Greenhouse-grown tomatoes booming in US

Farmers in the Midwest of America are being congratulated for their tasty and abundant tomato crops – all grown with the help of a greenhouse.

It is unusual for winter-grown tomatoes to be tasty, but the greenhouse-grown fruits are turning out just like sun-ripened, summer garden tomatoes.  Selective local foody chef Todd Wiss is reported as being amazed at just how delicious they have become after he tasted the Gary Ibsen’s Gold tomato.

Most of the produce is sold locally and this helps since fruits that are sent on long journeys are often picked unripe and left to ripen in storage.  Strangely, some of the supermarket varieties have the flavour bred out of them.

A spokesman from the University of Florida reported that there has been a huge increase in greenhouse growers in the area and that this has increased winter yields of not just tomatoes, but also lettuce and cucumbers too.

We may not be able to grow tomatoes in the winter here, but at least we can be sure of a natural flavour.

See the full story at http://www.wbur.org/npr/166154083/tastier-winter-tomatoes-thanks-to-a-boom-in-greenhouse-growing

Author: Robert Smith