Member discussion regarding the methods, varieties and merits of growing tomatoes.
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October 29, 2008 | #16 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Alabama
Posts: 2,250
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We already have bioluminescent tomatoes. At least in labs.
Just so we are all on the same page folks, I am an ardent supporter of "Conventional" breeding of veggies including tomato to improve their health benefits to us when we consume them. I am not in favor of GMO's at this time because of the risks involved. I will stipulate one possible exception for the golden rice that was engineered with a daffodil gene to increase its content of vitamin A. I'm not convinced that it is safe, but am satisfied that the reason for making it in the first place was a worthwhile goal. For tomatoes, we have at least 3 genes that could possibly be combined to some advantage. 1. High vitamin A content as found in 97L97 (40X), Caro Rich (10 to 20 X), and Caro Red (6 to 10 X). 2. High vitamin C content as found in Doublerich. 3. High anthocyanin content as found in P20 and several numbered accessions available at TGRC. What would it be like to have a tomato with 40 times the provitamin A, twice the vitamin c, and anthocyanins? The problem is that this would most likely result in very poor flavor. Quote:
DarJones |
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October 29, 2008 | #17 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 602
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I agree with Tom(tjg911).
I think for health conscious poeple, the antioxidents would be appealing. I would think growing purple tomatoes would be much easier for me to grow than blueberries. My soil isn't acidic enough for blueberries to thrive. Also blueberries typically take a few years to come into bearing. At this point, I'd like to keep GMO's out of my garden. I'm a big fan of conventional breeding. |
October 30, 2008 | #18 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: PNW
Posts: 4,743
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We have a local wild huckleberry that probably has high
anthocyanin content. Plants can handle shade and a wider range of pH than blueberries. (I have sprinkled wood ash on their bed in winter or spring. They never blinked, showed any chlorosis in the leaves, etc, from something that commonly puts azaleas and rhodendrons into a funk that they need iron and sulfur to recover from.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccinium_ovatum Blackberries, bilberry, and elderberry are also likely sources of anthocyanins. Note that lycopene, found in ordinary red/pink/yellow/orange etc tomatoes is an antioxidant, too, and would provide protection to one's cells similar to that provided by anthocyanins (although I seem to remember reading somewhere that anthocyanins are "one of the best antioxidants found in nature" or something to that effect).
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October 30, 2008 | #19 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: MA
Posts: 4,971
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Quote:
If I ever make it to La Tomatina, I want to be well armed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_monster http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomatina A bit of a thread drift. It must be getting close to Halloween. Gary |
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October 30, 2008 | #20 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: MA
Posts: 4,971
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dice,
Do you have highbush or lowbush huckleberries? I've only seen lowbush ones around here. Its berries are insipid. Gary |
October 30, 2008 | #21 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2007
Location: West Park, FL
Posts: 219
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I think the whole thing comes down to - Why would I want to eat a tomato that tastes like a vitamin, if I could just take a vitamin and be done with it?
I am probably speaking from an overnourished point of view though. I have enough tomatoes to OD on some of these nutrients. Some people don't have that option. Somehow, I don't think eating crappy tasting tomatoes would induce an individual to eat the tomatoes, unless they are literally starving. Almost seems mean. I wish they could just grow more tomatoes. |
October 30, 2008 | #22 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Saumarez Ponds, NSW, Australia
Posts: 946
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As far as golden rice is concerned, I applaud the sentiment of trying to develop a healthier rice, but you have to eat a lot of it to get even a reasonable Vitamin A hit so it didn't really work out. So far, I see nothing coming out of labs that benefits anybody or anything apart from the corporate bank accounts.
Tweaking genes within a single species is one thing but personally, I find the idea of transgenics disturbing. I can't help feeling that there is something fundamentally wrong with the idea of taking fish genes and putting them in corn!
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Ray |
October 31, 2008 | #23 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: PNW
Posts: 4,743
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[highbush or lowbush huckleberries]
I don't know them by either of those names. People generally refer to huckleberries that grow wild out here as "blue" or red" (although the page at the URL below from Evergreen mentions three types; vaccinium ovatum are the blue ones that I have and vaccinium parvifolium are the tiny red ones; both get to 4 meters high): http://academic.evergreen.edu/projec...m-30jun04.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccinium_parvifolium In my opinion, the blue ones have more flavor, plus the fruit of the red ones are so tiny that collecting even a handful to eat is an annoyingly time-consuming process. (It is good to know that they are edible in case one gets lost on a hike in the woods, but other than that, not worth the effort.) I have seen highbush and lowbush blueberries (different members of the vaccinium family than what grow wild on the Pacific Coast) mentioned elsewhere, though. Remembering picking them at local farms, I would say that the local commercial berry farmers out here all grow highbush blueberries.
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October 31, 2008 | #24 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: texas
Posts: 1,451
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could have had a V-8
How about the V-8 splash that contains Bluberries, pomegranate, and various vegtables. Yummy! That way youget a full mix of antioxidents and it tastes very good in my own opinion.
Kat |
November 1, 2008 | #25 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: MA
Posts: 4,971
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Dice,
Here in the northeast, huckleberries are Gaylussacia not Vaccinium. G. dumosa - Dwarf Huckleberry (black, tasteless fruit) G. baccata - Black Huckleberry (black fruit) G. frondosa - Dangleberry (dark blue fruit) Vacciniums are the blueberries, cranberries, and deerberry. Gary |
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