The History of the Tomato - America's Favorite Garden Vegetable

Tomato history is an interesting one. Historians believe the origin of tomatoes can be traced to the coastal highlands of Central and South America where they grow wild in the countries of Ecuador and Peru. They were cultivated in ancient Mexico.

Name Origins

The name tomato comes from the word 'tomatl' in Nahuan, the language of the Aztecs of Central America (Aztecan). Interestingly the word 'chocolate' has Nahuan origins as well.

Introduced to Europe

Spanish explorers are credited with introducing the tomato to Europe in the 1500s, where it was called pomodoro, Spanish for "golden apple". This suggests that the first tomatoes brought to Europe were yellow. The earliest recorded mention by a European was by Venetian Pietro Andrea Mattioli, a doctor and naturalist who in the year 1544 recommended seasoning with salt, pepper and oil. The addition of tomatoes to the Italian cuisine in the 18th century gave us the current form of the pizza.

In the northern part of Europe, however, the history of tomatoes tells of a plant that was grown in greenhouses as an ornamental, one that was unhealthy at best and possibly poisonous. An English newspaper published a story in 1864 claiming research showed the tomato was not only edible, but had health benefits. A short time later some growers were already producing tomatoes for consumption and export. By the 1880s greenhouses built specifically for raising tomatoes were already dotting the countryside around Guernsey, which used to be famous for its tomato exports.

Colonel Johnson's Tomato Stunt

Tomato history includes an episode dramatized in a 1940s CBS radio broadcast. Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson of Salem County, New Jersey, had first introduced the tomato to the United States from abroad in 1808. After offering an annual prize for the largest tomato, he promised a public demonstration to prove that the tomato was safe to eat and not merely ornamental. In 1820 on the steps of the Salem courthouse a crowd of cheering spectators gathered to watch the poor fellow die from consumption of the poisonous fruit. Colonel Johnson bravely told the crowd he would eat an entire basketful and survive. To the possible chagrin of the eager crowd the colonel consumed an entire basket of tomatoes without keeling over or suffering any ill effects whatsoever. Whether the tale is true or not, we do know that the tomato began to become a staple of the American kitchen.

Thomas Jefferson's Garden at Monticello

The third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, recorded planting tomatoes in all the years he carefully wrote in his "Garden Kalendar" (1809-1824). Tomatoes commonly appear in the Jefferson family recipe collections. Two of his favorite varieties were the "dwarf" and the "Spanish". Today if you visit his homestead at Monticello, Virginia, tours of the vegetable gardens are available, and a tomato tasting contest is conducted each year. Recent top finishers include the Sun Gold, Black Cherry and Rose.

The Tomato's Popularity Today

The tomato is the most popular garden vegetable today. This could be because they are easy to grow in the family garden, and just a few plants provide an adequate harvest. The flavor of the homegrown tomato surpasses any you can buy at the local market or grocery store.

Sam Snead

You may not have heard of "Slammin Sammy" by name, but chances are that nearly every golfer has been influenced by his contributions to the sport. Throw away those titanium reinforced clubs, virtual reality training courses and swing secretes - Sam Snead rose to the top of the game as an amateur from Hot Springs, Virginia on the basis of hard work, talent and creativity.

Over his career, Snead won seven majors, including three Masters and PGA Championships tournaments, putting his reputation up there with the all time greats of the game. Turning professional at age 22, he developed his own unique swing that many players tried (but failed) to imitate and was famous for playing barefoot in a straw hat, outplaying competitive who were buttoned up and insulted by his casual attire. While his opponents were frustrated, he would only play lights out - winning over 80 PGA tour events over his career, and becoming one of the single best golfers in the 20th century.

A Virginia Golfers Tees it Up

Take a drive across the Virginia landscape and stop by any of the local golf courses in the Center of the state. If you were to ask any of the local professionals at Sam Snead, they could tell you dozens of legendary stories - if they were about anyone else you might doubt the story, but in the case of Sneak they are entirely true. Snead rose to become a legend by working as a caddy at the Homestead Country Club and gradually rose to become a top amateur player. He never rose above his local origins, continuing to visit his hometown courses and maintaining a home in the area even as he rose to a top professional golfer.

Earning his way onto the PGA tournament at the age of 23, Snead won his first event as the Greensboro Open in 1938. Never one to settle for an isolated title, Snead won that event seven more times in his career, along with countless other events, including 11 PGA tour titles in 1950. As one of the top American golfers, he played on Ryder Cup teams from 1939 to 1959, serving as captain three times. Even as he aged, Snead continued to play at the top of his game, winning the very first Senior PGA (Champions) Tour event he participated in during 1938.

