, Big Boys, Grape, Beefsteak, Brandywine, Plum - home-grown tomatoes are here, and I for one, am plum tickled!
One of my favorite ways of eating one is between two slices of wheatberry bread with nothing but mayo, salt and pepper, however, that might be a toss up with sliced on a plate sandwiched between real mozzarella, fresh basil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and then drizzled with olive oil! Yum, yum!
Science tries to perfect everything in our lives, and sometimes is successful, however Mother Nature seems to have the upper hand on tomato growing. I’m not demeaning “hydro-phonically grown tomatoes” in any way, but, there is no comparison to a fresh, ripe, just-picked-from-the-garden, Mother Nature grown tomato. Yet, to give credit where credit is due, due to science and hybridizing, tomatoes grown in the garden today, are nothing like the tomatoes our ancestors grew. That’s a plus!
About 30 years ago, growers began working to improve the quality of tomatoes. Today, there are more varieties offering bigger and better tasting tomatoes, such as hybrids or open-pollinated; small cherry or large beefsteak; sweet or mouth-puckering; determinate or indeterminate – the list goes on.
The Aztecs and Incas first grew tomatoes in 700 AD, but it was the explorers who brought seeds into Europe, and then to America. The tomato was believed poisonous until 1820, when Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson disproved it during a public demonstration in Salem, NJ.
In France, after the poison myth was dismissed, the tomato was considered an aphrodisiac, with the name changed to “pomme d’amour,” or “love apple.” Known in the U.S. simply as the tomato, it is the world’s most popular fruit – and yes, I did say fruit! Botanically speaking it is a fruit, not a vegetable.
With more than 60 million tons of tomatoes produced per year, that is 16 million tons more than the second most popular fruit, the banana. I know, in the previous article I stated that bananas were No. 1. Well, that is in America, the tomato is No. 1 in the world.
And that’s good news! The lycopene found in tomatoes has been proven to be twice as powerful as beta-carotene in destroying free radicals, which promotes aging and cancer. In fact, a study of 5,500 Italians revealed that eating plenty of raw tomatoes lowers the risk of digestive tract cancer.
Most of the tomatoes found in the market are firm and not yet fully ripe. However, under the right conditions, tomatoes ripen in flavor and aroma. Select tomatoes at varying degrees of ripeness and keep them between 55-70 degrees. Use the ripest fruit first, and never refrigerate those that are not fully ripe as the cold ruins the flavor and halts the ripening process.
Tomato, Avocado and Mozzarella Crostini
1 baguette bread
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tsp. garlic, minced
Fresh Mozzarella cheese, sliced thin
2 avocados, mashed
1 1/2 cups Roma tomatoes, diced
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Salt/black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup basil, fresh chopped
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice bread into 1/4” thick diagonal slices. In small bowl, combine garlic and olive oil. Brush bread slices lightly with garlic oil.
Arrange on sheet pans in single layer. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Remove from oven and layer cheese slices on top. Mash avocados. In separate bowl, combine tomato, olive oil, salt, pepper and basil. To serve, spread crostini with about 1 Tbsp. of avocado; top with tomato-basil mixture. Garnish with fresh basil and grated Parmesan.