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I’ve been reading a whole lot about tomatoes

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Re: I’ve been reading a whole lot about tomatoes

#61

Post by maxerickson »

antisthenes wrote: post #60
Factorium wrote: post #56

Tomatoes "have no significant nutrient content" according to Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato#Nutrition And are 95% water. They just taste great due to the umami flavour. Is there any way to grow nutritious food that isn't just transporting water everywhere? https://tools.myfooddata.com/nutrient-ranking-tool/Water/Veg... I guess this is the end result of selecting for 'yield' which is basically just we…

Okay? I mean that's not why people eat fresh fruits and vegetables. You can find common produce that has even less nutrients, yet is a widely used staple. If your goal is protein/aminoacid delivery in an efficient manner, you need milk & meat. Or maybe soybean/pea concentrates if you want to go vegan. No way around that. > Is there any way to grow nutritious food that isn't just transporting water everywhere? Yes. Gr…

That's not what 'staple' means in a nutritional context.

Re: I’ve been reading a whole lot about tomatoes

#62

Post by hnzix »

atombender wrote: post #30
treeman79 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nightshades are also inflammatory for some autoimmune conditions.

Supposedly because they contain glycoalkaloids. I'm not sure who invented the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP), but it seems to have the same scientifically questionable origins as Leaky Gut Syndrome. I have yet to see any scientific evidence supporting AIP. There's one study hypothesizing that glycoalkaloids can increase/aggravate intestinal permeability (which is a real thing), but this study only looked at mice [1]. The…

> I have yet to see any scientific evidence supporting AIP.

The food elimination diet is very scientific - you add items back in one at a time to test if they cause a negative reaction to your particular physiology.

Re: I’ve been reading a whole lot about tomatoes

#63

Post by phonypc »

Factorium wrote: post #56

Tomatoes "have no significant nutrient content" according to Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato#Nutrition And are 95% water. They just taste great due to the umami flavour. Is there any way to grow nutritious food that isn't just transporting water everywhere? https://tools.myfooddata.com/nutrient-ranking-tool/Water/Veg... I guess this is the end result of selecting for 'yield' which is basically just we…

Did you miss the part before your quote about them being a moderate source of vitamin C? The whole sentence needs a re-write anyway IMO, "no significant nutrient content" seems like too strong a statement given the table. A large tomato would cover ~10%DV of a whole bunch of vitamins and minerals.

Re: I’ve been reading a whole lot about tomatoes

#64

Post by tharkun__ »

fy20 wrote: post #46
hinkley wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If memory serves, that fungus family attacks all nightshades, not just tomatoes, right? So you can't rotate potatoes or eggplant or you get the same problems.

For anyone who didn't know this: tomato, tomatillo, potato, eggplant, pepper and tobacco are all from the same family Solanaceae aka nightshade. There are many other plants in the same family (they have worldwide distribution), but a lot of them are poisonous. Even more fun: It's possible to graft plants of different species within the family, so you can create a plant that grows both potatoes and tomatoes. https://e…

And in fact potato fruit are poisonous! Just remember that when you grow potatoes and you get those "nice small tomatoes" on the potatoes that do bloom and fruit :) Luckily not many bloom and fruit usually, so most people that just grow a few potatoes for fun don't even get tempted. Then again they don't ripen red anyway, so I guess there's that to "save the curious".

EDIT: Anyone else have an unusually many potatoes bloom and bear fruit this year? I've never had this many before.

Re: I’ve been reading a whole lot about tomatoes

#65

Post by convolvatron »

turk- wrote: post #41
davidhunter wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Are you optimizing for any experiential aspects of your tomatoes, like taste or texture? Yes - but this mainly comes down to the varieties that you grow. You can grow varieties that are very tasty and are usually sold in the premium tier. And you can grow high-yielding tomatoes with less taste. >Personally, in my area tomatoes are cheap enough to not think about the price, but the products widely available from sup…

Interesting. I've always wondered why tomatoes in the US taste like shit. Why is there a trade off between high yield and taste? Is there not a high yield + great taste variety?

