Warm summer days and frequent showers mean that local tomatoes now are ripe and ready for purchase at farmers markets and farm stands in Cayuga County. When you eat a ripe tomato that has been freshly picked from the vine, you will notice how much better it tastes than a tomato that has been transported from far away.

Fruit or vegetable?

The tomato is the world's most popular fruit, surpassing bananas and apples in the number of tons produced. But is a tomato a fruit? If you ask a botanist, the answer is yes, because a fruit is the part of a plant that contains the seeds. However, an 1893 U.S. Supreme Court decision ruled that although “botanically speaking tomatoes are the fruit of the vine,” they are vegetables “in the common language of the people.” Most people would agree that when they eat a tomato, they consider it a vegetable. The MyPyramid plan agrees, listing tomato in the vegetable category.

Storage tips

Tomatoes should be stored at room temperature (preferably 70 degrees or less) in a single layer, stem side down. A tomato should not be refrigerated because cold causes the water to expand, which ruins the texture. Cold also causes sugar to convert to starch in the tomato, which affects the taste.

Tomato facts

• Americans get more of their vitamins from tomatoes than from any other vegetable in the American diet

• Tomatoes are high in lycopene, which helps reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers

• Yellow and orange tomatoes are less acidic than red tomatoes but lower in lycopene

• A tomato, which has only 35 calories, has as much fiber as a slice of whole wheat bread

• Vine ripened tomatoes have more nutritional value and better taste than tomatoes that are picked green and ripened with ethylene gas

Tomato recipe contest

Are you an amateur chef with a favorite recipe that includes fresh tomatoes? If so, you are invited to submit your recipe to the TomatoFest Recipe Cookoff. At the 23rd annual TomatoFest, scheduled for Sept. 6 and 7 at Emerson Park, prizes will be awarded for the best recipes, as determined by a panel of judges. The rules are simple: The recipe must include an ingredient list and directions for preparation. Fresh tomatoes must be a major ingredient in the recipe (clearly seen and tasted).

Recipes should be mailed to TomatoFest, PO Box 1611, Auburn, NY 13021. Include your name, address and telephone number. Recipes must be received by Aug. 20.

If your recipe is selected, you will be asked to bring the ingredients and prepare it on Monday, Aug. 25, in the Cornell Cooperative Extension kitchen in Auburn.

For a taste of a recipe prepared with fresh tomatoes, served with bulgur (a whole grain), come to the Cornell Cooperative Extension table at the Auburn farmers market Thursday, July 31.

Christine Gutelius, MA, RD, CDN, is a nutrition resource educator with the Eat Smart NY program at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County.

Summer Vegetable and White Bean Saute

Makes 5 cups

1 tablespoon oil

1 medium onion, halved and sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced

1 medium yellow summer squash, halved lengthwise and sliced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (or 1 teaspoon dried)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

15-ounce can of cannellini or great northern beans, rinsed and drained

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned (about 3 minutes). Add zucchini, yellow squash, oregano, basil, salt and pepper, stirring to combine. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring once, until vegetables are tender - crisp (3-5 minutes). Stir in beans, tomatoes and vinegar. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese. Serve over cooked brown rice, bulgur or whole wheat pasta.

Note: Include additional seasonal vegetables when

available, such as eggplant, bell peppers or broccoli.

- Source: Recipe adapted from EatingWell.com