For the longest time...I hated tomatoes. To me, tomatoes were mushy, flavourless red things that people kept putting on sandwiches for some reason. Then one day, things changed. I reluctantly tried a black krim tomato grown fresh from David's garden. I was prepared to be unamazed, but actually, it was incredible! It was juicy...packed with flavour...and grown mere steps from our house. This is what a tomato was supposed to taste like! That summer my husband grew many varieties of heirloom tomatoes and I grew to love them all (though I'll always have a special place in my heart for the black krim).
If like me, you wonder how there can be such a difference in taste between conventional and heirloom...read on!
Heirloom tomato plants are varieties of seed that have been preserved for at least 50 years, or before 1940, allowing them to develop resistance to diseases, pests, and to adapt to specific climates and growing conditions. These tomatoes are open pollinated naturally, by birds and insects, and produce offspring that are bio-diverse. Commercially bred tomatoes are artificially cross-pollinated resulting in a hybridized tomato species with little genetic variation.
Commercial tomatoes are ultimately bred for yield, uniformity of size and colour, and long transport life, so if your experience with grocery store tomatoes has been less than impressive, you can see why. No conventional tomato that has sojourned across the country could ever compare with the bold and unique flavour of a locally grown heirloom variety bred, painstakingly, for the love of it.
Heirloom tomatoes may also have a lot more to offer us nutritionally when compared to commercially bred tomatoes. Tomatoes in general are known to contain high amounts of vitamin c, a, and k, as well as lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. Studies published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture confirm that, "The organic growing system affects tomato quality parameters such as nutritional value and phenolic compound content. " (1)
Varieties of Heirloom Tomatoes and Their Uses
There are hundreds of varieties of heirloom tomatoes unique to virtually every region. To make it a little easier, there are a few colour categories of heirlooms such as, yellow, red, orange, green, and black. And of course, heirlooms have varied uses as well, some are sauce tomatoes,paste tomatoes, salad tomatoes, or sandwich tomatoes. Here are a few family favourites at our house to get you started:
Black Heirloom Tomatoes:
Black Krims are one of the most delicious black tomatoes, bearing 5" roundish fruit. Their beautiful black colouring is often speckled with green or red. This is a tomato that was born to be on a sandwich.
Black Prince tomatoes are medium sized and bear relatively early. The fruits are fleshy, have low-acid, and a great, deep flavour. Use these little princes for sandwiches and slicing.
Red Heirloom Tomatoes:
The most popular red heirloom is known as brandywine, a lush and sweet flavoured large tomato. The brandywine date back to the 1800s and is another excelled slicing and sandwich tomato.
San Marzano tomatoes are an elongated plum variety with very few seeds and are favoured as the ultimate sauce tomato by many, many Italians.
Cherry Heirloom Tomatoes:
Yellow pear tomatoes are small and pear-shaped with the rich flavour of a cherry tomato. These plants bear a lot of fruit and are perfect way to add a splash of colour in a green salad.
The brown cherry tomato has been on our top 5 list for the last few years. It is a rich tasting, fairly large cherry tomato that produces prolifically even after the summer months
Sources:
Most people who convert to eco-friendly laundry detergent probably wouldn’t even notice the difference from their conventional brand. The products are similar; available in liquid, powder, and concentrated formulas, and the price difference is basically non-existent (due to the smaller amounts of detergent used per load).
There is however one big difference...earth friendly detergent is, well, earth friendly. And, I'm ALWAYS looking for ways to be a better friend to this beautiful earth.
So, when it comes to getting clothes cleaned the green way, here are just a few of the many options available to you:
Soap Nuts
Soap nuts might be new on the market but they’ve have been a staple in South Asian communities for many centuries. The soap nut is the dried fruit of the Ritha (Sapindus mukorrosi) tree, a tropical, deciduous tree native to Asia. When dried soap nuts are exposed to water, they release saponins which act as a natural surfactant, reducing surface tension and allowing dirt and oils to detach from clothing.
Soap nuts are a product of nature and are completely pure, containing no additives, fragrances, or chemicals. They also have antimicrobial properties and are 100% biodegradable.
To use soap nuts, simply place 2-3 whole nuts in a re-usable cotton bag and add it to the washing machine. When used in cold water cycles, soap nuts can be reused 4-5 times, but only 2-3 times when used in warm water washes. Between washes, remove nuts from the cotton bag and let air dry. These natural gems can be purchased at most health food stores and on many websites.
Eco-Friendly Laundry Detergent
EcoMax is a family owned Canadian company, with its operation just over an hour from where I live (talk about local). The detergents are made with 100% plant ingredients as well as therapeutic grade essential oils. The manufacturing facility is powered with 100% green electricity from Bullfrog Power, they do NOT test on animals, and all of their ingredients are sourced form renewable, sustainable resources. Well done.
Earth Friendly Products (Canada and U.S) has developed a line of laundry products called Ecos. This detergent is 100% biodegradable, contains no chlorine, petroleum, or phosphates, and is made from sustainable ingredients. Earth Friendly Products is a family owned company that aims to do business in a “socially responsible way that safeguards the earth.” What more could we ask for?
(Buyer Beware: Watch out for conventional companies who are trying to hop on the green bandwagon with their own "natural" products. Natural can leave a lot to be desired. Always read the ingredients and make sure that they didn't just add a drop of lavender to their usual toxic recipe and call it "earth friendly".
Make Your Own Detergent
If none of the previous options sound appealing, don't be afraid to make your own detergent! There a number of ways to do this but the most popular method is to grind together the following ingredients in a food processor then add two tablespoons of the mixture to each load of laundry.
- 1 bar of good quality soap (Dr. Bronner’s)
- 1 cup washing soda (sodium carbonate)
- 1 cup baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
- 1 cup Borax (hydrated sodium borate)
Scent is another important factor in the cleaning process, so definitely add a few drops of your favourite essential oil into the mix (mandarin, lemon, lavender, etc).
Vinegar is another great, inexpensive ingredient to add to laundry cycles to get clothes clean, bright, and somehow,not even remotely smelling of vinegar! Add half a cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle and it can act as a fabric softener, lint reducer, and even eliminate excess detergent residue on clothing. (Note: vinegar should never be mixed with bleach as the fumes produced can be toxic)
Whichever option you decide on, remember that this small change can have a big impact on your body, local water sources, and the planet!