One of the stories you're likely to hear about the legend is how he returned to his home course in Hot Springs to shoot a score of 60 on a par course at the age of 71 - breaking a course record at an age when most of his contemporaries had retired. Snead continued to work as a teacher, instructor and advocate for the game as it rose to prominence. Never one to rest, Snead continued to actively play in tournament events into his 70s. While his name might be as well known as the biggest names in the sport, his accomplishments and approach were second to none.

The Assassination of a President! (1963)

Why would anyone want to kill someone in such an open theatre, such as happened in Dallas, TX in 1963, to cause such a spectacle, such as the Kennedy assassination?

"Grief cannot be shared. Everyone carries it alone...his own burden...his own way!" Anne Morrow

Highlands University is a small school, located in Las Vegas, New Mexico (USA), and is about 150 miles northeast of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where I live. While attending the school, I lived in the dorm (Salenger Hall), and at the time, most students didn't own a television set, because they were not affordable, etc. For our music and news, we all listened to the radio.

It was the week before Thanksgiving, 1963, and most students were preparing to go home for the holidays over the long week-end...but not me! I had fallen behind in my studies, and I decided to stay at the school over the holiday week-end to get caught up, and prepare for upcoming exams, etc.

It was about 11:20 on a Friday morning, and me and my roommate had just finished the morning classes, and we were back in our room, cleaning up and preparing to go to lunch at the dining hall at 11:30. A couple of pals from next door, came by and joined, and we would all go to lunch together.

All of a sudden, I heard something on the radio...that Kennedy had been shot..."Be quiet...s-h-h-h-h I want to hear what has happened!" Everyone in the room quieted down, so we could hear what was going on...something happened to President Kennedy! We all listened to the radio intently, as the news came over! It didn't take long to find out that President Kennedy has been shot in Dallas, and it didn't take long, for the four of us to scamper out of the room, down the stairs and across the campus, to the Student Union Building (SUB) where there were a few television sets!

When we got there, the place was packed with hundreds of students...all gathered around the television sets, to find out what happened in Dallas! As I looked around the room, there was not a dry eye in the room...all I saw was dis-belief on the young faces...blank faces...and tears coming down the faces of many! Some young people were down on the floor crying and sobbing, as we all learned the President Kennedy had been shot...and I too, felt hollow and empty inside!

How could something like this happen in a civilized society? Or, maybe we were not a civilized society after all! All of us students watched intently, as the events unfolded in Dallas that morning, and there was not a dry eye in the room! I think the best word to describe what was going on was "numb"...we were all numb...the feeling of helplessness!

How could the President of the United States be shot? I think we all had that question in our minds. And, I remember a young reporter for CBS, by the name of Dan Rather doing the reporting for CBS news and Walter Cronkite was the anchor back in New York. Both were having trouble keeping their composure, I might add.

"Assassination is the extreme form of censorship!" George Bernard Shaw

It was an awful scene at the SUB, as there was crying and sobbing everywhere! And, you couldn't blame the young people for coming apart at the seams! There were tears streaming my face, too! There really wasn't anything I could do for the students, except to comfort some of them where I could. How could something like this happen?

There were two other reasons why this assassination added to the gloom of the time...the holidays were just around the corner...Thanksgiving and Christmas. And, the two little kids in the White House...Caroline and John-John who were about 5-7 years old...were adored by the American public...and now they were without a father...made things even worse! How could somebody do this?

A catastrophe was unfolding right before us in Dallas that ugly morning!

THE WARREN COMMISSION REPORT: Stated that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination of President Kennedy. More than 80% of the American people found the report to be flawed, including myself! To this day (2008) I don't believe that Oswald was the lone killer, or may not have been the killer at all. Additionally, 70% of the American people think the assassination was a plot...not a lone gunman acting alone.

"A desperate disease requires a dangerous remedy!" Guy Fawkes

Over the years, there have been dozens of conspiracy theories, as to who or how Kennedy was shot, much to lengthy to go into here. But, in the year 2003, I saw a documentary on PBS, which was a behind-the-scenes look, as how all of this could have come together. It was reported in the documentary, that Joseph Kennedy, the father of John and Robert Kennedy, went to Chicago, to meet with the Teamsters Union, to try to get the Teamsters to vote for his son, John, in the upcoming election with Richard Nixon.

