Everything you didn't know about tomatoes - Good Food Life

Organic tastes better
I feel such a sense of pride when I look out my back window and see our tomato plant happily growing on our sun porch. We have one of those Topsy-Turvy planters, which actually work quite well. This year I purchased an ?Early Girl? plant that promises to provide fresh tomatoes well before the end of August. We already have several green fruits ripening, but thankfully Full Circle has delicious organic tomatoes available right now, and they can be delivered right to your doorstep!

Tomatoes fight cancer
Though tomatoes are well known as a colorful adornment to salads, sandwiches, and snacks, one thing you might not realize about this cheerful addition to your diet is that they are a good weapon against cancer. One fresh tomato or 1 teaspoon tomato paste every day can help fight breast and prostate cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, and even lung cancer. How do they work such miracles? Tomatoes contain Lycopene, which is considered somewhat of a natural miracle antioxidant that may help to stop the growth of cancer cells. And, interestingly enough, cooked tomatoes produce more lycopene than do raw tomatoes.

An acquired taste
I love tomatoes, but as a child I had a strong aversion to them. I repeatedly tried to adjust my taste buds so that I could enjoy them. Apparently, their high acidity can sometimes deter people, particularly little ones who are still developing their taste for new flavors. However, I kept trying new variations, and eventually hit home when I sliced a tomato paper thin onto a BLT. Over time I acquired the savory taste buds necessary to develop a full-blown love affair with tomatoes of all shapes, sizes, colors, and origins. I can?t seem to get enough Caprese salad in the summer, and who doesn?t love a good old fashioned grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup on a cool, Northwest afternoon?! Now I even enjoy raw tomatoes; so if tomatoes haven?t been ?your thing? in the past, consider giving them another try!

Try this trick
Bon Appetit recommends grating tomatoes with a plain old cheese grater. Simply cut in half and grate the cut side until you get down to the skin. The result:? A tomato pulp that easily blends with salsas, soups, salad dressings, red sauces, or as a topping on a sandwich?no slicing required. My tip of the week: Try mixing this magic tomato pulp in with your favorite Tzatziki sauce, and then use as dip for sliced organic cucumbers, peppers, sugar snaps, and broccoli.? It?s a zesty snack, and you fill up on vitamins, not calories!

Looking for a recipe to use your best tomatoes on? Try this Classic Gazpacho recipe!

Let us know how you like to eat tomatoes, in the comments section below.

Source: http://www.fullcircle.com/goodfoodlife/2012/07/20/everything-you-didn%E2%80%99t-know-about-tomatoes/

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