Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Where To Find The Best Homemade Tomato Cage

By Zelma Hurley


The people of Elmira, New York, love their tomatoes. That is why you will find the best homemade tomato cage in the back yard of someone living in Elmira. Elmirites can't get enough of their bright, juicy, sunshiny taste. The fruit of S. Lycoopersicum, a member of the nightshade family, is full of important nutrients. Note they are a fruit, and not a vegetable, no matter how much Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher tried to convince their respective electorates in the 1980s.

Think tomato, think red, because this is the most common color. However, they are practically every other color under the sun, including deep purple, yellow, green, orange, in fact, every color of the rainbow apart from blue. Most green tomatoes are that way because they have not fully ripened. Tomatoes range in size from about half an inch in diameter to several inches. They may be round, pumpkin-shaped, shaped like a plum, or elongated.

If you can manage to get any into the kitchen without eating them as soon as you pick them, tomatoes are an exceedingly versatile item to prepare. They are a little messy to eat like apples, but may be sliced or cut into wedges for use in salads, sandwiches or even on their own. They may also be peeled, have the seeds taken out and then cooked. For good health, it is important to include both cooked and uncooked tomatoes in the diet.

Fresh and uncooked, tomatoes are jam-packed with vitamins A and C. Cook them, and things like lycopenes, lutein, choline, folic acid and beta-carotene come out to play. Tomatoes are also a great source of fiber.

As well as being a hugely popular ingredient in spaghetti sauce, tomatoes are also the main ingredient in the popular American condiment, ketchup or catsup. At one time, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher tried to convince the public that ketchup was a vegetable for the purposes of school dinners. People put ketchup on just about everything from french fries and hamburgers to scrambled eggs. It is a very unusual home indeed that does not contain a bottle of ketchup.

In hot, sunny climates, tomato plants can grow very tall, bushy and unwieldy. This is why some sort of cage or other scaffolding is useful to prop up the plant and keep the developing fruits from touching the moist soil and becoming subject to rotting. Cherry tomatoes make excellent subjects for hanging baskets. Many amateur gardeners are happy to use grow bags.

While tomatoes grow best where it is hot and sunny, they may be coaxed to maturity under glass, in a conservatory, greenhouse or hothouse. If there is a frost on the weather forecast and you do not have any of these grand structures, cutting the top off a 2-liter plastic soft drink bottle will protect smaller plants. Tomatoes also like potassium-based plant foods. Pollination within and between plants can be encouraged by tickling the bright yellow blossoms. Common pests include caterpillars and aphids.

Tomatoes also have their uses outside the kitchen. They may brighten dull pots and pans, for one thing. They can also be used as a hair rinse, especially to get rid of unpleasant smells like perming solution.




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