The broadcast showed Joseph Kennedy entering and leaving the hotel in which the meetings took place. In short...the deal was...to have the Teamsters vote for John Kennedy, and in return...the President (if elected) would lay off the mafia! I don't know how Joseph Kennedy or anybody else, can go around making deals with shady characters so close to the mob! I was incensed when I saw this piece! You know...somebody doing wheeling and dealing...in a smoke-filled room behind closed doors, in a matter that was so important. That is, to elect the next President of the United States!

The Presidential race was one of the closest in history between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon, and a Teamster vote could put John Kennedy over the top, etc. By a razor-thin margin, John Kennedy won the race, and one of the first orders of business for John Kennedy, was to appoint his brother, Robert Kennedy as Attorney General of the United States.

And, one of the first things Robert Kennedy did as Attorney General, was to begin hearings on activities of the mafia. The reader in the year 2008, has to remember that the mafia in those days was a big deal; unions were powerful and courted by Presidents and others. And, it was a time of Communism and the Cold War!

The reader can see what's happening here. By starting up the hearings on the mafia, Robert Kennedy could be opening a can of worms...and could even be in a position to betray the mafia, and it depended on what he knew about his father's activities. Nonetheless, if the mafia thought that they were betrayed by the Kennedy's...it could mean John Kennedy's life! I don't think you want to betray the mafia, because if you do, you can start shopping for a casket! But, none of use know what was discussed in those meetings between Joseph Kennedy and the Teamsters, etc. And, maybe the Kennedy brothers didn't know what was discussed in the meetings, either!

Knowingly or unknowingly...the Kennedy brothers may have betrayed the mafia, and now John's life could be in jeopardy! When I saw this documentary, this is the most plausible scenario as to what might have happened in the Kennedy assassination! This is something I could believe, and the picture now gets clearer for me, etc.

In my view, Lee Harvey Oswald did not kill Kennedy by himself, as the Warren Report suggests. There are three conclusions that I come to; the United States government acted alone; the mafia acted alone; or the U.S. government and the mafia conspired to do it together. Lee Harvey Oswald was just convenient and, in my view, nothing but a scape-goat for the government!

"An assassination has never changed the history of the world." Benjamin Disaeli

For the first time in my life, and I hope the last...I witnessed a murder, live on television, when Jack Ruby killed Oswald viewed by millions on television! Another unthinkable act, that added to the chaos of the time! The grieving and mourning would go on for months and years...after these unthinkable acts of violence!

MY TWO-CENTS:
The fox guarding the chicken coop: Do you really think that government people investigating other government people, can be objective to get the truth? (laugh here until your sides hurt!)

In 2008, the U.S. Congress has earned...that's right...has earned its lowest ratings in trust and credibility from the American people...which is a SHAME! The people in the Congress, are nothing but a bunch of self-serving, over-paid greedsters just looking out for themselves! The only reason there was more interest in 2008, was because there was a new face in government that might bring NEW HOPE into this dismal administration and waste of a Congress!

I don't care how many Commissions are appointed by a sitting President or any other President, to get to the bottom of this Kennedy matter,etc. As long as the finger is pointed at Lee Harvey Oswald, who is a dead man, and never had a chance to defend himself...the cover-up by the U.S. government will continue...period!

Beekeeping Equipment - The Essential Tools You Need For Your Homestead Hive

Having the right beekeeping equipment is crucial for the successful homestead beekeeper. If you are thinking of having a colony or two of bees on your property, here is a list of some of the tools you will need:

Bee Smoker and Fuel

A bee smoker consists of a fire chamber, bellows and a nozzle. Point the smoker at the entrance of the hive, squeeze the bellows and smoke is forced in. This dulls the receptors of the guard bees. They can't send out an alarm odor that would normally alert the older bees - who have the most venom - to defend their home.

Also, the smoke triggers other bees to gorge themselves on honey - something they do instinctively in case they have to flee and find a new home elsewhere. What this means to you is a lot less stings. That is why a good smoker is an essential part of your beekeeping equipment. At the time this article was written, the cost of a smoker and fuel ranged between $60 and $85 American dollars.

Beekeeper Suit

This will also protect you from stings and is well worth the investment. It keeps the bees from crawling into your clothes. It will also mask your scent - bees get really ticked off if you have a strong body odor. Also, these suits are usually white. Bees are more prone to attack people in darker colors.

The suit should also provide a hat and veil and long gloves. The gloves should be leather, good fitting and have long sleeves. The cost at the time of writing this ran from $85 to $130 in American dollars.

