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Tomatoes
A tomato importer, John Nix, decided to
challenge the law after scrutinizing the
Tariff Act. His case relied on the fact
that tomatoes were a fruit and not
vegetable, therefore, it should not be
subjected to the Tariff Act. Nix's
objections brought the case to the
Supreme Court in 1893. Although Nix had a
solid case, the Supreme Court rejected
the botanical facts and continued to
refer to tomatoes as a vegetable.
Plant family
Tomatoes belong to the genus
Lycopersicon, while potatoes belong to
the genus Solanum; Both of which belongs
to the same "flowering plant
family" solanaceae. The similarities
in leaves and flowers justifies this
taxonomic grouping.
The UK - Introduction of the tomato
When the tomato plant was first
introduced into the UK, some areas were
not willing to consume the fruit because
they were considered poisonous. Other
plants that were poisonous, and in the
same family as the tomato, such as the
henbane, mandrake and the deadly
nightshade were reasons to be concerned.
The deadly nightshade (Atropus
belladonna), in particular, resembled the
tomato plant the most, and was used as a
hallucinogenic drug, as well as for
cosmetic purposes in various parts of
Europe. In Latin, the name
"belladonna"; literally means
"beautiful woman." The women in
medieval courts would apply drop of
deadly nightshade extract to their eyes,
dilating their pupils, a fashionable
statement at the time.
When the deadly nightshade was taken for
it's hallucinogenic properties, the
consumer would experience visuals and a
feeling of flying or weightlessness.
German folklore suggests it was also used
in witchcraft to evoke werewolves, a
practice know as lycanthropy. The common
name for tomatoes in Germany translates
to "Wolf peach," which was
simply another reason for Europeans to
avoid the plant.
North America - Introduction of the
tomato
Tomato plants were transported by
colonists from Britain to North America.
The plants were most valued for removing
pustule (Pimples, Blisters - Pus filled,
inflamed skin). The inventor of peanut
butter, George Washington Carver,
strongly urged his poor Alabama neighbors
to consume tomatoes because of their
unhealthy diet. However, he had little
success convincing them that the plants
was edible.
Early efforts by merchants to sell
tomatoes were not very successful. It is
said that the fruit was brought to the
liberal hamlet of Salem, Mass. in 1802 by
a painter who also found it difficult
persuading people to try the fruit. New
Orleans cuisine was reported to have used
tomatoes by 1812, however, doubts about
the fruit lingered in some areas.
It's thought that doubts about the
plant's edibility was laid to rest, when
Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson announced
that he will consume a bushel of tomatoes
in front of the Boston courthouse at noon
on September 26, 1820. Thousands of
spectators turned out to watch the man
commit suicide (At least, so they
thought) by consuming the poisonous
fruit. It is said that spectators were
shocked when they realized the Colonel
will survive after consuming numerous
tomatoes. This story is from an old farm
journal and may not be very reliable,
however, it's quite entertaining.
Tomato popularity on the rise
Throughout the western world, tomatoes
began to grow in popularity. In the
1820s, several cookbooks included recipes
which required or called for tomatoes.
Tomatoes were sold by the dozens in
Boston's Quincy Market in 1835. In Thomas
Bridgeman seed catalogue, 4 varieties of
tomatoes were listed: Cherry, Pear, Large
Yellow and Large Squash.
Bruist, a seed merchant commented on the
tomato in 1858 - "In taking
retrospect of the last eighteen years,
there is no vegetable on the catalogue
that has obtained such popularity in so
short a period as the one now under
consideration. In 1828-29, it was almost
detested; in ten years almost every
variety of pill and panacea was extract
of tomato. It now occupies as great a
surface of ground as cabbage, and is
cultivated the length and breadth of the
country." - www.heirloomseeds.com
That year, Bruits had eight cultivatars
listed in his catalogue. A few years
later, in 1863, a popular seed catalogue
had 23 cultivars listed. One of the
listed cultivars was Trophy, the first
modern-looking, large, red,
smooth-skinned variety which was sold for
$5.00 for a packet of 20 seeds.
Large scale breeding for desirable traits
became common in the 1870s in both the US
and UK. In fact, by the 1880s several
hundred cultivars had been named and it
was clear that tomato had grown on the
western culture. According to a study
conducted at Michigan Agricultural
College in the late 1880s, 171 of the
named cultivars represented only 61 truly
unique varieties, many of which were only
marginally different.
Heirloom varieties
Although Central American is thought to
be the center of domestication,
throughout Europe and later in North
America, further domestication occurred
on a more intense level. Eastern Europe
appeared to produce large numbers of high
quality varieties. Tomatoes are
self-pollinating plants which tend to
become genetically homozygous after many
generations. Tomatoes will rarely cross
breed and usually produce plants will
similar characteristics as the parents.
Because of tomatoes natural breeding
process, early cultivars did not change
much and were kept in a family or
community for a long time, hence the name
heirlooms. There are cultivars that dates
back to over one hundred years that are
still produced today. Most heirloom
varieties are different in color, size
and shape. Some varieties are black, red
with black shoulders, dark purple,
rainbow and green. In terms of size, some
are the size of a cherry to larger
varieties weighing over 2 lb.
Heirlooms - a story
Some heirloom varieties have interesting
histories as well; at least I think so.
Lets talk about the story of a heirloom
name Mortgage Lifter. A radiator repair
shop owner, Charlie, experienced hard
times, as did much of the nation through
the Great Depression. Because of
financial reasons, most people abandoned
their cars and Ol Charlie's business too
a hard hit. He decided to use his four
largest fruit producing tomato plants to
cross breed repeatedly with each other to
create a plant that produced two pounds
of fruits.
Claming that his plants could feed a
family of six, Charlie peddled the crops
for a dollar per plant. Within four
years, Charlie generated enough money to
pay off the $4,000 dollars mortgage on
his home, which led to the heirloom name
"Mortgage Lifter."
Heirlooms - names & origins
In general, the names of heirloom
varieties links directly to their
history. For example, the Baptiste family
in Remis, Fance cultivated the First Pick
variety. Picardy's history also dates
back to France (1890). Besser arrived
from the Freiburg section of Germany,
while Schellenburg's Favorite came from
the Schellenburg family near Manheim,
Germany.
Elbe was cultivated in 1889 near the Elbe
River in Germany. Since the 1870s, the
Amish in Pennsylvania cultivated the
Amish Paste variety. Brandywine was also
cultivated by Amish farmers near
Brandywine Creek in Chester County
Pennsylvania in 1885. The hills of
Virginia is thought to be the origin of
the Hillbilly variety. Old Virginia was
cultivated in Virginia as well in the
early 1900s. In 1953 Campbell Soup Co.,
introduced the Ace variety which is still
popular for canning. On Edgar Allan Poe's
estate, a cultivar found growing there
bears his mother's maiden name, Hopkins.
Please bear in mind that these heirloom
stories may be true or false, in part or
whole, and may be inaccurate or
exaggerated.
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