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The Noble Tomato
#1
The Noble Tomato
Solanum lycopersicum

[Image: tomatosectionsmall.jpg]

Quote:This slice of tomato, Solanum lycopersicum, eventually destined to be part of my BLT, shows the essential characteristics of the fruit, which is botanically a berry - defined as a fleshy fruit derived from a single ovary. In the tomato's case it's a multi-seeded berry, with each of the numerous individual seeds attached to the central placenta via its own vascular supply. You can see in this section that the fleshy fruit wall - the pericarp - is divided into distinct layers: the outer exocarp (with more concentrated red pigment); the mesocarp; and the endocarp which is partly juicy and fills the fruit chambers (loculi) that surround the seed.

It has all evolved to attract a hungry animal and those seeds in the fruit loculus are perfectly capable of passing through the mammalian gut unharmed. That's why feral tomato plants are often a prominent feature of sewage farms. Seeds of the distinctive yellow fruits of the Galapagos tomato, Solanum cheesmaniae, endemic to those islands, are eaten by Galapagos giant tortoises that disperse the seeds (slowly and not very far away) in their droppings.

Quote:Tomatoes are said to have been introduced into Europe by the Spanish conquistadors, who found that they were already widely cultivated by Mesoamerican civilisations when they arrived in the New World. For centuries tomatoes were viewed by Europeans with suspicion and considered to be poisonous. Somehow the idea that they were aphrodisiacs arose, first in Italy then in France and finally in England and they became known in all three languages as 'love apples'. The term persisted for a long time and in my copy of Everyman His Own Gardener:The Complete Gardener, written by Thomas Mawe and John Abercrombie and published in 1855 - and which you can download here - they are still referred to both as 'love apples' and tomatoes, although by that time their tasty flavour and nutritious qualities were recognised.

And the kind of breeding I like to hear about:

[Image: tomatotrichomesDSC_0004.jpg]

Quote:You can see both here, on a flower pedicel, with the very short glistening glandular hairs covering it's surface.

Here, at higher magnification, you can see just how densely packed they are. Some tomato genotypes have glandular trichomes that contain particularly high concentrations of insect-repellent volatiles, and there's now a lot of interest in transferring this characteristics to cultivated tomatoes, to reduce the need for growers to use chemical pesticides to tackle aphids, red spider and white fly, which can blight the life of an avid tomato grower.

Feel free to post growing suggestions, favorite recipes, or stupid tomato lore, if anyone cares. Cucumbers are my favorite to grow because you can essentially just water them and leave them be, but nothing much beats wandering around a garden munching a tomato like an apple.
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#2
RE: The Noble Tomato
Tomato Facial Mask

Terrific for normal skin. Cut a small sized raw tomato into two halves and gently rub both halves on your face in a circular motion. After the tomato face pack has dried, rinse your face completely, tone and moisturise.

http://naturalbeautys.tripod.com/id11.html

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Tomatoes are often reported to give glowing skin by cleaning pores deeply, leaving the skin softer and firmer. Tomatoes are rich in antioxidants and they help to fight the wrinkles by removing the dead layer of the skin.You can do the following facial once a week for a fairer complexion:

Blend in tomato pulp with sandalwood powder, egg-whites, fuller's earth and rose water. Apply a smooth paste on the skin and wash-off when dry.

http://www.beautyramp.com/entry/tomato-f...irer-skin/

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http://www.skin-care-experts.com/2008/07...-acne.html

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You say tomato, we say use tomato on your skin. Tomatoes make an excellent skin treatment for everything from large pores and acne to rashes and more. Tomatoes have cooling elements to soothe raw skin, astringents to remove excess oil, and tons of vitamin C and A to brighten dull skin and restore its health. Try these homemade skin-care remedies using tomatoes, and you’re sure to see a big difference in your skin.

Shrink pores with tomato and lime
Combine one tablespoon of fresh tomato juice with two to four drops of fresh lime juice. Apply the mixture with a cotton ball and massage gently into skin using circular motions. Leave on the skin for about 15 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm or water to shrink pores even further, then moisturize.

Cure acne with tomato pulp
Mash a fresh tomato and apply the pulp liberally to your face. Leave on skin for an hour or more, then rinse and moisturize. Do this every day for several days and your acne will disappear.

Cleanse skin with a tomato-and-avocado mask
Good enough to eat, a tomato-and-avocado mask is great for combination skin (oily, normal, and dry) because it combines the astringent, blackhead- and oil-reducing benefits of tomatoes with the antiseptic and moisturizing properties of avocados. This super-rich mask also contains vitamin A, C and E, all of which are essential for healthy skin. To make this soothing mask, mash tomato and avocado together in a bowl. Mix well and smooth on your face. Rinse after 20 to 30 minutes with lukewarm water.

Make a quick and easy tomato facial
Cut a tomato in half and rub it on your face. Press into blackheads. Rinse and moisturize.

Use tomato as an astringent
To remove excess oil from your skin, crush a fresh tomato and strain, then set the juice aside. Next, squeeze a cucumber into the tomato juice. Apply to skin with a cotton ball daily to keep oil and acne under control.

Cool irritated skin with a tomato-and-yogurt mask
If your skin is raw, irritated, itchy, sunburned, red, blotchy, or scaly, you’ll enjoy the benefits of this yogurt-and-tomato mask. Yogurt gives skin a protein boost and leaves skin soft, while tomato cools and neutralizes the skin’s surface. Crush half a tomato and add two tablespoons of plain, unsweetened yogurt. Mix well and spread the mixture on your face. Let sit for 20 minutes. Rinse with warm water.

