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TomatoesIt's that moment we wait for, and dream about all winter, as we muddle through with mere substitutes. It is as much of a rite of summer in Arkansas as swimming, sun bathing, bar-b-queing, and heat. It's that first bite of a certified, home grown, red, ripe and juicy Arkansas tomato. And folks, the time is ripe-the tomatoes are here! Few vegetables-or is that fruits?!, bring about more opinions than tomatoes. They are the number one vegetable planted in home gardens, and everyone has their favorite. Whether it is the original Arkansas pink tomato -- the Bradley, or today's offering Mountain Spring, or the Better Boy or Roma, Sweet 100, or the giant Beefsteak, they are truly good eating. Tomatoes are native to Mexico and Central America. They were introduced to Spanish settlers by the Native Americans who cultivated them. Though tomatoes were used in cooking by the Italians as early as the 16th century, they didn't become popular in the United States until the 19th century. Tomatoes were long considered poisonous, perhaps because of the fact that the leaves and stems do contain a toxic alkaloid–but then, we don't eat the foliage. It is estimated that of all households who grow vegetables-nationwide, 93% of them have a tomato plant or two-and many have row upon row. For some of us, shade or lack of soil, limit the planting of fruits and vegetables, because you do need a minimum of six to eight hours of sunlight a day, to produce. If you don't grow them, they are still available. Whether they are shipping out of south Arkansas-(the tomato capital of Arkansas is Bradley and Drew counties), or coming from your local grower at the farmers market, there is a good supply of tomatoes this season. In 2000, many tomato growers were hard hit by the spotted wilt virus, and production was off. That, coupled with low prices, expensive labor, and a low rate of return, has our tomato producer numbers declining-down to only 50-75 growers in south Arkansas, compared to more than a hundred a year or two ago. But their crop in 2001 is superb. Growers in south Arkansas changed from the traditional pink tomato to the red Mountain series in the mid 1980's. This change was met with a lot of criticism, but today, they have a successful product. The reason for the change, was they needed a product that could be successfully shipped across the country without splitting or breaking apart, and one that would last in your kitchen for more than a day or two. The first of the new generation of Mountain tomato series was Mountain Pride. There have been five different Mountain series tomatoes since, until the current Mountain Spring. This large fruited, blemish-free, tomato, ships beautifully, lasts at room temperature for more than a week, and has good flavor-if you allow it to ripen all the way. These tomatoes average 10- 12 ounces per tomato, and fill up a 20 pound tomato box in no time at all. According to tomato grower Roger Pace of R & K Farms in Monticello-tomato growers sell boxes of tomatoes, not just individual tomatoes. The larger the fruit, the quicker they can fill a box and send it out. And quick it is. Pickers hit the field early in the day, to beat the heat. Buckets of tomatoes leave the fields as soon as they are picked and get moved to the sorting shed, where they are cleaned, sorted by size and color, then wrapped and boxed and sent on to the auction market, where buyers bid on them. They are soon on their way to markets all over the country-then into your grocery store, and on to your table. Commercial growers in south Arkansas start their season in February, when they plant the seeds. They usually plant the fields in early April, and begin harvesting, usually by June 10. The way they grow tomatoes has changed a lot in the past ten to twenty years. They now plant on furrowed rows covered in black plastic. This keeps the weeds down, conserves moisture, heats up the soil in the spring, and keeps the soil off the stems. A machine can fumigate the soil, lay the plastic and a drip irrigation tube all at the same time. Then they plant, and off they go. Staking of tomatoes is no longer individual stakes for each tomato. They put out a stake for every two to three plants, and then put string around the outer edge encircling them all. As the plants grow up, so goes the string. This makes for much less individual maintenance. New chemicals, which unfortunately aren't available to home gardeners yet, have really improved their chances of success and do a super job controlling tomato diseases. These new chemicals not only work well, but can be used at lower rates per acre than previous ones. Rainfall is important to all gardeners, but farmers can't depend on it, and tomatoes must have water to grow. With the drip irrigation, it not only is the most efficient way to water-conserving moisture the best, it also keeps the water in the row where the root system needs it. No splashing, overhead water keeps the plants dry, and keeps the soil from splashing onto the stems -- a leading cause of disease problems. With the drip system, they water daily -- once temperatures heat up, and they can also fertilize through their watering system. Most growers use a complete fertilizer disced into the soil at planting. Lime is used to avoid blossom end rot, and they lime according to soil test results. They will follow up with a high nitrogen fertilizer two or three times during the season, depending on the year. The Mountain Spring tomatoes they grow are determinate varieties. There are two basic types of tomato plants-determinate, and indeterminate-in laymen terms, often referred to as bushy or tall growing plants. Determinate plants are self topping, and typically form a stronger main stem and have a bushier growth. The top buds set fruits, thus stopping the continuation of growth. Indeterminate tomatoes continue to grow all season, unless you top them. Plants have grown twelve to fifteen feet or more, and require staking for support. These are often the varieties that home gardeners grow. Commercial production usually ends by mid July. While there may be some tomatoes still hanging on, these plants are pretty played out, and they have to get their fields cleaned up in preparation for next season. While the bulk of the tomato production in Drew and Bradley county is the Mountain Spring, they do grow other varieties. On a recent trip to Monticello, there were Roma (the paste, cooking tomatoes), yellow fruited ones, and even the smaller grape-like tomato-(Santa, was this variety.) It was a veritable tomato heaven. Regardless of which tomato you are growing, or whether you are buying or growing, the picked fruit should be treated the same. For best flavor, store tomatoes at room temperature. If you buy tomatoes that are not fully ripe, they will continue to ripen on the kitchen counter. If you need them quickly, you can speed up the ripening process by placing tomatoes in a brown paper bag or in a fruit-ripening bowl. Some people do like their tomatoes chilled, but only refrigerate if fully ripe, and then only for a few days. The flavor is better if they aren't chilled. Cut them just as you are planning to use them. It's a fact that tomatoes are high in nutritional value, loaded with Vitamin C, and other nutrients, plus, because of the lycopene content, they are now recommended as a cancer-prevention food. This has turned into a super year for the tomato industry. The fields are loaded, and we all benefit. If you haven't had your first tomato yet, time is a wastin'! |
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