GLORIA PENNER (Host): The tomato tied the potato as the number one most-purchased vegetable -
though it is technically a fruit - this year, according to the Fresh Trends survey.
And, more people are buying organic tomatoes this year as well.
As part of our ongoing Envision San Diego series on food,
KPBS environment reporter Ed Joyce tells us that flavor may not be the only driving factor
for going organic when it comes to tomatoes.
Here's his report.
ED JOYCE (KPBS News): We wanted to find out if there was any difference
between this organic tomato and this non-organic tomato in terms of pesticides or flavor.
So we went to the People's Organic Foods market to talk
with the Co-Op's Marketing Director Amber McHale...to find
out why the store only buys and sells organic tomatoes?
As a disclaimer, I'm a member of the co-op.
AMBER MCHALE (Marketing Director, OB People's Co-op): Some crops have been proven,
organically, to have a higher yield, of certain vitamins, not all,
that's a study that's still ongoing.
But again, for me and for most of these shoppers it's not the extra-added nutrition,
although again, when you have healthier soil, you'll going to have a healthier product.
It's the lack of what's not in there, those synthetic toxic pesticides, those fertilizers.
JOYCE: McHale says certified organic foods are grown using no synthetic fertilizers
or pesticides.
But pesticides derived from natural sources may be used.
She believes fruits and vegetables
with pesticides can be especially harmful to young children.
A non-profit environmental group in Washington D.C. ranked 43 fruits and vegetables based
on the amount of pesticides, but not the toxicity of each pesticide, found on them.
Tomatoes ranked halfway down the list with 47 percent of the tomatoes containing pesticide.
Peaches were the worst offender with 97 percent.
JOYCE: Where do these tomatoes come from, do they come from San Diego County.
Do they come from California?
MCHALE: Right now all our tomatoes are coming from California, the jumbos, the cherry
and the heirloom are coming locally from Be Wise Ranch and the Romas are coming
from the Central Valley, so it's regional, it's not local.
JOYCE: McHale says when the local growing season ends and in winter,
the co-op gets organic tomatoes from Mexico.
But there's plenty of San Diego County-grown tomatoes from May through October.
San Diego County has the largest community of organic growers in the state and nation,
with 343 farms growing more than 150 crops.
Casey Anderson is one of the local growers.
CASEY ANDERSON (Local Grower): Any certified farmer's market in San Diego County
that you can go to, you'll know that, you're guaranteed that the produce is going to be
from California, if not, you know, from your own county.
JOYCE: Anderson and his mother grow 13 varieties of organic heirloom tomatoes in Valley Center.
ANDERSON: They are grown organically yeah, they're heirloom,
which means that the seeds are not genetically-modified at all, they're saved
and passed down through generations.
JOYCE: It's late in the season so Anderson's crop is winding down...but buying locally-grown
organic tomatoes at a farmer's market is as direct and fresh as they come.
But do they taste better?
For Anderson's tomatoes, it depends on the variety.
ANDERSON: They all have different tastes.
I mean these, the green zebra's, these are uh, this is fully ripe, this is what they look like,
but they are really sweet, but they taste like they got lime drizzled
over the top, they're really tangy.
JOYCE: So, I've never tasted one of these green Zebra's before,
this is going to be my first taste after hearing so much about it,
so I'm just going to dig right in...
While FLAVOR may be a matter of, well, taste - one national study found when it comes
to produce, consumers are most dissatisfied with the taste of store-bought tomatoes.
And we buy the majority of our tomatoes from a grocery store rather than a farmers market.
And this may be why: Most tomatoes are picked when they're green.
They're ripened artificially with a gas called ethylene.
Temperature is also critical - tomatoes will not ripen in temperatures below 50 degrees..
Some tomatoes are also bred for trade, not for taste.
Industry and consumer groups we spoke to told KPBS-
tomatoes are often bred for uniformity, shape and color.
A firm, less juicy tomato has a better chance
of surviving a bouncing truck ride across the country.
Oceanside and Camp Pendleton are home to the nation's largest producer of vine-ripe tomatoes.
But most of the state's tomatoes are actually destined for a can.
California produces 90 percent of the country's processed tomatoes.