A tale of two tomatoes

That is the title of a very informative article by Melinda Hemmelgarn in this week's Rodale Institute e-newsletter.  She sheds light on the process a "big ag" tomato goes through as it makes it way from field to store and I learned a couple of things in this article that I did not previously know. 

For example, when "hot" tomatoes are brought into the packing house directly from the field, they are cooled down to extend shelf life.  The tomatoes are dumped into vats of cool water to bring down the temp, and while cooling, the warm tomato can take up a small amount of the processing water.  If that processing water happens to be contaminated with bad bacteria, the tomato itself can internalize that bacteria and no amount of surface washing will clean it off.

[Ms. Hemmelgarn is not speculating on the source of the salmonella outbreak; she is simply documenting the system and all the steps involved in getting tomatoes to market.]

We had our two water sources tested last week after the salmonella outbreak story became front page news.  We irrigate with pond water (spring fed pond) and we clean what we grow inside with well water from the tap.  Both sources tested safe.  It's a relief to be able to back up scientifically what we've believed about our water supply, and knowing how we handle other composting inputs, we are confident that tomatoes at Burns Best Farm are solid and safe. 

We're still a couple of weeks away from having seriously large heirloom tomatoes to eat and to sell, but the cherry tomatoes have begun to trickle in and the green fruit on the vine looks great.  We encourage you to find a local tomato farmer/gardener close to you and make them your friend.