Blue tomatoes aren’t new but the varieties today have a great taste as well as healthy benefits. They get their blue color—more of a deep purple-black—from the high levels of anthocyanin found in their skin which is a powerful anti-oxidant.
What does a blue tomato taste like?
So with high anthocyanin and lycopene levels, the antioxidant content of blue tomatoes is worth noting. As far as flavor, anthocyanins have no taste, so blue tomatoes will taste like, well, tomatoes, though each variety has its own flavor profile.
Do blue tomatoes taste different?
This whole change in color occurs due to the presence of Anthocyanin. This plant produces Cherry tomatoes with a savory complex, with a tangy taste.
What are blue tomatoes used for?
It is a cherry tomato that is deep blue in color. Its skin is smooth, and the flesh is juicy and sweet. This type of tomato is suitable for eating fresh or used in salads. The plant is prolific and easy to grow, making it an excellent choice for home gardeners.
Are blue tomatoes sweet?
Black, blue and purple tomatoes boast a rich and smoky complexity, with a perfect balance of acidity, sweetness and nuances of flavor. Darker colored tomatoes also tend to contain more antioxidants.
Where are blue tomatoes found?
As of the 2012 growing season, Oregon State University developed blue tomato seeds became commercially available under the cultivar name “Indigo Rose”. The blue color is produced mostly by the anthocyanin petunidin on the outside of the tomato where the fruit is exposed to direct sunlight.
Where do blue tomatoes grow?
So where did these blue tomatoes come from? The first commercially available blue tomato called ‘Indigo Rose’ was developed at Oregon State University by Dr. Jim Myers. He found wild tomatoes growing in Peru and on the Galapagos Islands that contained high amounts of anthocyanin.
What is the rarest type of tomato?
Rare tomato variety. Green Zebra Tomato Plant : Developed in 1985 by tomato breeder Tom Wagner, this heirloom is an unusual and exquisite tomato chosen by Alice Waters for her restaurant, Chez Panisse, in Berkeley, California. The 2-inch round fruit ripens to a yellow-gold with dark-green zebra-like stripes.
Are Blue tomatoes healthy?
Summary Blue tomatoes are grown to be rich in anthocyanins while retaining high amounts of other beneficial plant compounds that have been associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, and prostate cancer.
What color tomatoes are the healthiest?
Red tomatoes often have high amounts of lycopene, an antioxidant that helps with cell communication, plus folate, vitamin C, and vitamin A. According the USDA, red tomatoes provide more vitamin A than any other color tomato.
How do you ripen blue tomatoes?
Simply put them on the sill of a window that gets sunlight. Inspect them daily for progress. You can also remove tomatoes you have ripening in a bag or box once they start showing signs of color and continue their ripening on the windowsill.
How many colors of tomatoes are there?
Some gardeners see tomatoes in a rainbow of colors: red, sure, but also shades of yellow, orange, pink, green, burgundy, purple, streaked and striped, and practically black. Along with those colors come a range of flavors. There’s a tomato for every taste.
Are purple tomatoes a thing?
While purple tomatoes already exist, this new purple tomato has been developed to “produce the highest levels of anthocyanins, which are antioxidant compounds with widely recognized health benefits,” Norfolk Plant Sciences says on its website.
What is a purple tomato called?
A new variety of tomato, called Indigo Rose for its deep purple, nearly black skin, is gaining popularity with gardeners for its unusual color and its potential health benefits.
What is the sweetest tomato in the world?
Sweetest Tomato Varieties (Hybrid / Heirloom)
- Tomato Rosada. One of my favorite sweet tomato varieties is Rosada with a Brix rating of 10.5.
- Tomato Apero. Apero is one of the finest-tasting cherry tomatoes.
- Floridity.
- Sungold.
- Tomato Sakura.
- Mortgage Lifter Tomato.
- Black Cherry Tomato.
- Sweet 100 Tomato.
What is the best tasting tomato to eat?
The Best Tasting Tomato Varieties
- Aunt Ruby’s German Green Tomato. Aunt Ruby’s German Green is a large, yellow-green tomato with a balanced taste of sweet and tart.
- Black Krim Tomato.
- Brandywine Tomato.
- Cherokee Purple Tomato.
- Ferris Wheel Tomato.
- Paul Robeson Tomato.
- German Red Strawberry Tomato.
- Georgia Streak Tomato.
Does a blue vegetable exist?
Yes, blueberries are the only blue fruit. However, there is a blue vegetable: Blue corn. And if you are open minded, there is a purple potato variety called “All Blue.”
Why do tomatoes turn blue?
Lack of phosphorus in soil – there is not enough phosphorus for the plant’s root to absorb (this can cause purple tomato seedlings or purple leaves on established plants). Soil pH imbalance – there is phosphorus in the soil, but extreme pH prevents the plant’s root from absorbing it.
Why are there no blue vegetables?
One reason that there are so few naturally blue foods is that a combination of pigments is usually present in any given fruit or vegetable. Blue anthocyanins are chemically less stable than other pigments and are usually dominated by them.
Are wild tomatoes a thing?
There are only 13 species of wild tomatoes occurring in different habitats in Chile, Peru, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.
How do you get purple tomatoes?
To engineer the purple tomatoes, the scientists used transcription factors from snapdragons to trigger the tomatoes to produce more anthocyanin, creating a vibrant purple color. Martin and her colleagues published the first results of their research in 2008 in an article in Nature Biotechnology.