Taste and TeachSeptember - Tomatoes

Five Fun Facts About Tomatoes!• Processing tomatoes (used to make sauces, soups and more!)

have thicker skins than fresh market tomatoes. For best flavor, fresh tomatoes should be eaten at room temperature.

• 96% of all processed tomato products eaten in the US come from California.

• Scientifically, tomatoes are considered a fruit. However, the Supreme Court declared them a vegetable because of the way in which people commonly eat them.

• The first tomatoes were the size of cherries!

Three Fun Teaching Ideas! • Brainstorm common meals that have tomatoes in them. Who can name

the most?• Have students complete a tomato-themed page from the What’s

Growin’ On? student newspaper. • Draw a tomato! Tomatoes come in many shapes,colors and sizes.

Have students research and draw a tomato variety. Then, students can discuss and compare their drawings with a partner.

Explore all the great tomato resources in this section!

04/17

This is one in a series of fact sheets composed by the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (CFAITC). For additional educational materials: CFAITC, 2300 River Plaza Drive, Sacramento, CA 95833-3293 (916) 561-5625 (800) 700-AITC Fax: (916) 561-5697Email: info@learnaboutag.org Website: LearnAboutAg.org ©2017 California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom. All rights reserved.

How Produced – Tomato plants are planted in the field as seeds or as young plants, called seedlings. If sowing seeds directly into the ground, the producer sows seeds in late January or early February. If planting by seedling, plants are grown in greenhouses until they are hardy enough to be planted outside in the spring.

Tomatoes are ready for harvest between early July and mid-October. To avoid the daytime heat, tomato growers often harvest the crop after sunset. Mechanical harvesters move through the fields picking the entire tomato plant and shaking the tomatoes off the vine. Specially designed electronic sensors on the harvesters sort the ripe, red tomatoes from the vine and transfer them into a gondola pulled by a tractor following alongside. The tomatoes are immediately transported from the fields by trucks, which can hold approximately 50,000 pounds of tomatoes. Trucks haul the crop to a nearby state-controlled grading station to be graded, then on to a tomato processing plant where they are peeled, sliced, diced, or sauced into the familiar canned tomato products seen on store shelves.

History – The first tomatoes can be traced to the South American Andes Mountains where they grew wild as cherry-sized berries. Padres following the Spanish conquistadors most likely sent the first seeds to Spain in the early 1500s. The fruit gained little attention in Spain, but soon traveled to Italy—a country that embraced tomatoes with great passion and developed numerous recipes which are still popular today. By the mid-sixteenth century, tomatoes made their return to America via English colonists. They did not become an important part of the American diet, however, until after World War I. Today, tomatoes are grown in every state except Alaska.

Varieties – There are more than 2,750 genetic varieties of fresh market and processing tomatoes at the Tomato Genetics Stock Center at the University of California, Davis. These varieties have been developed to suit the various growing conditions around the state, taking into account soil type, climate, and disease. Processing tomatoes have been selectively bred for more than 50 years to differ from fresh market tomatoes. The varieties designated for processing have a thicker skin and firmer consistency than fresh market

tomatoes. These qualities enable the mechanical harvester to pick the fruit when it is ripe without damaging the fruit and ensure tomatoes can survive transportation. The processors

prefer the “meatier” character of the processing tomatoes because it provides consumers with more of the tomatoes’ essence.

Commodity Value – California is the nation’s leading producer of processing tomatoes. In 2015, California’s processing tomato growers grew approximately 14 million tons on 296,000 acres throughout the state. The state’s crop value reached $1.38 billion in 2015.

Top Producing Counties – As of 2015, Fresno County leads production followed by Yolo, San Joaquin, Kings, and Merced counties. However, nearly the entire state is involved in producing processing tomatoes, with some being grown as far south as Kern County and

as far north as Colusa County.

Nutritional Value – Processing tomatoes are are a nutrient dense food. One, four-ounce tomato supplies about one-third of the recommended daily allowance for vitamin C, plus contains beta-carotene, potassium, folic acid, and other B vitamins, iron, and fiber. Tomatoes are a naturally low-calorie food.

Studies show processing tomatoes are the leading source of lycopene in the American diet. Lycopene, the ingredient that makes tomatoes red, is an antioxidant that blocks cellular damage and is highly effective in preventing cancers. Tomatoes do not lose their health benefits as they are processed and cooked. In fact, lycopene in cooked and processed tomatoes (sauce, paste, salsa, canned tomatoes) is more easily absorbed than fresh tomatoes. This fact, along with their popularity, makes tomatoes a leading nutritional source in the American diet.

