All About Tomatoes

A star vegetable known for its versatility, cauliflower is often under-appreciated when it comes to creating exciting meals and snacks.

Nutrition Facts.

Besides making pizza and pasta taste delicious, tomatoes contain many health benefits. They have lycopene, an antioxidant that benefits your heart and is a known cancer fighter. Tomatoes are also packed with vitamins A and C, calcium and potassium.

Fun facts about tomatoes

• Tomatoes are actually a fruit! They contain seeds and come from a flowering plant.

• Although most tomatoes are red, they also come in green, yellow, orange, pink, black, brown, white, and purple.

• According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the heaviest tomato weighed 10 lb 12.7 oz, grown in Walla Walla, Washington, USA.

• Tomato seedlings have been grown in space!

• Tomatoes were originally bred by the Aztecs in 700 A.D. and the Italians made them famous in cooking.

• Sunshine is what makes tomatoes taste the best.

• Eating lots of tomatoes gives you protection from UV rays, it's added sun protection.

Choosing Tomatoes

There are 7,500 variety of tomatoes, coming in different shapes and sizes. Choosing a tomato depends on what you want to make!

Sliced tomatoes--choose a globe variety (the big round kind). Beefsteak is a common choice for burgers and sandwiches, easily found at the grocery store.

Sauces and salsas--most are made from plum tomatoes, the oblong shaped kind often seen in grocery stores.

Salads--Small tomatoes often have a sweet and juicy flavor great for salads. Choose the small cherry variety, often found in containers at the grocery store.

Roasting--small cherry tomatoes are great for recipes that call for roasting, they char and retain their juices inside the skin. Plum and heirloom are great in tarts and on top of pizza.

If you have space, try growing a tomato plant in your backyard this summer!

All About Mushrooms

A vegetarian staple and important flavor component to so many dishes around the world, mushrooms are interesting and nutritious.

Nutrition Facts.

Mushrooms have over 15 vitamins and minerals including, vitamin D, B6, folate magnesium, zinc and potassium. They can reduce inflammation, protect against cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol, and boost the immune system.

Fun facts about mushrooms

• Because of their genetics and that they breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, mushrooms are more related to humans than plants or veggies!

• Fly Agaric mushrooms are the kind in Super Mario Bros. The psychoactive chemicals distort your vision and make you see things as bigger or smaller than they are! They can also make you very sick.

• Due to bioluminescence, many mushrooms glow in the dark.

• Mushrooms are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

• They spread their spores by creating their own fans, an air flow around themselves.

• Truffles are some of the most expensive mushrooms in the world.

• Never eat a mushroom that you aren't 100% sure it's safe. Over 20% of varieties can make you sick or kill you.

Choosing Your Mushrooms

Mushrooms are important for bringing that umami flavor to dishes. In addition to salt, bitter, sweet, and sour, umami is that extra "meat" like flavor we look for in many favorite dishes. There are many common options to use in recipes, including:

Button-easy to find, these are versatile in most dishes and can be eaten raw. They have a mild flavor.

Portabello--often used as a meat substitute, they can be marinated and grilled or sliced for sandwiches or added to pasta.

Crimini--these are baby portabellos, great for pizza and pasta or stuffing.

Shitake--also with a meaty texture and flavor, they are great for stir fry and stews.

Oyster--delicate and mild, used in Japanese and Chinese dishes and soups.