Dear Miss Floribunda,
I very much enjoyed the informative talk given by Kathy Jentz, editor of Washington Gardener magazine, at My Dead Aunt’s Books in October. I am sorry I didn’t think to record it or take notes, because there is a lot that I’m mulling over now that I’m not sure I remember correctly. It is worrisome to me to learn that some green tomatoes are poisonous. I don’t remember which ones Ms. Jentz specified. Also, she mentioned green varieties that are not poisonous if we want to fry them. I was also surprised that she recommended soaking tomato seeds in water with scouring powder containing bleach. That seems potentially poisonous to me. Another big surprise was hearing that the “non-GMO” disclaimer on seed packets I always found so reassuring isn’t necessary because Ms. Jentz said that genetically modified seeds are not sold to home gardeners.
Please clarify.
Concerned on Crittenden Street
Courtesy of Kathy Jentz
Dear Concerned,
Ms. Jentz’s talk was far-reaching and covered several different methods of seed-saving, among other ways of preserving and propagating garden plants.
Let me reassure you that adding a small amount of scouring powder to the water in which tomato seeds are soaked will not have any lingering effect but will only speed the fermentation process and kill any soil-borne pathogens clinging to the seeds. This is the “wet seed” method that is needed to separate the tomato seeds from their gelatinous sac, which has served to inhibit germination while the seeds were still in the fruit. You, of course, would want the seeds to be able to germinate, so you need to eliminate the gel. After a few days soaking in a Mason jar or other enclosed container, the gel will break down, releasing the seeds, and you will see some mold that indicates the seeds are ready to be washed in a strainer, dried on a paper towel, and saved for planting. Ms. Jentz also cautioned that only heirloom tomato seeds could be depended on to produce exactly the same plant. Hybrid seeds are often infertile, or they revert to one of the varieties used in their breeding.
Unripe fruit (and tomatoes are fruit) are generally green, bitter and hard to digest. In addition, tomatoes belong to the nightshade (Solanaceae) family. This family contains solanine, a poisonous glycoalkaloid. Solanine protects the tomato from predators while its seeds are developing, and then ethylene gas is produced that sweetens the flavor and changes the color in most varieties; the solanine — as well as poisonous tomatine in leaves and stems — then disappears.
Eating unripe green tomatoes, if you could stand the bitter flavor, could cause severe indigestion. While they can be soaked in vinegar, usually with onions and other veggies, to make a safe and tasty relish, the only method of cooking I know of that makes them palatable is frying, with the addition of some sugar and, of course, the traditional egg and cornmeal coating. Even so, most chefs don’t use extremely green tomatoes but choose those beginning to change color. Ms. Jentz suggested using naturally green but sweet varieties of tomatoes, such as Green Zebra and Cherokee Green. Even these should not be fully ripe, or they won’t be firm enough to fry without falling apart.
Yes, just as we see “gluten-free” on packages of products that don’t contain gluten in the first place, it has become commonplace for seed companies to place those “non-GMO” labels on seed packets marketed to home gardeners. It is probably meant to appeal to organic home gardeners who fear the effects of genetic modification. However, as Ms. Jentz pointed out, genetically modified seeds would be prohibitively expensive for any but “Big Ag” factory farms to buy, and they simply are not on the market for most of us.
To refresh your memory of any other aspects of Ms. Jentz’s talk, I would recommend that you make a habit of consulting her award-winning podcast, GardenDC. I am sure they have all been covered in at least one of the 263 episodes she has presented so far.
I would also like to invite you to the next meeting of the Hyattsville Horticultural Society at 10 a.m. on Nov. 16 at the Hyattsville Municipal Center, 4310 Gallatin Street. There will be a wreath-making workshop, so please bring any interesting grasses, branches, berries or ribbons to share with others.
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Miss Floribunda writes about gardening for the Life & Times. You may email her at Floribundav@gmail.com.
