Tomatoes

Tomatoes are at the top of the list for summertime favorites. Nothing tastes quite as good as a tomato right off the vine.

Here a few fun facts to share about tomatoes:

Tomatoes originally came from Peru, the Aztec name translated to plump thing with a navel.

Tomatoes were first brought to Europe in the mid-1500s.

The scientific name for tomato is Lycopersicon, with Lycopersicum meaning wolf peach.

People used to think tomatoes were poisonous because they are a close relative to the deadly night shade plant.

Tomatoes increase in weight as they ripen, even after harvesting.

The first tomatoes in Europe were yellow. The Italian word for tomato is Pomodoro, and translates to golden apple.

A tomato is a fruit. A fruit is the edible part of the plant containing seeds, and a vegetable is a stem, leaf or root.

Tomato seedlings have been grown in space.

There are over 10,000 varieties of tomato that come in a variety of colors including pink, purple, black, yellow and white.

Resources: Michigan State University