For additional information:California Tomato Growers Association, Inc.(209) 478-1761 Website: www.ctga.org

Processing TomatoesInformation compiled by the California Tomato Growers Association, Inc.

Commodity Fact Sheet

04/17This Fact and Activity Sheet was developed by California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom in conjunction with California educators and meets the required education standards of the California Department of Education.

Lesson Plan: pH Perfection

Fantastic Facts1. California leads the nation in processing tomato production.2. Processing tomatoes are harvested by machines.3. Processing tomatoes have thicker skins than fresh market

tomatoes so they can be mechanically harvested and successfully transported.

4. There are 2,750 different varieties of tomatoes.5. Tomatoes were once thought to be poisonous.6. Processing tomatoes are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C,

potassium, folic acid, beta-carotene, iron, B vitamins, and fiber.7. The first tomatoes originated in the South American Andes and

were berries the size of cherries.

Lesson Ideas• Label and color the top seven counties in California for

processing tomato production.• Make a collage from labels of various processed tomato

products.• Make a Venn diagram which compares processing tomatoes

to fresh market tomatoes.• Find out why a tomato is scientifically a fruit but is also known

as a vegetable.• Create a class cookbook which includes favorite student

recipes using a tomato product.• Research the Spanish exploration movement of the 1500s.

What other “treasures” came from the New World?• Locate your nearest tomato processor. Where do the

tomatoes they process come from?

Introduction: When food is preserved, the microorganisms causing food spoilage are destroyed or slowed down. This is done by using extreme temperatures, changing the moisture level, or altering the acidity of the foods. The temperature of canning is extremely important for safety reasons. Foods with a pH higher than 4.6 must be canned at 240ºF or greater. Foods that are more acidic, having pH measurements less than 4.6, may be preserved at 212ºF. This difference in temperature can affect food taste and cost.

Objective: Students will conduct an experiment to determine the ideal temperature for canning tomatoes.

California Standards: NGSS: 5-PS1-3, MS-PS1-4

Materials: Lemon, pear, carrot and tomato juice, litmus paper which shows varying pHs, six paper cups or test tubes, forceps.

Procedure: 1. Discuss reasons and ways people preserve food. Talk

about the importance of acidity and heat in canning.

2. Explain what pH is and how scientists determine the pH of a substance. Talk about the indicator litmus and how it will be used.

3. Pour an equal amount of each substance to be tested into a cup or test tube.

4. Using the forceps, have the students dip one piece of litmus into one substance and record its pH. Repeat this procedure for each juice.

5. Discuss which foods could be preserved at the lower temperature and which need to be canned at the higher temperature. Where do tomatoes fall in this test?

6. What could be done to the foods to change their pHs? When do you think scientists should check the pH of the item to be canned?

The Tomato’s Journey to North America

Processing Tomato Activity Sheet

Wh

ere

in t

he

US?

Wh

eth

er y

ou a

re

eati

ng

a ta

co i

n S

edon

a,

gum

bo i

n N

ew O

rlea

ns,

B

BQ

in

Kan

sas

Cit

y,

pizz

a in

Ch

icag

o, s

pagh

etti

in

B

rook

lyn

or

a h

ambu

rger

an

d fr

ies

in B

oise

, th

e to

mat

oes

in y

our

mea

l mos

t li

kely

cam

e fr

om C

alif

orn

ia.

On

th

e m

ap, f

ind

and

mar

k th

e st

ate

wh

ere

you

wou

ld b

e ea

tin

g th

ese

mea

ls.

of

all

pro

cess

ed

tom

ato

p

rod

uct

s ea

ten

in

th

e U

S

com

e fr

om C

alif

orn

ia.

Cal

ifor

nia

als

o le

ads

the

wor

ld i

n t

he

prod

uct

ion

of

pro

cess

ing

tom

atoe

s!

Tom

atoe

s H

ere,

Tom

atoe

s T

here

,TTToooToTToT

mee,

TTToooToTToTmmm

aatttTo

mat

oes

Ever

ywhe

re!

STEM

AC

TIVI

TY:

Tra

nsp

orta

tion

Mat

h

Pro

cess

ed t

omat

oes

hav

e to

get

fro

m C

alif

orn

ia t

o st

ates

all

ove

r th

e co

un

try.

