'The Story of Timmy Tomato' by Tommy Turnip

Timmy (The name means one who honors God) traces his genealogy back to the Andes Mountains of Peru, South America. Timmy’s ancestors’ last name was originally Tomatl, which meant round and plump to the Aztecs. In the 16th Century, Spanish conquistadores took the tomatoes back to Europe with them. In the 18th Century, tomatoes were brought to Quebec and Louisiana by the French. Now the tomato is the most widely grown fruit (Yes, technically Timmy is a fruit.) in the Americas.

Timmy and his relatives suffer and die if the weather is too cold. For Timmy to fulfill his career objective of being a food relished by others and eaten as part of the earth’s ecosystem, he must be grown in a warm climate. Some of Timmy’s second cousins are grown in local greenhouses, and spend much more of their life in the warm confines of their home than on the road. However, Timmy, a Better Boy tomato, was conceived in California and transported to Chicago to fulfill his career objective. In fact, 40% of the world’s tomatoes are grown in California. At first, Timmy thought travel would be great. Then Timmy learned that to prepare for the trip he would have to be washed in chlorinated water, then dried with blasts of warm air and covered with wax. Timmy also learned about the large negative environmental impact this travel has on the earth and he became sad and no longer ripe for use. In particular, long-distance transportation of many of his Tomato family is contributing greatly to greenhouse gas emissions, air acidification, and smog. For example, global warming pollution for food transported by airplane is 500 times greater than pollution from transportation of locally grown foods!

The solution, Timmy does not want to travel; he wants to be close to home, thirsting for a local greenhouse for his offspring and for all future relatives, so they can spend more time on the vine and less time on the road. Some sources say that on average, produce arriving at some Chicago food markets is transported more than 1,500 miles. Yes, sometimes economy of scale can be more efficient, but for most produce, if you want to lessen your negative environmental impact on the earth and preserve the earth for your future family, eat locally grown produce. To see what is in season in our state, or other states, you can visit the Eat Local website.

By the way, in case you were wondering, my friend Timmy Tomato, asked me, Tommy Turnip, to emerge from underground and share the roots of his story. Timmy, who by his very name wants to honor God, knows that we can all make a difference on the planet, one tomato at a time.