From page 23
that their pulp inside is almost
and marketing), to uniform
floury and certainly not
ripening times (making
pleasing for eating raw. And
harvesting easier and
their rectangular shape makes
cheaper), smooth shapes
them less prone to bruising
(easier for cleaning and
and spoilage after harvesting.
cooking), disease and pest
They are also bred so that
resistance, and colour appeal. their plants are strong and
Modern canning tomatoes,
uniform, making them
for example, are bred to
suitable for mechanical
contain very much less fluid, harvesting and processing.
and their shape is almost
Heirloom tomato varieties, by
rectangular. Less fluid means contrast, of
Ancient, original potato varieties come in a multitude of colours
IN THE GARDEN
which there are
many, produce
fruits of
different
colours, from
yellow to green,
a variety of
different sizes,
even from the
same plant,
ripening at
Heirloom carrot varieties ... multicoloured and
different times sometimes oddly-shaped.
(making them
But there is simply no
more suitable for the home
comparison in the flavour of
gardener who is not faced
an heirloom tomato comwith a glut of fruit all ripe and pared to a shop-bought sothe same time followed by a
called “English”, massfamine.)
Continued on page 28
In the kitchen the shapes and
textures can sometimes pose
a challenge. Some have deep,
large pithy bits where the
fruits attach to the plant,
which need cutting out before
use. Some have deeply
scored skins making cleaning
more of a process and peeling
more of a challenge.
And so on.
25
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