Tomatoes are probably the most popu

Tomatoes are probably the most popular garden vegetable grown in the United States. This can be attributed to their unique flavor, attractiveness, richness as a source of vitamins C and A, and versatility as a food. The popularity of peppers as a garden plant can be attributed to the same factors, although they are usually not consumed in large enough quantities to make them an important nutritional factor in the diet.

The cultivated tomato originated in the Andes mountains of South America. It was introduced to other areas of the world by Indians and European travelers. Its seeds were taken to Europe, where a superstition soon arose that the tomato stimulated love. Because of this, the toamto was called the “love apple”. The first report of the tomato in North America was in 1710, where it was grown primarily as an ornamental plant. Early colonists brought the seeds to Virginia and grew tomatoes in flower gardens.

Tomatoes, actually a fruit that is used as a vegetable, began gaining wide acceptance as a food plant in the United States between 1820 and 1850. Modern plant growers have done much to improve the tomato and to add to its usefulness. Its productivity has been doubled, and varieties with larger, smoother, more even shapes and meatier pulps have been developed. The tomato is the leading crop canned in the Unites States today.

Peppers are also native to America and were grown by American Indian tribes in both North and South America over 2,000 years ago. The small red hot peppers were discovered by Columbus in the West Indies and introduced into Europe, where they became popular before gaining widespread aceptance in the United States. Peppers became one of the first New World foods used commercially in Europe. Botanists class the fruit of the bush-type garden pepper as a berry. Although most varieties of peppers produce red fruits (which are green in their immature stage), there are some yellow-fruited varieties, and peppers are of both mild and pungent types. Peppers enjoy warm climates, and young plants can be injured by frosts. Seasonings such as paprika and chili powder and food products such as canned pimentos are commercial uses of garden peppers that are grown in the United States today.

The familiar spice black pepper known in households throughout the world is the product of a trailing or climbing shrub grown in Indonesia and other hot countries. The islands of Java and Madura furnish most of the black pepper used in American homes. The United States buys almost 25,000 tons of this spice annually.