NO OTHER VEGETABLE better exemplifies the problems with blandness in the commercial food chain than the tomato. It has suffered more than most I think from the rigours of mass food production. Where once tomatoes were a delicious sweet treat, they have now become little more than a mind-blowingly bland sandwich filler. But how did this happen? The journal ‘Science’ recently reported on a study which revealed a genetic reason for tomato tastelessness. A common problem for commercial growers in the US in the 1930s was that (quite naturally) the ‘shoulder’ of the tomato used to stay greener for longer than the rest of the fruit. Consumers didn’t like the look of tomatoes that were even a little green and so the growers embarked on a quest for the holy grail – a tomato that would ripen in a uniform way.
One commercial grower managed to breed a tomato plant that produced fruit that ripened from an even shade of green to an even shade of red – this new mutation was called the “uniform ripening” trait and because of its appeal to consumers it was quickly bred in to other varieties. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the end of the story. Scientists have since discovered that the same trait that was making those green shoulders in the tomatoes was also making them sweeter and creating more flavor. The uniform ripening trait they produced actually disabled this gene, resulting in fruit that had less sugar (and therefore less sweetness) and fewer carotenoids (less antioxidant potential). Quite literally, commercial growers had unwittingly sacrificed flavour and nutrition for uniformity of appearance.
Heirloom varieties fell further out of favour because they had the annoying habit of coming in all shapes and sizes – this made them difficult to pack. And since they had softer skin, they were more likely to spoil in transit. Growers have therefore bred firmer skins into the tomatoes – ideal if you want to inflict some damage at the La Tomatina food fight festival, but not so good to eat.
Thankfully as home-growers we can celebrate the diversity, variety, flavour and lack of uniformity in our tomatoes. We can grow tomatoes that taste how tomatoes should taste – divine little balls of sweetness. In fact, if there is a downside to growing your own tomatoes it is that once you’ve tasted the home-grown varieties, it’s almost impossible to go back to shop-bought ones once your tomato season ends. That makes tomatoes a July-October delicacy. But oh what a delicacy…!
Things to do this week – Tend to your Celeriac
Celeriac is a wonderful celery-like crop that (unlike celery) will stand quite happily in the ground over the winter months. The stems of this tough vegetable will be starting to swell around now, so it’s a good time to pay them some attention. Hoe regularly around the celeriac to keep the bed weed free. In dry weather give them a good drenching every now and then and use a mulch around them to conserve water. A weekly feed of liquid manure or other feeds will certainly help to give you a bigger crop. Remove any side shoots that have formed and remove the lower leaves to expose the crown.
Lift the celeriac in October.
Recipe of the Week – Rose Hip Syrup
Rose hip syrup is a wonderful elixir to have in the winter store cupboard as its full of vitamin C. Good as a daily tonic to keep off colds and flu but it also tastes quite exotic (as opposed to tasting like medicine!). Rose hips are in season around now (late summer to autumn) – they’re small red globes that grow on hedges. This recipe comes from Darina Allen’s ‘Forgotten Skills of Cooking’ book. An indication of just how much goodness is in the rosehips is that you boil and strain them twice to get every last drop from them!
Ingredients:
Directions
Bring 1.8l water to the boil. Chop or mince the rosehips and add to the water. Bring back to the boil. Remove from the heat and allow to stand for 15 minutes. Strain through muslin. Put the pulp back in the saucepan and add another 1l of water. Repeat the process. Pour all the juice in to a clean pan. Reduce uncovered until 850ml of liquid remains (i.e. reduce by about half). Add the sugar, stir to dissolve and boil for 5 minutes. Pour in to sterilised bottles. This can be diluted to taste (5 parts water to one part syrup).
Tip of the Week – Make your own Mildew Spray
Mix half a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda with a pint of soapy water in a spray bottle. Add a drop of vegetable oil (which will help it to stick to dry leaves). Spray both sides of leaves of vulnerable plants (e.g. dill, parsley, parsnips, peas, beans, carrots, turnips, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, beets, etc.).
Michael Kelly is a freelance journalist, author of Grow Cook Eat and founder of Grow It Yourself (GIY).
GIY’s vision is for a healthier, more connected and more sustainable world where people grow some of their own food. Each year, it supports over 65,000 people and 1,500 community food-growing groups and projects around Ireland, and runs food-growing campaigns, events and publications. www.giyireland.com
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