Tomato: fruit or vegetable
Tomatoes is botanically a fruit, despite this it's eating and prepared like a vegetable because it has a much lower sugar content than culinary fruits.
they're a good source of vitamin c and lycopene and antioxidant which has many health benefits such as reducing the risk of getting cancer, lowering the risk of getting heart diseases. Tomatoes are commonly eaten raw, served as a cooked vegetable, used as an ingredient of various prepared dishes.
Cultivation of tomatoes
Generally, large percentage of the world’s tomato is processed, products such as canned tomatoes, tomato juice, ketchup, paste, and “sun-dried” tomatoes are the processed products of tomato.
Tomato plants are generally much branched, spreading 60–180 cm (24–72 inches), the Leaves are more or less hairy, and with a strong odour.
They're are usually red, scarlet, yellow, green and purple in varieties.
The plant requires relatively warm weather and much sunlight; it is grown mostly in hothouses in cooler climates. Tomatoes are usually staked, tied, or caged to keep the stems and fruits off the ground.
Diseases and pest of tomatoes
Being a plant with high water content, it's susceptible to a number of pests and diseases, such as early blight, mosaic virus, Fusarium wilt, nematodes, bacterial wilt, and nematodes. Due to this, the use of fungicides and pesticides, and other control methods such as crop rotation, and the planting of resistance varieties crop to counter these pests and diseases.
Storage of tomatoes
It is not recommended to refrigerate them as this can harm the flavour. Storing them in a refrigerator can make them lose their flavour permanently, though Storing stem down can prolong shelf life.
Nutrition Facts
- They're Good source of Vitamins and minerals
- They're Rich in Fiber
- They also contain 3.9 grams of Carbs per medium specimen