Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Get Facts About Tomatoes

By Mario Leal


There are plenty of families all across the globe eating tomatoes. Tomatoes are a staple of American gardeners. Tomatoes can be found in a wide array of types some with the diameter of a quarter to as large as a softball. The main focus of this article is to provide three facts lots of people do not know regarding tomatoes.

Perhaps one of the planet's favored vegetables, the first fact is that tomatoes are not vegetables at all. The tomato is a fruit. All of us really treat them as vegetables only when cooking. This is because the fruit or tomato is the ovary of the flowering plant. Many might even call it a berry. Consequently, indulge in some "tomatoberry" in your next salad!

The second fact relates to one of the tomato's ingredients. The tomato possesses a beneficial ingredient called Lycopene. Lycopene and cancer causing free radicals don't get along. In addition, tomatoes are wonderful sources of Vitamin C and Vitamin A. Eating tomatoes can help to shield you from cancer and ensure correct levels of vitamin A and vitamin C.

Fact Three: In the United States, you will find tomato plants growing in just about all backyard gardens. The United States is second at the production of tomatoes. The largest producer is actually China. As reported by FAOSTAT, the planet yields 141 million tons of tomatoes. Turkey rounds out the top three in tomato production worldwide. In order, the top three producers are: China, United States, Turkey.

You now have some terrific trivia to make use of on your family and friends about the tomato. If these facts don't wow you, you have to admit, a tomato is a terrible thing to waste. Now, the next time tomatoes come up in Trivial Pursuit, you will be ready!




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