Have you ever paid attention to tomatoes and the wonders that they do in your dish? I bet you might not have cared enough for the cute tomato unless you wanted tomatoes big enough for stuffing, preparing soups, economy purees and sauces.
But the 27th annual national tomato contest has been thinking of the fruit since the past two decades and this year it awarded Allan Thompson, for entering the biggest tomato of the year. Allan Thompson, a resident of the region Calala had grown a tomato worth 1.142 kilos. Allan did not reveal his skill behind growing this huge tomato, except for the tip that he had planted fish under the tomato plants.
Awards were also given to the best looking tomato, oddest shaped tomatoes, heaviest band of tomatoes, green thumbs and the widest tomato, which was 155centimeters wide. Apart from tomatoes, the tomato products like best tomato sauces, relishes, jams and pickles were also awarded.
Contest organizer John Campbell was thrilled at the number of entrees as it was not the tomato growing season in the northwest NSW, but still the number and quality of entries were overwhelming.
Such contests not only encourage the farmers, but also bring quality vegetables into the market. As far as tomatoes are concerned, the ripeness, sweetness and tangy aspects affect the quality of gravies, sauces, condiments, salsa and salads. Therefore, an attempt to bring out the best tomato and award it, is worth a culinary achievement.
Best tomato:Yahoo