I think its largely about shelf life and bruising?

there is this kind of tomato I buy if there aren't any others. it always looks perfect on the outside...and seems to last forever sitting on the counter at home.

but if its old enough, the seeds will have sprouted when you cut into it.

pretty tasteless regardless

Re: I’ve been reading a whole lot about tomatoes

#66

Post by mikesabbagh »

opinion-is-bad wrote: post #28

Interesting, but not that dissimilar to the United States. I grow a couple thousand acres of tomatoes in California, all of which are for processing into juices and pastes. These tomatoes are all transported in open-topped trailers by semi, and the losses have always bothered me. There is a tight turn just after leaving our property and the pile of tomatoes there grows steadily with the season as they roll off the to…

another interesting fact: if you see a plant growing on human sewage solids, it must be a tomato plant!! https://i.imgur.com/qByHRvo.jpg

Re: I’ve been reading a whole lot about tomatoes

#67

Post by mikesabbagh »

martythemaniak wrote: post #15
davidhunter wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly what we're doing (optimal.ag). Interestingly, the cannabis industry has taken all the equipment, knowhow and enthusiasm of the (Dutch) tomato industry and applied it to cannabis - not the other way around.

First time I flew into Amsterdam it was dusk and I was mesmerized by the seemingly endless fields of greenhouses growing weed. Only years later (after telling everyone about it) did I learn they were actually growing produce :D Dutch tomatoes have a reputation for being bland ("water bombs"), is making more flavourfull ones just product focus? Like picking the right varietal, picking them at the right time, deliverin…

In Europe, tomatoes are Dutch and feed the more southern countries. In North America, Canada imports tomatoes from the US in winter!!

Re: I’ve been reading a whole lot about tomatoes

#68

Post by toiletfuneral »

jelliclesfarm wrote: post #48
opinion-is-bad wrote: post #28

Interesting, but not that dissimilar to the United States. I grow a couple thousand acres of tomatoes in California, all of which are for processing into juices and pastes. These tomatoes are all transported in open-topped trailers by semi, and the losses have always bothered me. There is a tight turn just after leaving our property and the pile of tomatoes there grows steadily with the season as they roll off the to…

It’s not that much of a loss for them. If you are growing for someone like morning star, they have tightened the supply chain so well that every step is precisely executed. The reason they are open topped is because they go straight to processing and get washed and graded and processed even before they are weighed. It’s beautiful how the system has been designed. Closing the tops is probably saving less than a few pe…

yeah wow so beautiful to waste tons of food for just pennies, what a really cool & normal value system

Re: I’ve been reading a whole lot about tomatoes

#69

Post by yissp »

fy20 wrote: post #46
hinkley wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If memory serves, that fungus family attacks all nightshades, not just tomatoes, right? So you can't rotate potatoes or eggplant or you get the same problems.

For anyone who didn't know this: tomato, tomatillo, potato, eggplant, pepper and tobacco are all from the same family Solanaceae aka nightshade. There are many other plants in the same family (they have worldwide distribution), but a lot of them are poisonous. Even more fun: It's possible to graft plants of different species within the family, so you can create a plant that grows both potatoes and tomatoes. https://e…

I remember reading that when they were first brought to Europe via the Columbian exchange people were reluctant to eat them fearing they were also poisonous. Now it's hard to imagine, e.g. Italian cuisine without tomatoes.

Re: I’ve been reading a whole lot about tomatoes

#70

Post by yissp »

aaaaaaaaaaab wrote: post #58
Factorium wrote: post #56

Tomatoes "have no significant nutrient content" according to Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato#Nutrition And are 95% water. They just taste great due to the umami flavour. Is there any way to grow nutritious food that isn't just transporting water everywhere? https://tools.myfooddata.com/nutrient-ranking-tool/Water/Veg... I guess this is the end result of selecting for 'yield' which is basically just we…

>Is there any way to grow nutritious food that isn't just transporting water everywhere? Dried tomatoes?

destroys most of the vitamin C, though
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