Pre

ten

d yo

u a

re a

tru

ck d

rive

r,

star

tin

g ou

t in

Sac

ram

ento

, Cal

ifor

nia

, an

d h

ave

six

citi

es t

hro

ugh

out

the

cou

ntr

y to

del

iver

to.

Usi

ng

info

rmat

ion

fr

om t

he

tabl

e, c

alcu

late

th

e fo

llow

ing:

• H

ow m

any

mil

es i

s it

rou

nd

trip

to

deli

ver

you

r lo

ad?

Plea

se f

ill i

n t

he

tabl

e.•

How

lon

g w

ill

it t

ake

you

to

get

to e

ach

ci

ty a

lon

g th

e ro

ute

if y

ou a

re t

rave

lin

g at

60

mph

? R

oun

d to

th

e n

eare

st h

our,

fil

l in

th

e ta

ble.

• I

f yo

ur

tru

ck g

ets

5 m

pg i

n d

iese

l, h

ow

man

y ga

llon

s of

die

sel w

ill y

ou u

se?

Rou

nd

to t

he

nea

rest

ten

ths

plac

e, f

ill i

n t

he

tabl

e.•

Usi

ng

an a

vera

ge d

iese

l co

st o

f $3

.25

per

gall

on,

how

mu

ch w

ill

you

spe

nd

on y

our

trip

in

die

sel?

Fil

l in

th

e ta

ble.

• T

otal

all

of

you

r co

lum

ns:

mil

eage

, h

ours

d

rive

n, g

allo

ns

use

d, a

nd

$ sp

ent

on d

iese

l•

CH

ALL

EN

GE

: H

ow m

any

days

wil

l it

tak

e yo

u t

o go

rou

nd

trip

(re

turn

to

Sacr

amen

to)?

You

can

on

ly d

rive

11

hou

rs p

er d

ay a

nd

only

60

hou

rs p

er w

eek.

Des

tin

atio

n:

city

to

city

Mil

eage

(i

n m

iles

)H

ours

Dri

ven

(n

eare

st h

our)

Gal

lon

s u

sed

(r

oun

d t

o te

nth

s)$

spen

t on

die

sel

(rou

nd

to

hu

nd

red

ths)

Sac

ram

ento

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oise

555

Boi

se-

Sed

ona

878

Sed

ona-

Kan

sas

Cit

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138

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sas

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ew O

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845

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ago

926

Ch

icag

o-B

rook

lyn

799

Bro

okly

n-

Sac

ram

ento

2,83

3

Tot

als

The

tom

ato

is th

e w

orld

’s

mos

t po

pula

r fr

uit

. W

hy

is a

tom

ato

a fr

uit

? To

a s

cien

-ti

st,

tom

atoe

s ar

e fr

uit

s be

cau

se

they

hav

e se

eds

in t

hem

. So

cu

cum

bers

, pu

mpk

ins,

an

d be

ans

are

also

con

side

red

fru

its.

V

eget

able

s ar

e an

y pa

rt o

f th

e pl

ant

that

is

not

a f

ruit

: ro

ots

(car

rots

, be

ets)

, st

ems

(asp

arag

us,

bam

boo

shoo

ts),

le

aves

(le

ttu

ce,

spin

ach)

, an

d fl

ower

s (b

rocc

oli,

cau

lifl

ower

). T

o a

groc

er o

r a

chef

, a t

omat

o w

ould

be

con

side

red

a ve

geta

ble

beca

use

of

how

it is

use

d in

coo

kin

g.

(Answers: 1. 7,974 m

iles, 2. 9 hrs., 15 hrs., 19 hrs., 14 hrs., 15 hrs., 13 hrs., 47 hrs. 3. 1,594.8 gallons, 4. $5,183.10, 5. Mileage: 7974 m

iles, Hours: 132 hours, G

allons: 1,594.8 gallons, $ on diesel: $5183.10, 6. It takes 132 hours of driving tim

e. Since you can only drive 60 hours per week, it w

ill take you two w

eeks plus 2 days or 16 total days.

Tom

atoe

s Ev

eryw

her

eC

reat

e a

new

spap

er

adve

rtis

emen

t pr

o-m

otin

g to

mat

oes

that

in

clud

es r

easo

ns

wh

y pe

ople

sh

ould

bu

y th

em.

