The Science of Why Homegrown Tomatoes Are Tastier

Everyone knows homegrown tomatoes taste better than store-bought ones.  That's a situation caused accidentally-on-purpose by commercial seed suppliers.  Breeding for the traits that make tomatoes easy to mass produce and transport--uniform ripening, consistent coloring, rigid flesh--resulted in breeding out traits that make tomatoes desirable--rich taste, high nutritional value, and non-grainy texture. 

The same thing has happened with apples, avocados, cauliflower, peaches, melons, and you-name-it.  The majority of the world's food supply has been bred for easy harvest, packaging, shipping, storage, and display.  Taste, texture, and nutritional value fall below all those other priorities.  It's no wonder so many folks consider eating fruits and vegetables an unpleasant chore.  And it's no wonder the majority of folks wander about with symptoms of subclinical deficiencies that medications don't seem to address.

Forex, vitamin C levels are known to be lower in foods that are processed, and in fruits that are picked before ripeness (as most fruits are).  Subclinical vitamin C deficiency results in higher levels of cortisol during times of stress, poor cell membrane structure, poor adrenaline production.  Those things lead to fat gain, fatigue, lowered immunity, damaged skin, weak capillaries, poor wound healing, and so forth.

And then there is the research showing organic tomatoes have higher levels of antioxidants than industrially grown tomatoes.  Why?  Because organic growing doesn't use nitrogenous fertilizers, and thus the plants are under increased stress.  The stress of pest and pathogens adds to antioxidant production.  The plant grows stronger under natural amounts of stress, and that strength is channeled into regenerating itself via its fruits.

I know organic costs more.  Organic farming is far more labor intensive, and still lacks widespread infrastructure support.  And the costs of organic fruits and vegetables--and, to a lesser extent, industrially grown ones as well--more accurately reflect the true cost of food because they receive little if any government subsidies.  Grains aren't cheap because they're inherently cheap; those crops are heavily subsidized by the USDA.  (Oddly enough, it's the USDA that says we should eat lots and lots of grains.)

When finances are an issue, choose those organics that will bring you the most taste enjoyment.  Smaller portions of richer tastes are more satisfying in terms of taste and nutrition.  It also helps to eat seasonally, because prices are lower when there is a surplus.  Canning is great, but if you don't have the time or equipment, blanching and freezing are a great alternative.

This post brought to you by a gardener who keeps staring at her green tomatoes and willing them to ripen. Links are via ScienceDaily since all source materials are behind subscription walls.