The Jersey Tomato. Delicious Fruit. Or Vegetable?

Do you think of tomatoes as a fruit? Most people probably think of them as a vegetable. 

So what are they, really? 

Well, botanically speaking, tomatoes are actually a fruit. This is because a fruit is the edible part of the seed containing the seeds, while a vegetable is the edible stems, leaves, and plant roots.  

But conflict over the fruit or veggie issue is actually one of the more interesting aspects of tomato history. In fact, there was a huge ruckus over this very issue in 1893. Why? It was all about money.  

US tariff laws imposed a duty upon fruits, but not on vegetables. So the question was whether a duty should be charged against tomatoes?  It became such a controversy that the Supreme Court had to weigh in. The decision? It's a veggie! Pay the duty! 

Did you know that the early American colonists regarded the tomato as poison? This is because it's related to the deadly nightshade plant. But so is the potato.

Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson stood on the steps of the Salem, New Jersey courthouse in 1820 and ate a tomato, and then a few more, without any adverse effects, to the town's amazement. Johnson's daring feat got a lot of attention.

Moving on to the present, New Jersey farmers grow some of the best produce in the country. But our juicy tomatoes, sweet corn and plump blueberries don't always get into the grocery stores and restaurants where you shop and eat.  

New Jersey has been on the top of this issue and the New Jersey Department of Agriculture initiated the "Jersey Fresh" campaign in 1984. The movement has been gaining momentum as farmers, consumers, food distributors, chefs, etc. have joined the efforts. People are now realizing the benefits of buying locally grown produce.  

With that said, DePalma Farms in Holmdel is now harvesting it's delicious "Jersey Fresh" tomatoes. We have plum and big tomato varieties available. What's better than a delicious tomato, basil and mozzarella salad drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar....YUM!

Each year, in the early fall, we make and jar our own fresh tomato purée just for our family. Sorry, it's not for sale but maybe someday it will be.

But it's really not that hard to do and you can give it a try at home. All you need is a food mill. We have many customers that come to the farm every year and purchase bushels of plum tomatoes just for this purpose.

Our process begins by setting up this big assembly line in one of our fields. We start by cutting up the tomatoes, salting them and cooking them down on a make-shift outdoor grill of sorts. We process them through a big machine, just like a food mill, that removes the skin and seeds producing a velvety smooth tomato puree, which we then put into Mason jars with our own fresh grown basil.

After that, we screw on the caps and boil the heck out them till they are sealed to perfection.

We use these jars of puree throughout the year as a base when we make tomato sauce at home.

Although some prepared jarred tomato sauce you find in the grocery stores is pretty good, my family wouldn't even think of buying it. Believe me, I've tried to substitute with the grocery store brands when I run into a bind and don't have any made, and it just never flies at my house! 

There's just nothing better than homemade tomato sauce from locally grown New Jersey tomatoes.

So get onboard and buy locally grown produce....it's the freshest around and it's right in your own backyard.

FUN FACTS ABOUT TOMATOES

• Tomatoes are the world's most popular "fruit", more than 60 million tons are produced each year!  Even more than bananas or apples.
• Did you know that one tomato plant can produce 15 tomatoes in a season?
• Tomatoes contain a substance called Lycopene and that substance is what gives tomatoes their rich red color.  It's also an antioxidant that reduces the risk for prostate cancer in men and helps reduce heart disease.  
• The largest tomato ever grown to date was seven pounds, twelve ounces!  It was grown in Oklahoma in 1986. 
• Heinz tomato ketchup was first produced in 1876.
• Cambell's soup was introduced in 1897.
• Having trouble deciding which tomato varieties to grow? No wonder; there are more than 10,000 of them!