Organic tomatoes are smaller than conventionally grown tomatoes, but nutrient content is significantly higher

Your average grocery store tomato is a joke.

Over the years, horticulturists have developed this bland but sturdy tomato. 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 consumers, though, it’s basically a hard, flavorless sphere, dressed up like a tomato.

But it’s missing more than just flavor.

New tomato research reveals…well, nothing new. But it confirms many studies that have come before. And they’ve all shown that organic growing methods increase nutritional content.

In this new study, organic tomatoes were smaller than conventionally grown tomatoes. But they had significantly higher levels of vitamin C and lycopene.

We’ve known the reason behind this for years. When farmers don’t use insecticides, their crops produce compounds that provide protection. These compounds happen to be rich in antioxidants and other nutrients.

But that’s not the only way to boost nutrition.

In an NPR report, tomato researcher Harry Klee offered a gardening tip for producing tomatoes that are more nutritious. Klee explains that modern varieties of tomatoes are designed to produce many tomatoes quickly. That dilutes nutrients.

Choosing heirloom seeds is one way to sidestep that problem.

Fertilizer also 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.

Don’t rush a tomato. It knows what it’s doing.

Sources:
“Smaller But Better? Organic Tomatoes May Pack More Nutritional Punch” Allison Aubrey, NPR, 2/20/13, npr.org