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No need to fear locally grown tomatoes

July 20, 2008 12:16 am

IHOPE the recent salmonella scare linked to tomatoes grown in Florida and Mexico doesn't cause people to give up summer's juiciest vegetable, but instead prompts them to search out roadside stands and farmers markets.

Local tomatoes are not only safe, they usually taste fresh and juicy. Instead of being picked green and shipped cross-country, local tomatoes are plucked from the vine at their ripest.

Use common sense and wash tomatoes before eating them. Then enjoy them.

Tomatoes are a beauty and health cocktail--not only do they protect the skin, but they protect your heart and may reduce cancer risks as well.

TOMATO TREATMENT

A German study showed that people who ate tomatoes regularly for 10 weeks were slower to get sunburn. While not a substitute for sunblock, tomatoes do offer some protection.

Tomatoes can also help protect the heart, though they shouldn't replace heart medications.

Tomato products can reduce cholesterol levels, according to a Finnish study.

Finnish people who drank 14 ounces of tomato juice and ate 1 ounce of ketchup daily with their foods for three weeks saw their cholesterol drop by 6 percent. So-called "bad" or LDL cholesterol dropped 13 percent.

An Israeli study found that people who ate 10 ounces of tomato products daily for a month increased the "good" HDL cholesterol by 15 percent.

Tomatoes also may reduce risks of cancers of the stomach, ovaries, pancreas and prostate, according to several American and international studies. However, more research is needed to show whether tomatoes do reduce cancer risks.

DIGESTING TOMATOES

"I like tomatoes, but they don't like me," my grandmother used to say. I think she meant the acidity bothered her.

But some tomatoes are milder than others. Ripe tomatoes are less acidic than unripe green tomatoes. In fact, people who make homemade tomato sauce and "can" it in glass jars are advised to add more acid, such as lemon juice or vinegar, if they use overripe tomatoes. That's because natural acids preserve canned goods from spoilage.

Many folks say that light-colored heirloom tomatoes, which come in white, gold and orange hues, are less acidic and therefore cause less heartburn than red tomatoes. Other sources argue that paler tomatoes don't have less acid, just more natural sugar that disguises the taste of the acid.

I wasn't able to find any studies on this, but it may be worth experimenting if acidity is a concern.

Another way to make tomato sauce less acidic is simply to add baking soda, which neutralizes the acid. One recipe I found recommended teaspoon of baking soda per 28-ounce can of tomato sauce. This may be worth a try, although the baking soda might decrease the vitamin C in tomatoes.

Luckily, most people easily digest tomatoes without baking soda.

TASTY TOMATO BOUNTY

There are so many ways to eat tomatoes beyond layering slices in sandwiches and using them in salads--although that is my absolute favorite thing to do with a sun-warmed tomato picked from my backyard garden.

One of my favorite tomato salads looks like the Italian flag: red rounds of tomato, white chunks of fresh mozzarella cheese and green snippets of basil leaves. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil for a quick and heavenly cool meal on a hot summer day.

Do include olive oil or some kind of fat in the same meal with your tomatoes. Lycopene, one of many healthy natural chemicals in tomatoes, is easier to absorb with fat.

Fresh tomatoes also can easily be whipped into gazpacho, a traditional Mediterranean raw tomato soup, or chopped into fresh salsa.

Also, when the farmers market is loaded with piles of tomatoes and I can buy boxes for a dollar apiece, I love to make homemade spaghetti sauce.

If you don't want to heat up your kitchen by canning the sauce in boiling water, simply freeze it instead. It is wonderful in wintertime--you can't find this flavor in jars from stores. The best recipe for tomato sauce I have found is from Barbara Kingsolver's book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle." The unusual combination of herbs and spices is delicious.

Get the recipe free online at animalvegetablemiracle .com.

When fall arrives, I start craving baked stuffed tomatoes. Simply slice tomatoes in half and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese or seasoned bread crumbs, and parsley. Place tomato halves in muffin tins and bake.

Tomatoes are versatile, delicious and wonderfully healthy.

Jennifer Motl welcomes reader questions via her Web site, brighteat ing.com, or mailed to Nutrition, The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401.