Tending your hive can be a messy business, and your gloves will get dirty. You will need to clean your gloves each time after you use them. One way to clean them is to wear them and wash your hands under warm water. Then dry them immediately and rub them down with olive oil. Afterward, remove as much excess oil as possible.

Hive Tool

This is a simple pry bar, with a notch on one end for pulling nails and scraping cappings. A necessary part of your beekeeping equipment and only $6 to $10 in American dollars, depending on where you purchase it.

Frame Lifter

This tool allows you to grab a single frame with only one hand. This is handy, but be aware that it will take some hand strength. Cost for this is generally between $12 to $14 in American dollars.

Pollen Trap

Not only can you eat pollen, but it is loaded with vitamins and nutrients. Very few people are allergic to bee pollen, but it can cause the same reaction as allergies do, so taste a little before eating a lot of this.

Bee pollen is perishable, so store your fresh pollen in the refrigerator or freezer if you don't plan to use it right away. In 2008, a pollen trap cost between $35 and $65 American dollars.

Magnifying Glass

This will help you look closely at the bees, inspect them for mites and look closely at larva and eggs. Just be aware that magnifying glasses can cook your bees, so make certain the sun isn't behind you when you use this. Magnifying glasses can generally be found in drug stores.

Log Book

This is a simple, yet important part of your beekeeping equipment. Every time you inspect your hive, you will want to take notes. That way you have an accurate record of what your bees are up to. By observing them on a weekly basis and keeping notes, you will begin to recognize when your bees are not behaving normally and be able to treat them accordingly.

Capel Rugs

Only in America: From GeeHaw Plow Lines to Capel Rug Lines

In 1917, Henry Ford, who had been raised on a farm, made a momentous decision and, against the wishes of the Ford Motor Company's board of directors, decided to form the Ford Tractor Company, thinking that his tractors could mechanize farm work the same way his Model T had mechanized transportation for the average American family.

In 1917, A. Leon Capel, the owner of GeeHaw Plow lines, producer of rope plow lines with which farmers guided the horses and mules pulling their plows, read of Henry Ford's decision. Reading, simultaneously, the handwriting on the wall, he began looking for a new way to use the stock materials he had intended to twist into ropes for those plow lines.

He bought some braiding machines; his rope materials were fashioned into braids; and his braids were stitched by sewing machine into concentric circles. The result was a machine-produced version of that most American of floor coverings, the braided rug.

Henry Ford's tractors did indeed mechanize the world of farming, and A. Leon Capel, who named his new rug-braiding enterprise New Departure Rugs, found his process so successful that, within nine years, he purchased his own looms to manufacture yarn, and in 1927 the first "Old Homestead" line of Capel rugs--the original braided chenille rug--appeared.

Within a decade, and in the middle of the Depression, Capel's rugs were so much in demand that he re-opened a textile mill which had formerly belonged to his father, and that mill became the foundation for Capelsie Mills, Inc.

Every Capel rug produced in America today is born of the same hands-on production method that A. Leon Capel practiced. And, in addition to continuing its own line of braided, knotted, and woven Capel rugs, Capel began, in 1963,a rug-importing business.

Beginning with Spanish needlepoint Capel rugs, Capel gradually expanded its imports to include Dutch and Belgian wool Capel rugs, and today, about 65% of Capel rugs are imported. Capel is also one of the largest importers of rugs from India.

With the real estate boom of the past few years, American rug manufacturers found that many homeowners who had previously opted for wall-to-wall carpeting preferred area rugs as a way to showcase the hardwood and tile floors of their new homes. Capel rugs, both domestic and imported, were more in demand than ever, and Capel, Inc. was constantly looking for innovative ways to set its rugs apart.

When, in the late 1990's, aromatherapy and scented candles reached new heights of popularity, Capel introduced prototype Capel rugs which contained either pine or floral-scented filaments within their cores. While these were not commercially marketed, Capel expanded its braided rug lines to include both square and rectangular shapes, and runners, in non-traditional colors ranging from spring pastels to midnight blues and black. Aand synthetic Olefin Capel rugs are now produced domestically.

Capel has also transitioned from being the wholesale supplier to ten thousand retailers of Capel rugs, to opening, in 2005, a Capel rugs "superstore" in Schaumburg, Illinois; there are plans for the eventual opening of ten such retail stores.

A. Leon Capel, by the way, was seventeen years old when he saw the wisdom of getting out of the plow line business, and into the rug line business. Only in America!