Whether you say “to-may-toe” or “ta-ma-toe”—tomatoes are a delicious and nutritious fruit that we can enjoy all summer long.

Tomatoes are high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium and Potassium. They are also a source of one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants—lycopene. Lycopene has been said to help with cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, eyesight, male infertility and general health. Cooking tomatoes results in a two-to-threefold rise in lycopene concentrations; consequently, cooked tomato foods, such as ketchup and marinara sauce yield higher levels of lycopene per serving and account for more than 85 percent of the dietary intake of lycopene for most people.

Tomatoes are a popular garden plant, and it is now easier for those with not-so-green thumbs to grow their own tomatoes at home. The Topsy Turvy® tomato planter makes growing tomatoes yourself easier than traditional methods of dealing with stakes and seed spacing. The design of the Topsy Turvy® tomato planter is upside down, leading water and nutrients to pour directly from the root to the fruit.

Once your tomatoes are picked (from your garden or at the store) they can be stored in the refrigerator, but are best kept at room temperature. Refrigerated tomatoes tend to lose flavor but are still edible.

Tomatoes are an acidic fruit, which makes them especially easy to preserve in home canning. Often they are canned whole, in pieces, as sauce or paste. They can also be preserved by drying and sold in bags or in jars of oil. The juice of tomatoes is sold as a beverage.
Fried green tomatoes are a classic southern dish made from unripe green tomatoes that are breaded and fried.

No matter how you slice them, tomatoes make hot summer days just a bit cooler.

Fresh summer red tomatoes can be enjoyed a variety of ways:

• A caprese salad, which consists of slices of fresh mozzarella cheese, basil leaves and slices of vine-ripened or plum tomatoes, drizzled with oil and balsamic vinegar.

• A tomato raw sauce can lighten up a pasta dish for summer—use your favorite tomato variety—plum, grape or cherry is delicious—and combine with olive oil, garlic and your preferred combination of herbs.

• Fresh salsas, “Salsa Fresca" or "Pico de Gallo," as this salsa is often called, is an easy to make treat to dip tortilla chips into. Just combine the following ingredients:
6 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped
2-4 garlic cloves, minced
2-4 seeded and minced chili peppers, such as jalapenos
1 bell pepper, fine dice
1/2 red onion, fine chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lime, juiced
Salt, and pepper, to taste
Fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped, to taste

But sometimes this delicious, healthy summer delicacy just requires a salt shaker.