Earth Day Edibles
Home grown is better
Earth Day is Friday, April 22nd so here’s a little food for thought: it’s a fact that as soon as fruits and vegetables are picked they start losing nutrients. Once harvested, they sit in transit for several days en route to the supermarket shelves.
‘Big Beef’ tomato
Of course, growing our own fresh produce maximizes the health benefits, since it can be on our plates within moments of leaving the garden. Now consider this: each person who grows their own helps reduce the amount of produce that must be transported to the grocery store, thereby reducing the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere. Every little bit helps.
We’re doing our part with our large assortment of edible crops, including peppers, cucumbers, squash, and herbs, plus the true celebrities of the summer vegetable garden: tomatoes. This year we’ve added three new varieties to keep things interesting.
‘Great White’
You might think that’s a smooth, creamy honeydew melon you’re looking at, but it’s our ‘Great White’ tomato and it’s just about as sweet. This is an heirloom beefsteak variety, and it’s the largest of the white tomatoes; fruits weigh up to a pound apiece. ‘Great White’ is very juicy, with pale yellow flesh and a delicious fruity flavor. We like it for slicing.
‘Mr. Stripey’—no two are alike
‘Mr. Stripey’ is another new heirloom variety for us this year—you can see how it got its name. Don’t count on perfect orange, yellow, and red stripes, though; that’s the beauty of heirloom tomatoes—no two are alike. These fruits can also reach up to a pound each and are known for their high sugar content. The colorful flesh is nice and meaty with a mild sweet flavor—it’s also very low in acid.
Cascading stems of ‘Rapunzel’
How do you like this funky cherry tomato? ‘Rapunzel’ is named after the long-haired heroine of the fairytale. This plant can reach up to 6 feet tall and puts out long, cascading stems that are simply loaded with bright red tomatoes. Yes, they’re sweet and great for snacking but we’d grow it for the looks alone. ‘Rapunzel’ does resemble long braids of hair but it also reminds me of one of those beaded curtains from the 1960s—must be the Earth Day vibe.
All of these tomatoes are available in the 1801 flat. Please refer to the Availability section of our web site for our full selection of edibles. To find out more about Earth Day please visit www.earthday.org
