is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable?
tomatoes are a fruit. why? the definition of a botanical fruit is that it has at least one seed and grow from the flower of the plant. therefore, tomatoes are classified as fruit because they contain seeds and grow from the flower of the tomato plant!
one whole tomato contains 22calories; 0.2g fat; 1.1g protein; 20% of your daily vitamin c intake; 6% of your daily potassium; 8% of your daily vitamin k. the vitamin c in tomatoes acts as an antioxidant and is important for your skin, bones and connective tissue. they also promote healing and helps the body absorb iron. a veritable super-food!!
health benefits? these are potential benefits of the humble tomato; may help protect brain health; may help protect heart health; can help with constipation; may reduce cancer risk; may help prevent type 2 diabetes; may aid immune function; may support male fertility.
here at les hirondelles on my potager, i grow roughly 15 different types of tomato, from the super-sweet cherries, to the giant pineapple variety. my most recent tomato weighed in at a hefty 650g! nothing beats the taste of a sun-warmed tomato picked straight off the vine, straight into a salad with mozzarella, basil and a drizzle of olive oil. there's always a bowl of super-sweet cherry tomatoes on my kitchen island, which get eaten like sweets. we get a huge glut from june through to october, which will keep us through the winter months. i cook tomatoes down for sauces for use in stews and bolognaise. make roasted passata for pasta and pizza. genuine dried-in-the sun with mixed herbs (then stored in olive oil). my all-time favourite is ratatouille, just add aubergine, peppers and courgettes (all roasted in the oven for that sweet taste), not the watery-stuff i remember from days gone by. just add chorizo or lardons to this and you have a fabulous sauce to use with your favourite pasta.
so, for those who say 'i don't like tomatoes', why not give them a try. the health benefits alone have to be worth it. with over 10,000 tomato varieties available, there's got to be a tomato out there that will be perfect for you❤️❤️