When the Tomato Becomes a Lemon.

Hugh Joseph

Forget oil prices. The tomato crisis once again has food lovers in a kafuffle. In late 2006 it was spinach, but now we have a pox on Americans favorite fresh vegetable. In the 1978 cult classic Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, scientists banded together to save the world from mutant tomatoes. In the real version, salmonella-laden tomatoes have sickened hundreds of people nationwide and contributed to at least one death. Just like the horror movie, officials cant seem to figure out where its coming from. Fresh tomatoes used to be more special. Their arrival traditionally marked the real beginning of summer for many New Englanders. But a worldwide explosion of fresh tomato production - the U.S. alone produced nearly 3.7 billion pounds worth last year now provides them year-round. But in bypassing seasonality and location, the industrial food system has turned the fresh tomato into a commodity. If its red and round and survives intact from field to table, its a tomato, just as wheat is wheat, sugar is sugar, and soybeans are soybeans. Agribusiness has created a product that ships well yet often tastes more like mushy cardboard than real food. Red Tomato of Canton wholesales fresh produce from area farmers. Founder Michael Rozyne once whacked so-called vine-ripened tomatoes from the back of a crowded room at a national food conference. But this wasnt a Gallagher Sledge-o-Matic extravaganza. They didnt splat or squish or tear open. Rozynes conclusion: When you can substitute a salad ingredient for a baseball and successfully complete a double-play using a wooden bat, something is wrong. The real damage was to the tomatos reputation. In a Faustian bargain, the produce industry has substituted this delicate and delicious treat for a creation sporting year-round availability and seemingly eternal shelf life. In a Penn and Teller-like sleight of hand, the tomato has become a lemon. Only two things that money can't buy, thats true love and homegrown tomatoes. Guy Clarks refrain strikes an emotional chord but was never totally accurate. At farmers markets and farmstands across the Commonwealth, avid tomato lovers can soon buy all the fresh tomatoes theyve relished since last fall. Massachusetts farmers now grow dozens of varieties, including cherry and heirlooms versions sporting a blaze of colors. Its worth trying them together, as we do with wines and cheeses. Back in 1986, then Commissioner of Agriculture Gus Schumacher challenged farmers statewide to a tomato tasting contest. Now such tastings are an annual event at dozens of farms and markets across the state. At his tomato and corn festival, John Lee of Allendale Farm in Brookline showcases 50 tomato varieties all organic - including two dozen heirlooms. Visitors who try them will experience the delicate nuances of texture, taste, and juiciness expressed in each mouthful. Location, location, location. Terroire isnt a concept limited to wine. The unique qualities of local tomatoes we savor come by virtue of our soils and climate in which certain varieties grow best. They arent picked prematurely to survive a week of shipping or gassed to accelerate ripening. Local tomatoes are harvested at the point of perfection, when natural ripening brings out their delicate flavors, juicy textures, and a divine array of shapes, sizes and colors. These are the seasonal joys of New England, when fresh produce is anything but a commodity Why do tomato lovers need a year-round version (or perversion) of this summer delight? Granted, off-season tomatoes have improved. But their ascendancy is abetted by hothouse production and shipping in from long distances that worsens our foodprint through excessive

energy consumption. Clearly, this tomato crisis symbolizes an overstretched production system that is not sustainable. Its the 13th outbreak of salmonella linked to tomatoes since 1990. The global tomato fits the needs of fast food restaurants, wherein uniformity of taste at the lowest cost is paramount. But we as food citizens deserve better, and that is coming with the first harvestings of local farm and garden-raised varieties. We would do well to stop worrying about the plight of the tainted industrial versions. Off-season, we can use processed tomatoes for our pizza and pasta dishes, and enjoy an extensive array of other, more seasonally-appropriate vegetables. Well be doing ourselves and the planet a favor.