I think tomatoes are becoming an obsession. I’ve already made a list of varieties to try growing next year. I love the color of Cherokee Purples and Green Zebras. I added Santorini and Pantano Romanesco because the names bring back memories of e Mediteranean gardens in California. I also think I will try Yellow Pear. I like Indian food and tomatoes have turned up there as well. The Yellow Pears would look lovely in a curry. I did wonder how the tomatoes got to India but I think they may have been brought to Goa by the Portuguese. Long ago I became friends with a grad student from Goa who introduced me to Indian food and he was quite familiar with tomatoes.
I also looked into the health benefits of tomatoes. My yard is dominated by nightshades; tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, tomatillos and even two varieties of the real thing, a woody nightshade growing on the back fence and a patch of black nightshade growing between the pumpkin vine and the rue. I have heard nightshades are a no-no for those with arthritis. I have osteoarthritis but I would hate to give up my favorite veggies. I heard they aggravate inflammation and I have fibromyalgia. There is a lot of information out there, some verifiable, some not. I’ve decided to keep eating my nightshades. I’ve been eating more of them this summer than ever and I actually feel better than earlier in the year. They taste good, they have lots of valuable nutrients and I grew them with lots of love and zero chemicals. Besides, I’d hate to waste those tons of tomatoes. Like my Goan friend I can always put them in curry and let them fight it out with the turmeric.
Kimchee and Catnip 