In this lively, in-depth discussion with tomato expert Craig LeHoulier, some of the topics we discuss include:
- The history of the tomato - from its origins in the Americas, to its domination of the European culinary scene, to its current commodity status at the supermarket.
- How Craig left the pharma industry to pursue his keen interest in gardening, which led to a home garden bursting with forgotten tomato varieties and a passion for flavor.
- The story of the Seed Savers Exchange and how heirloom plants were saved from the verge of the void.
- What makes an heirloom plant different from a hybrid (spoiler alert - it's not as simple as it might seem)
- How Craig thinks about the flavor attributes and culinary applications of different tomato varieties.
- The science and history of tomato juice and how it plays into the story of The Bloody Mary
- The crazy and largely untapped possibilities for scrambling our concept of what a Bloody Mary is (and what it could be)
- How the Cherokee Purple tomato got its name
- And much, much more.
