Here’s the secret to growing tomatoes that are significantly more nutritious
It’s not just a way to jack up prices on the menu at the newest farm-to-table sensation in your town.
Turns out, heirloom tomatoes are the only way to get the full health benefits of this salad staple.
Over the years, horticulturists have messed around with the tomato and created a bland but sturdy new breed. It’s large. It grows quickly. Insects don’t care for it. It has a long shelf life. It can travel long distances without damage.
It’s a perfect product for tomato producers and sellers. For us, though, it’s a hard, flavorless sphere, in a tomato costume.
And it’s missing more than just flavor. As I said, it’s likely to be low on nutrients too.
If you have your own garden, tomato researcher Harry Klee recommends using heirloom seeds. And then…cutting back on fertilizer.
Fertilizer prompts bursts of growth. When you use less fertilizer — or no fertilizer — plants grow slower. The plants have more time to produce beneficial compounds, such as flavonoids.
Sources:
“Smaller But Better? Organic Tomatoes May Pack More Nutritional Punch” Allison Aubrey, NPR, 2/20/13, npr.org
