See this at: storey.com| Added on 10/06/08

The tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum, is a fruit that we use as a veg- etable. It is one of the few vegetables native to the Americas. It was first known as a food in Peru. Until a couple of centuries ago, it was grown only as an ornamental and... See more

The tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum, is a fruit that we use as a veg- etable. It is one of the few vegetables native to the Americas. It was first known as a food in Peru. Until a couple of centuries ago, it was grown only as an ornamental and was dubbed the “love apple.” For a plant that was thought to be deadly poison in colonial times, the tomato has made up a lot of ground. It is now the most popular vegetable in our gardens. Why shouldn’t it be? It can be used in so many ways, from eating single ripe ones in the garden, to frying them green, from making preserves from green and ripe ones, to pickling green and ripe ones, on into mincemeat, paste, juice, stew, soups, salads — the uses are endless. Delete the tomato from all of your cookbooks, and you’ll leave a hole that you can drive all the other vegetables through. See less