Round, plump and mouthwatering... We're talking of course about tomatoes, the star of summer tables. However, we often associate the food with the beautiful, red, juicy kind, we shouldn't forget about its green, yellow, orange and even stripey cousins. So, this summer, let's go wild and try the most beautiful of the 10,000 varieties of this amazing vegetable-fruit.
It's the star of the summer and a favorite across cultures. Tomatoes are ubiquitous on outdoor dining tables and picnic spreads everywhere. Produced in greater quantities than any other fruit, over 170 million tons are grown around the world each year.
In 2019, the average American consumed over 20 pounds of fresh tomatoes each year. California and Florida come tops among the US states in terms of cultivating the most but a lot of home gardeners also grow them in their vegetable gardens.
And the tomato is no one-trick pony! Nicknamed the "love apple," the tomato has more than one flavor in its bag and it would be a shame to deprive ourselves of all the nuances of this amazing fruit packed with vitamins and minerals.
A tomato rainbow
For flavor, we love the beefsteak tomato, with its firm but juicy flesh and its adorable folds that give it a crumpled look. We're also fans of its plump cousin, the Marmande, less wrinkled but just as tasty, as well as the Brandywine with its purpley-pink flesh. A more unusual tomato is the Andine Cornue, which, ends in a point not unlike the better-known Roma, which is also elongated and tapered.
As for colors, we like to bring in some contrasts with the Black Krim and its delicate flesh, the Black Prince with its deep red color, or the Black Russian with its gradation from the dark stem to the redder skin.
Then we make our way slowly towards yellow tomatoes, such as Lemon Boy or Dixie Golden Giant, followed by the slightly orange Auriga.
With its beautiful green color, the Esmeralda lives up to its name, while the Evergreen and its cousin Green Zebra bring a surprising touch of marbled stripes.
Finally, for picnics and snacktime, don't forget cocktail tomatoes, small and firm, cherry tomatoes, sweet baby tomatoes, or the rounder grape tomatoes.
These varieties will add color and taste to your summer lunch, not to mention impress guests!