Get glowing skin with tomato juice and honey
Mix honey and tomato juice and apply to your face and neck. Let sit for 15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly. Your skin will be smooth and glowing!

Cure sunburn with tomato juice and buttermilk
Mix two teaspoons of tomato juice with four tablespoons of buttermilk. Apply it all over your skin. Leave on skin for a half hour, then rinse gently.

Make sure you always have tomatoes on hand to make homemade skin-care remedies anytime.

http://www.dailyglow.com/articles/46/tom...-care.html
"The Universe is run by the complex interweaving of three elements: energy, matter, and enlightened self-interest." G'Kar-B5
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#3
RE: The Noble Tomato
I like to throw them at crappy vaudeville performers.
42

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#4
RE: The Noble Tomato
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato

Ah yes...putting the "Deadly" into the nightshade family.... amazing xtians haven't banned it really :thinking"
"The Universe is run by the complex interweaving of three elements: energy, matter, and enlightened self-interest." G'Kar-B5
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#5
RE: The Noble Tomato
Eh?
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#6
RE: The Noble Tomato
Because of some unresolved nursing issues my mind went straight to breasts, as in how do you like them tomatoes?


For tomatoes = breasts in art see: http://vimeo.com/24006522


Link between eating tomatoes and increasing breast size debunked:
"No. Eating tomatoes will NOT make your boobs bigger in a short time OR in a long time. Breasts are made up of fat with muscle underneath. You can work the muscle to help fight gravity and gaining weight will make your breasts bigger (and the rest of you too, unfortunately) but nothing you eat will just make THEM larger!"

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_it_true_tha...z1ilpVUALU


From a website dedicated to the chakrahs:

"John R. Lee, M.D., Jesse Hanley, M.D., & Virginia Hopkins (What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause, 1999) wrote …

“Breast cancer is well-studied, and out of all this research, a very clear breast cancer personality has emerged. She is a woman who can give to everyone else, but cannot, or is not allowed to receive. She’ll go to the grocery store to buy favorite foods for everyone in the family, but if you ask her what her own favorite foods are she may not even know. Dr. Hanley describes this as a shutdown of a woman’s own nourishing and nurturing cycle, and the breasts are a symbol of nourishment. When the self-nourishing cycle is broken, the self-nourishing cycle becomes stuck in the breasts.”

Adano advised …

“Breast cancer is caused by a lack of self-nurturing. If women would self-massage their own breasts with love, there would be no more breast cancer.”

Squeezing, massaging, and caressing a woman’s breasts pulls energy up into the Heart Chakra and thymus gland, promoting contentment and pair bonding by releasing such hormones as oxytocin and vasopressin."

So I will never again have my attempts to administer this valuable therapy rebuked as merely 'copping a feel'. Women, I am trying to help you but first you must want to be helped!
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#7
RE: The Noble Tomato
I'm skeptical.
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#8
RE: The Noble Tomato
(January 7, 2012 at 6:59 am)thesummerqueen Wrote: Eh?

wiki Wrote:The tomato belongs to the nightshade family.

(January 7, 2012 at 7:59 am)whateverist Wrote: Because of some unresolved nursing issues my mind went straight to breasts, as in how do you like them tomatoes?


For tomatoes = breasts in art see: http://vimeo.com/24006522


Link between eating tomatoes and increasing breast size debunked:
"No. Eating tomatoes will NOT make your boobs bigger in a short time OR in a long time. Breasts are made up of fat with muscle underneath. You can work the muscle to help fight gravity and gaining weight will make your breasts bigger (and the rest of you too, unfortunately) but nothing you eat will just make THEM larger!"

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_it_true_tha...z1ilpVUALU


From a website dedicated to the chakrahs:

"John R. Lee, M.D., Jesse Hanley, M.D., & Virginia Hopkins (What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause, 1999) wrote …

“Breast cancer is well-studied, and out of all this research, a very clear breast cancer personality has emerged. She is a woman who can give to everyone else, but cannot, or is not allowed to receive. She’ll go to the grocery store to buy favorite foods for everyone in the family, but if you ask her what her own favorite foods are she may not even know. Dr. Hanley describes this as a shutdown of a woman’s own nourishing and nurturing cycle, and the breasts are a symbol of nourishment. When the self-nourishing cycle is broken, the self-nourishing cycle becomes stuck in the breasts.”

Adano advised …

“Breast cancer is caused by a lack of self-nurturing. If women would self-massage their own breasts with love, there would be no more breast cancer.”

Squeezing, massaging, and caressing a woman’s breasts pulls energy up into the Heart Chakra and thymus gland, promoting contentment and pair bonding by releasing such hormones as oxytocin and vasopressin."

So I will never again have my attempts to administer this valuable therapy rebuked as merely 'copping a feel'. Women, I am trying to help you but first you must want to be helped!


And the girls have many ways to "help" the boys ... or so I understand.
"The Universe is run by the complex interweaving of three elements: energy, matter, and enlightened self-interest." G'Kar-B5
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#9
RE: The Noble Tomato
Yeah, I get that...just don't get why Christians have anything to do with it...I'm not aware of any plants they hate except those that produce the most popular recreational drugs.
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#10
RE: The Noble Tomato
(January 7, 2012 at 10:11 am)thesummerqueen Wrote: Yeah, I get that...just don't get why Christians have anything to do with it...I'm not aware of any plants they hate except those that produce the most popular recreational drugs.

Love apples? See whateverists post. Maybe it just an oldie thing.
"The Universe is run by the complex interweaving of three elements: energy, matter, and enlightened self-interest." G'Kar-B5
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