“Breeding tomatoes for use in the tropics might seem a bit like carrying coals to Newcastle, for the tomato species is native to the warmer parts of the Americas. However, in its native form the fruit is a miniature, cherry-sized affair – being commonly known, indeed, as the cherry tomato. All the big, firm-fleshed varieties have been bred for temperate-zone conditions, and extensive tests showed that none of these would do in tropical climates.”

“… an electronic nose using electrically conducting polymer materials in the sensor can tell the difference between tomatoes that were vine-ripened and those that were picked green. The device can also tell whether tomatoes had been excessively chilled in transit or were bruised inside, even when they showed no outward damage, report Elizabeth A. Baldwin, an ARS research horticulturist in Winter Haven, Fla., and her colleagues.”

“Every year, the tiny village of Buñol in Valencia hosts the largest tomato war in the world: ‘La Tomatina’. In this festival, at the peak of the tomato season, for 2 hours, participants pelt each other with ripe, red fruit and the streets turn into rivers of tomato juice.”