Use

in

form

atio

n

from

th

is p

age.

Ext

ensi

on:

Wh

y do

you

th

ink

tom

atoe

s ar

e so

pop

ula

r? W

rite

a p

ersu

asiv

e es

say

abou

t to

mat

oes

expl

ain

ing

wh

y yo

u t

hin

k th

ey a

re

so p

opu

lar.

Use

evi

den

ce f

rom

th

is p

age

and

do s

ome

of y

our

own

res

earc

h.

Car

eer

Spo

tlig

ht

Car

eer:

Tru

ck D

rive

r

Chris

Eck

, Cor

e-M

ark,

Wes

t Sac

ram

ento

, CA

Wh

at i

s th

e tr

ain

ing

for

tru

ck d

rivi

ng?

Tr

ain

ing

requ

ires

cl

asse

s th

roug

h

the

Dep

artm

ent

of

Tran

spor

tati

on

or

a pr

ivat

e co

mpa

ny t

o ge

t yo

ur p

erm

it. T

hen

you

have

to

pass

a D

MV

test

to g

et y

our

Cla

ss A

lice

nse.

Wh

at d

o yo

u h

aul?

I h

aul

man

y pr

oduc

ts.

Som

e ex

ampl

es a

re t

omat

oes,

mil

k, c

andy

, an

d le

mon

s.

Wh

at a

re s

ome

fact

s ab

out

tru

ck d

rivi

ng?

M

y tr

uck

gets

bet

wee

n 4

-6 m

iles

per

gallo

n

depe

nd

ing

on t

he

wei

ght

of t

he

frei

ght.

I

can

dri

ve 1

1 h

ours

per

day

but

nee

d 10

h

ours

of

dow

ntim

e be

twee

n s

hif

ts.

I ca

n

dri

ve 6

0 h

ours

per

wee

k. I

f yo

u s

ee a

tru

ck

pulle

d of

f th

e fr

eew

ay, t

hey

may

be

tak

ing

a re

quir

ed b

reak

.

Wh

at i

s a

tip

you

hav

e fo

r u

s ab

out

tru

ck

dri

vers

? A

lway

s gi

ve t

ruck

dri

vers

tim

e, w

e ca

n’t

alw

ays

see

you

an

d do

n’t

stop

fas

t!

CA

Sta

nd

ard

s: E

LA C

CSS

: RI.3

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, 7, W

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I.6-8

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ath

CC

SS; 5

.NBT

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3, 7

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2S

ou

rces

: http

://le

arna

bout

ag.o

rg/re

sour

ces/

fact

/tom

atoe

s.pd

f; w

ww.

trans

porta

tion.

gov

©20

16 C

alifo

rnia

Fou

ndat

ion

for A

gric

ultu

re in

the

Cla

ssro

om. A

ll R

ight

s R

eser

ved.

96%

Tom

ato

es

are

go

od

fo

r y

ou

!D

i d y

ou

kno

w?

For

bes

t fl

avo

r, t

om

ato

es

sho

uld

be

eate

n a

t ro

om

te

mp

erat

ure

.

13

© 2017 California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom. All rights reserved. This page is from the fourteenth edition of What’s Growin’ On? student newspaper, included in the back of this binder.

Request a free, classroom set of this edition while supplies last. Visit LearnAboutAg.org/wgo.

Tom

atoe

s on

Tri

alIn

189

3, t

he

U.S

. Su

prem

e C

ourt

h

eard

a c

ase

to d

eter

min

e w

het

her

th

e to

mat

o w

as a

fru

it o

r a

vege

tabl

e. I

n t

he

case

of

“Nix

v. H

edde

n,”

th

e to

mat

o w

as d

ecla

red

a ve

geta

ble,

alo

ng

wit

h c

ucu

mbe

rs, s

quas

h, b

ean

s, a

nd

peas

.

Use

th

e h

isto

rica

l re

port

fro

m t

he

tria

l (c

asela

w.lp

.find

law.c

om/c

gi-

bin/

getc

ase.

pl?c

ourt=

US&v

ol=1

49&i

nvol

=304

) to

reco

rd a

t le

ast

thre

e ar

gum

ents

as

to w

hy

tom

atoe

s sh

ould

be

clas

sifi

ed a

s a

fru

it o

r a

veg-

etab

le. U

se y

our

fin

din

gs t

o su

ppor

t yo

ur

stan

ce i

n a

n o

ral

deba

te.

