Page 18 - North Haven Magazine Issue 14 Summer 2020

By Sally Brockett

It is hard to beat the taste of fresh tomatoes and peppers, and now is the time of year we can enjoy them to our hearts content! Fresh
picked, sun-ripened tomatoes and peppers are full of great nutrients and great flavor. And if you cannot get them right out of your garden,
you can find plenty at the farmers’ markets and local farm stands. Let’s explore more about these two favorites of summer.
Try this simple but delicious recipe to use some of those garden
fresh tomatoes!
Botanically, tomatoes are fruits because it is a ripened flower ova-
ry and contains seeds. There are also other plants in our gardens
that are fruits, but we think of them as vegetables. Zucchini, green
beans, eggplants, and yes, peppers, are also botanically fruits, but
we call them vegetables. • 4-6 tomatoes, sliced. 6-8 chopped basil leaves.
• 1/1/2 cups grated cheddar. ½ cup
The explanation for this is that, nutritionally, the term “fruits” • Mayonnaise. ½ cup sour cream.
describes sweet and fleshy botanical fruits, while “vegetable” in- • Partially baked deep 9” pie crust.
dicates plant parts that are not high in fructose. Fruits are often
served as desserts and snacks, and vegetables are part of the main Mix some flour, salt & pepper with chopped basil. Sprinkle flour
dish or side dish. mixture over tomato slices and layer them in pie crust. Mix sour
cream, mayo, and grated cheese. Spread on top. Bake at 350° for
Although tomatoes are an important food product commercially 30 min. Let it set for 10 minutes before cutting.
and in home gardens, they are not native to North America. To-
matoes grew wild in the Andes and were cultivated by the Aztecs Can add ham, bacon, onion, mushrooms if desired.
and Incas as early as 700 AD. Travelers brought the tomato to many
other countries and it has become popular around the world. To-
matoes thrive in warm, sunny climates with no hard frosts. We are
fortunate to be able to grow tomatoes in our gardens, but would
need a greenhouse to have fresh tomatoes year round.

Tomatoes can be grown on the Peppers are also a fruit-vegetable grown in home gardens and avail-
ground without supports, or it can able in farm markets through the summer. All peppers are part of
be staked, or caged to keep the plants the capsicum family but bell peppers do not contain capsicum so
and fruits off the ground. Many find they are not hot and spicy. Bell peppers are available in a rainbow
that the use of cages or stakes help of colors; red, yellow, orange, purple, and of course, green. Actually,
keep the plant healthy and may assist peppers all start out green, which is the unripe fruit, but if left to
in reducing damaging blights. Straw ripen, the color will change based on the variety.
mulch around the base of the plant,
and removal of bottom leaves that
would otherwise touch the ground,
also helps reduce the blight.

There are many varieties of tomatoes
and some are better suited for partic-
ular purposes than others. Because
plum tomatoes are very fleshy, they
are favored for sauces and tomato
juice. Beefsteak are great for slicing
and using on grilled hamburgers.
Small cherry tomatoes are wonderful
for snacks or salads, and can be eaten
Tomato with mulch and bottom whole as part of a healthy lunchbox
branches removed. meal. All colors of bell peppers contain healthy nutrients, but nutritional
values vary depending upon their color. Red peppers are consid-
There are advantages to eating fresh ered the most nutritious because they are on the plant the longest.
tomatoes, as well as to eating cooked tomatoes. Fresh tomatoes Compared to green bell peppers, red ones have almost 11 times
contain powerful nutrients that help maintain good health. Add more beta-carotene and 1.5 times more vitamin C. Green bell pep-
them to your salads, salsa, and sandwiches. However, cooking to- pers are not ripe yet, so be patient, and let them ripen to a red color
matoes actually boosts availability of key nutrients such as lyco- to get the most nutrition!
pene. So, mix it up. Eat some of your tomatoes fresh and some of In addition to bell peppers, there are many, many other types which
them cooked, to get the most benefit. have varying degrees of heat. The heat is measured using Scoville
heat units on a scale of 0 (Bell pepper) to 3,000,000 (Pepper X).
In general, smaller size means a hotter pepper. Be sure to wear
18 North Haven Magazine - Summer Issue 2020