Purple Tomatoes: Not Only Pretty, Pretty Good For You

SALEM, Ore. (AP)—Oregon State University researchers are fine
tuning a purple tomato, a new blend of colors and nutrients.
The skin is as dark as an eggplant. But it doesn't just look cool,
it could be better for you.

The novel pigment contains the same phytochemical found in
blueberries that is thought to reduce the risk of cancer and heart
disease.

Six years in the making, the purple hybrid could hit salad plates
in two years.
Genetic origins are not at issue.
The purple tomato traces its roots to a wild species in South
America, not a petri dish.

Jones discovered that the purple tomato, unlike its red cousins,
contained high levels of anthocyanins, a chemical found in dark
fruit pigments such as blueberries and grapes that can act as an
antioxidant.

The purple tomato also has red skin at the base, so it still contains
lycopene, another antioxidant.


SOURCE:
LiveScience.com

Well I'll definately be buying these when they hit the market,
seeing as purple's one of my favorite colors.

I can see this eventually becoming normal, as there won't be
purist/environmental groups having big fits over it, and people
tend to like the exotic.


Comments, Opinions?

Hiya--

Hate to tell the Academics this, but Purple tomatoes have existed since before European Contact. The current name for the Heirloom cultivar is, Cherokee Black. They are delicious, and there is nothing "new" about them. If, indeed, they have a "new" one, then I can just about guarantee the one of parents of the hybrid was a Cherokee Black.

They're not saying that purple tomatoes are new, in fact they
mention the natural ones.

What they're talking about is creating a hybrid tomatoe that
has the taste and size of a cherry normal tomatoe, but with
the purple color and the nutrients that accompany that.

Nice! Now I can put Red and Purple Tomatos on my samichis, and they may try to fix me to boot. Gata love that.

Originally posted by Aleksander
Nice! Now I can put Red and Purple Tomatos on my samichis, and they may try to fix me to boot. Gata love that.

Quick question..
What's a Samichi?

Originally posted by Ed Littlefox
Hiya--

Hate to tell the Academics this, but Purple tomatoes have existed since before European Contact. The current name for the Heirloom cultivar is, Cherokee Black. They are delicious, and there is nothing "new" about them. If, indeed, they have a "new" one, then I can just about guarantee the one of parents of the hybrid was a Cherokee Black.

Actually the real name for them, the one you will see on seed packages and from suppliers like tomatogrovers.com is in fact Cherokee Purple...not black, though they are generally listed under "black" tomatoes. And they are in fact delicious and my favorite tomato to grow...them, Romas and gold tomatoes.

[edit on 23-10-2006 by grover]

thats tomatogrowers.com not tomatogrovers.com...a tomato growing grover, thats me.

Fixed it for ya sprinkles!

Tomatos

Originally posted by iori_komei

Originally posted by Aleksander
Nice! Now I can put Red and Purple Tomatos on my samichis, and they may try to fix me to boot. Gata love that.

Quick question..
What's a Samichi?

Oh! My bad. I think I had 1 to many I's in there Samich = Sandwich. Thats what my 6 year old calls them.

Oh! My bad. I think I had 1 to many I's in there Samich = Sandwich. Thats what my 6 year old calls them.

Ok, that's what I thought you meant, but I was just checking,
'cause it could have been some exotic Indian food.

Cheesh, what next 'Tomacco'?

Originally posted by grover

Originally posted by Ed Littlefox
Hiya--

Hate to tell the Academics this, but Purple tomatoes have existed since before European Contact. The current name for the Heirloom cultivar is, Cherokee Black. They are delicious, and there is nothing "new" about them. If, indeed, they have a "new" one, then I can just about guarantee the one of parents of the hybrid was a Cherokee Black.

Actually the real name for them, the one you will see on seed packages and from suppliers like tomatogrovers.com is in fact Cherokee Purple...not black, though they are generally listed under "black" tomatoes. And they are in fact delicious and my favorite tomato to grow...them, Romas and gold tomatoes.

[edit on 23-10-2006 by grover]

Grover--

Yes, indeed, that is what the seed companies call them--but On The Qualla--they are "black 'maters". Doesn't matter, really, does it? They are still the best 'mater there is!