The Wonder Food

By admin | Published: February 13, 2012

If you read my previous blog , you already know that I’m passionate about tomatoes – I can talk about them all day long and sometimes into the night, much to the chagrin of my patient wife. With almost 40 years of planting, nurturing, picking, grading and consuming greenhouse tomatoes, I ought to be an expert. Some people consider me just that. But the truth is this: I’m learning something new about tomato growing every day. With so many advances in technology, the possibilities to improve are infinite. I’ve had a taste of this (pardon the pun) with green technology that’s made our California expansion the most sustainable greenhouse in the world. I also know that one can invest endless money on technology, but plants don’t lie. That’s the “art” of growing. You have to walk the greenhouse every day and get in touch with the crop. Balancing “art” with “science” is critical to success.

In the weeks to come, I’m going to write about green technology. But today I want to share some health advancements that have come out of several clinical studies*. I use to finish my tomato talks with “. . . and by the way, they’re really good for you.” I don’t do that anymore because people want to know how tomatoes affect health and longevity. I don’t have all the answers, but I can tell you that studies involving the tomato are cropping up all over the world of medical science. Here’s a very brief summary of the latest research conclusions.

1. Tomatoes are known to help prevent cancer, heart disease and muscular degeneration. They contain large amounts of vitamin C as well as vitamin A, potassium and iron. But the wonder ingredient is the anti-oxidant, lycopene.

2. Tomatoes are top of the list in lycopene. Lycopene is why tomatoes are red. It is not produced naturally by the human body; instead we must eat fruit and vegetables to absorb it. Some studies have found that lycopene reduces the risk of cancer by as much as 40%, particularly in the prostate, lungs and stomach.

3. Tomatoes rank #1 in health and longevity. This ranking comes from best-selling author and syndicated medical journalist, Jean Carper http://jeancarper.com/. The others, (in order of the top 10 ranking) are olive oil, red grapes, nuts, whole grains, salmon, blueberries, garlic, spinach and tea.

4. Antioxidant foods are also anti-Alzheimer foods. Columbia University mentions tomatoes, cabbage-family vegetables, dark & leafy vegetables, fruits, nuts and fish as allies in the ongoing war against Alzheimer disease.  

The good news, you don’t have to bite into a terrible tasting vegetable to deliver the nutritional benefits. This is especially true when you choose the home-grown flavor of Houweling’s Tomatoes.

With my regards,

* http://www.sciencedaily.com/

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Scrumptious Tomatoes – We’ll do Our Part, Please do Yours

By admin | Published: January 25, 2012

I’ve been around tomato greenhouses since I was a kid. That’s why I’m not the least bit bashful about telling people a thing or two about tomatoes. As for blogging . . .  never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be writing stories about tomatoes in cyberspace (do people still call it that?). For me, writing doesn’t come easy. It’s like trying to nail jelly to a tree. So, at the outset, I’m going to be completely honest with you. I’ve had some help with this blog. I expect to get better as time passes and eventually even do it all by myself. Writing, like growing and nurturing greenhouse tomatoes is a craft – the more you work at it, the more you practice, the more you listen and learn . . . the better you’ll be.

So why, you might ask, would a tomato farmer start blogging? Again, I have to be honest with you. The idea wasn’t mine. It came from David Bell, our Chief Marketing Officer. He says people come to blogs and social media for a whole bunch of reasons; the most important of which is to get information. And though they can’t bite into a scrumptious Houweling’s tomato online, they can certainly connect with us and learn about our varieties, and the best way to store and serve them. So, for my inaugural blog I’m going to offer some simple ways to enjoy tomatoes at their best.

1. Never refrigerate a Houweling’s Tomato.  Guess I ought to come clean and tell you not to refrigerate any tomato, regardless of who grows it, because this is a quick way to lose flavor. To my dismay, 50% of people still insist on refrigeration. Maybe it’s because the tomatoes they buy aren’t greenhouse grown and there’s not much flavor to begin with. Forgive me for that – I can be a little competitive at times. The truth is this: Greenhouse grown tomatoes may cost a little more but the taste is worth every penny. So make a late New Year’s resolution and declare your refrigerator ‘verboden’ (that’s Dutch for forbidden) to tomatoes. Instead keep them on the counter out of direct sunlight with the stem side facing up.

2. Tomatoes On The Vine last longer. That’s because the fruit (yes, fruit – tomatoes are technically not a vegetable) continues to be fed nutrients from the stems. As a general rule, a ripe tomato on the vine can last a week at room temperature in a dry location. Of course, I’d like you to eat our tomatoes right away, but within 2-4 days is a good rule because you never know how long they’ve been on the grocer’s shelf. If the tomato skin is no longer tight and beginning to shrivel, you’re eyeing a tomato that’s lost its peak of freshness.

3. Buy locally-grown. With Houweling’s greenhouses located in California and British Columbia, we are within a day of every grocer on the Pacific coast. The closer a grower is to the market, the fresher the tomato.

4. Handle tomatoes with the same care we do. I sometimes watch people in the produce department of my local store. I see them pinch, squeeze and torment tomatoes, leaving a wake of bruises and blemishes, and robbing the next customer of a fresh, delicious tomato. Ripe tomatoes, like seasoned tomato growers can be a sensitive cluster.

I hope my first blog will help you enjoy tomatoes like never before. Oh, yes . . . one oversight. Don’t forget to start with a Houweling’s tomato.  In my next blog, I’m going to tell you about some amazing health benefits of this wonderful fruit. Don’t be shy yourself. Ask me about tomatoes and I’ll be glad to share my views right here in the blog section of our website.

With my regards,

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Why Greenhouse?

By admin | Published: November 29, 2011

Houweling’s fresh, greenhouse grown products are produced in the world’s most technologically advanced growing environments.   These facilities are constructed of glass covered structures that give our growers complete control of the climate and allow for maximum light transmission while reducing pest and weather pressures.

The climate in our greenhouses is controlled through highly advanced systems which allow our growers to optimize temperature, humidity, light, and CO2 levels within the environment.

Our plants are all grown hydroponically, without the use of soil.  By growing our plants this way, weeds cannot grow thereby eliminating the need to use herbicides.

We also employ the use of drip irrigation.  This allows for the delivery of just the right amount of water and nutrients to the plants at the right time.  Most of the water we use is collected from rainwater.

We employ an integrated pest management program which reduces the pesticide usage significantly, and are kept well below the standards accepted by the USDA.  Pest pressures are further diminished at our newly expanded Oxnard facility as the greenhouse is a semi-enclosed environment reducing entry points for pests.  The facility also incorporates the use of overpressure in this facility.  Overpressure inhibits the movement of pests in the greenhouse, and neutralizes the damage they can cause to plants.

All of the important growing benefits of growing in our greenhouses are further aided by the unique microclimates of Camarillo, CA and Delta, BC.  Both locations offer optimal sunshine and moderate temperatures which allow our products to flourish.

These factors, in addition to the passion and craftsman care that our growers treat our plants with produce the very best array of hydroponically grown tomatoes and cucumbers available. Producing the freshest, best tasting products is our number one objective.

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