Moreholidays August Tomatoes Galore Day

                           

Tomatoes Galore Day

When is Tomatoes Galore Day? August 15 holidays.

About Tomatoes Galore Day

When is Tomatoes Galore Day? This holiday is always celebrated on August 15

August brings a wide array of fresh fruits and vegetables to our tables. For the next several weeks, it’s no more canned or frozen veggies. And, no more bland and tasteless greenhouse-grown vegetables. Hooray! Nothing beats the taste of fresh, home-grown tomatoes where the sun fully ripens them on the vine. And, right now we’re in peak harvest season all across the Northern Hemisphere. So, it’s only appropriate that today is Tomatoes Galore Day. On this August 15 holiday, we are encouraged to eat as many of them as we can. They are a real summertime treat. Fresh from your garden, they taste out of this world. And perhaps best of all, they are good for your health.

This is a holiday we all can enjoy. But, if you’re a gardener, it’s a top ten holiday. If you’re not a gardener, you readily see a plethora of tomatoes in the grocery store, garden stores, and your local farm market. And, along with a bumper harvest, the price for tomatoes is the lowest it will be all year long. So, enjoy them while they are here. 

Go ahead and eat a tomato. Better still, eat them as often as you’d like and enjoy their many health benefits. Tomatoes help to prevent cancer and to control diabetes. They are good for heart health, protect your vision, and also boost digestive health. Tastes good and good for you. You can’t ask more from a vegetable.

The Origin of Tomatoes

Do you know where tomatoes originated? Nope, it wasn’t in Italy, home to pasta sauce and pizza. And it did not originate in North America, Africa, or Asia. The plants are native to the Andes region of South America. They originated in Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru. Over thousands of years, the plants spread across South and Central America, and then into North America. There are over 10,000 cultivars. Despite the fact that the plants originated in South America, some of the 10,0000 cultivars were developed in other parts of the world.

Hernando Cortez, a Spanish Conquistador from Medellin, Spain is credited with discovering tomato plants. During an expedition in 1519, Cortez found them growing in Central America. Cortez brought seeds back to Europe. At first, Europeans grew tomatoes as a decorative plant and did not eat them. As a member of the deadly nightshade family, many people thought the fruit was poisonous. It took a long time for people to overcome this misconception and take their first bite of this delicious and nutritious fruit.

In the 1550s, Italians were the first Europeans bold enough to eat tomatoes. Early American settlers did not initially consider them food either. Americans did not begin to eat them until the late 1700s. Records show that Thomas Jefferson grew them in his garden for consumption.

Despite not being considered a food item for many years, once people began eating them, they found them to be delicious eaten fresh or cooked. It quickly crept into countless recipes. About 90% of people like them.

Did You Know? The French called them “pomme d’amour”. The English translation is “love apples”.

What's the Most Popular vegetable?

Today, tomatoes are the most popular plant grown in home vegetable gardens. Also, they are among the topmost popular vegetables. They rank consistently among the top five favorites. Some surveys rank them the most favorite vegetable. The other vegetables in the top five are carrots, corn, potatoes, and onions.

As for the least favorite vegetables, turnips take the prize. Just 27% of people surveyed like turnips. Of course, many people have never tried them. Among other “least favorite” vegetables are beets and radishes.

Did You Know? Amazingly, 25% of Americans do not eat vegetables at all!

How to Celebrate and Participate in Tomatoes Galore Day

There are countless ways to enjoy Tomatoes Galore Day. Most ideas center around the consumption of them in some way, shape, or form. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

  • Harvest tomatoes from your home garden.
  • Give excess crops to family, neighbors, or friends.
  • Eat them in some form at every meal today.
  • Find a new recipe. We suggest you start your recipe search at Tomato Recipes Galore.
  • Share one of your favorite tomato recipes with someone.
  • Post pictures of them growing in your home garden on social media. 
  • If you’ve never grown them before, make plans now to grow them next season.
  • If you have excess tomatoes from your garden, donate some to a food shelf.
  • Can excess tomatoes.
  • Make pasta sauce.
  • Make Bloody Mary’s with homemade juice.

Did You Know? Scientists believe cherry-size tomatoes originated in Ecuador about 80,000 years ago.

When is Tomatoes Galore Day? August 15 holidays

Tomatoes Galore Day Quotes

“Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.” – – Miles Kington

“I don’t care what anybody says: Nothing is better than a tomato you grow. There’s something about it that’s different than one you can buy. It’s a great thing.” – – Tom Vilsack

“It’s difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.” – – Lewis Grizzard

Cherry Tomato

History and Origin of Tomatoes Galore Day

Bob Matthews from Rochester, NY. created this holiday in 2023. Mathews is the owner of HolidayInsights.com and GardenersNet.com. While harvesting tomatoes from his garden, all of a sudden, he realized there wasn’t a holiday to celebrate the abundance of tomatoes ripening in home gardens in August. Matthews said they are the most popular vegetable grown in the home garden. 

Selecting the date was a cinch. Recognizing that mid-August is the peak harvest season for tomatoes in most areas of the country, August 15 is the perfect date to celebrate and enjoy them.

This Day in History

Here are some things that happened on this day:

Proctor and Gamble creates Crisco shortening. (1911)

Woodstock Music and Art Fair opened. (1969)

Napoleon Bonaparte, French military, emperor. was born on this day in 1769.
 


Related Holidays and Articles

People who like this holiday will also like:

  • Garden Holidays – Explore other gardening-related holidays.
  • How to Grow Tomatoes – They are by far the most popular vegetable in American gardens. The only question is “How many varieties will you grow?”
  • Tomato Mania – The most popular fruit in the garden.
  • Tomato Trivia – What do you really know about them?

More August 15 Holidays

Here are more August 15 holidays for you to enjoy:

Feast of the Assumption  

Relaxation Day – now this one’s for me!

More About Today

This Day in History

Famous August Birthdays

Plant of the Day: Basil

Recipe of the Day: Sun-Dried Tomatoes. Also, see Tomato Recipes Galore.

Ecards Send a free Ecard daily for just about any August calendar holiday, occasion, observance, or event. Or, just for the fun of it!

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