Home gardeners are enjoying fresh tomatoes from their vege patches. And, from all accounts, this year's is a good crop. But even if you don't grow your own, it's worth buying tomatoes in bulk to make relish or sauce. We may be able to buy imported and glass-house grown tomatoes year-round but nothing beats the taste of summer sun-ripened tomatoes grown outdoors and picked from the vine.
I understand the need for large-scale production and certainly, commercial breeds have developed colour, size, shelf life and sugar content but there is something special about tomatoes fresh out of the garden with a big, full, fruity taste. I have also tried growing "heritage" tomatoes at home but these days I favour reliable "modern" varieties which reduce the amount of spraying needed.
Tomatoes originally came from South America and were introduced to Europe by Spanish and Portuguese in the 16th century, along with potatoes, eggplants and peppers.
The Italians embraced eggplants, peppers and tomatoes but the British took wholeheartedly to the potato and were reluctant about the tomato. The first best-selling cookbook written by Marie Randall in 1808 provided only one tomato recipe.
