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Greenhouse
Tomatoes
(Lycopersicon
esculentum)
Buying
and Storing
Greenhouse tomatoes should be heavy for their size, plump,
firm, even-shaped and free of surface cracks and bruises.
Greenhouse tomatoes are red when ripe. A fine star-shaped
marking on the bottom of a greenhouse tomato will tell you
that the tomato has already begun its final ripening process
and is a good one to select.
Store greenhouse tomatoes at a cool room temperature, out
of direct sunlight. Ripe tomatoes will keep for a few days
and unripe tomatoes will ripen slowly. Do not store tomatoes
in the refrigerator as this will decrease flavor and alter
texture.
Preparation
- Slicing: To keep tomato slices juicy, slice them top
to bottom rather than crosswise.
- Seeding: Halve tomato crosswise, then gently squeeze
each half and allow the seeds to drip out. Using a rounded
spoon handle, scoop out any remaining seeds. To save the
juice, seed over a sieve set above a bowl.
- Peeling: Cut an "X" through the tomato skin
at the bottom of the tomato. Immerse them briefly in boiling
water -- 10 to 30 seconds -- then in cold water and peel
immediately. Skin should easily peel off.
Greenhouse Techniques
A greenhouse is designed to control most of the environment
surrounding the plants. Computer controlled variables include
the temperature, moisture level, nutrient elements. Optimization
of these variables enhances productivity, flavor and quality.
Most growers use hydroponics: the growing of plants in media
such as rockwool using nutrient solutions. Rockwool, an inert
growing medium with excellent water-holding capacity, eliminates
the need for soil sterilization, helps produce better quality
crops with reduced energy for a longer harvesting period,
and provides a cleaner working environment.
Another hydroponic growing technique is the Nutrient Film
Technique: a water-culture system based on circulating shallow
film of nutrient solution over the roots of plants to provide
water, nutrients and oxygen.
All Ontario greenhouse tomato growers use "beneficial
insects" instead of pesticides for pest management. The
concept is simple: good bugs eat bad bugs. Strips of yellow
sticky paper are set out to catch and count the pests, and
predators or parasites are released accordingly. It is a virtually
pesticide free way of keeping crops healthy. Bumble bees are
used to pollinate tomato flowers resulting in improved fruit
quality and labour efficiency.
Nutrition
Tomatoes are a good source of Vitamin C and a source of Vitamin
A, folacin and potassium.
History
The first experiments with greenhouse horticulture were conducted
by the ancient Romans. It wasn't until the Victorian period,
when it became possible to properly control ventilation, heating
and irrigation, that the industry began to grow. Greenhouse
vegetable growing in Ontario became popular shortly after
World War I.
Over the last 3 years, the greenhouse industry has had significant
growth. More than 186 acres of new construction has occurred
in the Leamington area since 1995, with another 100 acres
in the planning stage for 1997.
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