Sout

h Am

eric

a

Nor

th

Amer

ica

Nor

th A

fric

a

Euro

peAs

ia

Aust

ralia

Th

e To

mat

o Tr

ek

Sour

ces:

Cal

iforn

ia T

omat

o G

row

ers

Asso

ciat

ion

(ww

w.c

tga.

org)

Dra

w a

rrow

s to

tr

ack

the

tom

ato’

s jo

urne

y fr

om it

s or

igin

to

C

alif

orni

a.

Th

e fi

rst

tom

atoe

s ca

n b

e tr

aced

to

th

e S

outh

Am

eric

an A

nde

s M

oun

tain

s w

her

e th

ey g

rew

wild

as

cher

ry-s

ized

ber

ries

. Pad

res

follo

win

g th

e S

pan

ish

con

quis

tado

rs l

ikel

y se

nt

the

firs

t se

eds

to S

pain

in

th

e ea

rly

1500

s. T

he

fru

it g

ain

ed l

ittl

e at

ten

tion

in

S

pain

, bu

t so

on t

rave

led

to I

taly

—a

cou

ntr

y th

at e

mbr

aced

tom

atoe

s w

ith

gre

at p

assi

on.

By

the

mid

-six

teen

th c

entu

ry, E

ngl

ish

col

onis

ts

brou

ght

tom

atoe

s ba

ck t

o th

e A

mer

icas

, set

tlin

g in

th

e n

orth

east

ern

par

t of

th

e co

un

try.

Tom

atoe

s lik

ely

reac

hed

C

alif

orn

ia b

y th

e la

te 1

700s

, as

Spa

nis

h m

issi

ons

wer

e es

tabl

ish

ed t

hro

ugh

out

the

stat

e.

Stan

dar

ds:

ELA

– G

rade

s 6-

8: R

eadi

ng

in H

isto

ry-S

ocia

l Sci

ence

3, 7

; His

tory

-Soc

ial

Scie

nce

– G

rade

s K-

5: C

hron

olog

ical

and

Sp

atia

l Thi

nkin

g 1,

4; G

rade

s 6-

8: 1

, 3

Th

e Jo

urn

ey

to C

alif

orn

ia

Use

th

e in

form

atio

n

on t

his

pag

e to

cre

ate

a

tim

elin

e fe

atu

rin

g si

gnif

ican

t ev

ents

in

to

mat

o h

isto

ry. I

ncl

ude

th

e da

te a

nd

desc

ript

ion

of

eac

h e

ven

t, i

n

chro

nol

ogic

al o

rder

.St

and

ard

s: E

LA –

Gra

des

3-5:

R

eadi

ng In

form

atio

nal T

ext 9

; Gra

des

6-8:

Rea

ding

Info

rmat

iona

l Tex

t 9;

His

tory

-Soc

ial S

cien

ce –

Gra

des

6-8:

Ch

rono

logi

cal a

nd S

patia

l Thi

nkin

g 2

Stan

dar

ds:

Sci

ence

– G

rade

3: 5

b; G

rade

7: 5

f; EL

A –

Gra

de 3

: Rea

ding

Info

rmat

iona

l Tex

t (R

IT) 2

, Writ

ing

1b,

Spea

king

and

Lis

teni

ng (

SL) 1

; Gra

de 4

: RIT

2, W

ritin

g 1b

, SL

1; G

rade

5: R

IT 2

, Writ

ing

1b, S

L 1;

Gra

de 6

: 1b,

SL

1; G

rade

7:

1b,

SL

1; G

rade

8: 1

b, S

L 1;

His

tory

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ial S

cien

ce –

Gra

des

6-8:

Res

earc

h, E

vide

nce,

and

Poi

nt o

f Vie

w 3

, 4; H

isto

rical

In

terp

reta

tion

2, 3

Tom

ato

V

ine

Tim

elin

e

Fr

uit

Vege

tabl

e

1. 2. 3.

1. 2. 3.

The

Gre

at D

ebat

e

The

mec

hani

cal

tom

ato

harv

este

r w

as d

evel

oped

in

Cal

ifor

nia

in t

he

1950

s.

6

© 2017 California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom. All rights reserved. This page is from the eleventh edition of What’s Growin’ On? student newspaper, included in the back of this binder.