British Tomato Fortnight

It’s time to celebrate British Tomato Fortnight and what better time to celebrate tomatoes, one of the key ingredients to many healthy meals.

You might be reading this thinking, I don’t like tomatoes and I myself used to dislike tomatoes, however, as I started incorporating them into different meals, they became one of my favourite ingredients to include. Would you be surprised if I told you that you can prepare tomatoes in 14 different ways!

How you could include tomatoes in your meals

Some different ways in which you could prepare your tomatoes to include in your meals, could be to grill them, turn them into a puree or stuff them. You could also include them in a salad or chop some up to use in a pasta dish. There are a variety of different ways to prepare tomatoes and use them in multiple different dishes. And even better, you wouldn’t just be eating them for the sake of it, because eating tomatoes can be really beneficial to your diet.

Tomatoes contain antioxidant lycopene which has been proven to come with many health benefits such as reducing the risk of heart diseases and cancer. They also include many vitamins, such as vitamin C and vitamin K. They also contain potassium which can help lower blood pressure, helping prevent cardiovascular diseases.

How to grow your own tomatoes at home

I’m sure buying tomatoes from your local shop is already easy enough but growing your own tomatoes in your garden can be just as easy! Believe it or not you don’t need lots of different tools or a big greenhouse, all you need is a few plant pots (depending on how many seeds you would like to plant), seed compost, seeds and water.

Tomatoes will take around 2-3 months (60-90 days) to grow, so to ensure that they grow well, you will need to take into consideration watering them often as they grow, finding a sunny spot should also help the growing process. Providing support, such as a frame or against a fence will keep the fruit clean and away from pests and will also help the harvest of your tomatoes.

The advantages of growing tomatoes in your garden is it also allows children to gain a better understanding of healthy fruit and veg, it also gives them a chance to have a little project. What I mean by this is you could give them the opportunity to water the plants and look after them, which will help them feel independent. This can be a great way to make it a fun experience for them too and at the end of the growth of the tomatoes, you could allow your kids to pick the tomatoes and use them in a healthy meal!