Which tomatoes can not be eaten?

These are tomatoes

Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) have had many names. They used to be called love or gold apples, paradise apples, tomatoes or just tomatoes. In some areas the names are still in use today. Only in the 19th Century came the current name "tomato" on.

The tomatoes belong to the nightshade family and are with paprika, Eggplant or potatoes related. According to food law, they are vegetables because they are annuals. From the biologist's point of view, they are Berry, so fruit.

Tomatoes are originally native to Central and South America. From Chile to Venezuela there are countless wild forms. They probably only came to Europe in the 15th Century by Columbus.

Tomatoes were grown all over the world, and so many different shapes and colors came about. New species are added every year.

Differences in tomato varieties

Over the years, breeders have developed well over 2,500 varieties, which means that they have been registered as protected. This resulted in tomato plants that are bushy and need no support. They are sold as bush tomatoes or as balcony tomatoes.

Varieties with very small fruits, the so-called cocktail tomatoes, are also widespread. This tomato plant can grow bushy or upright.

The most famous tomatoes are red. But they are also available in green, purple, black, brown, pink, yellow or white. Even marbled and striped tomatoes have been grown.

It is similar with the forms. Whether round and smooth, wrinkled, heart-shaped, oval or pear-shaped, everything is possible. There are even oblong, bottle-shaped and multi-part tomatoes.

In the vegetable departments you will often find names such as vine tomatoes, cherry or party tomatoes or beefsteak tomatoes. As a rule, these are not varieties of tomatoes, but rather resonant names for the trade.

What fruits cannot be eaten

There are no known tomatoes that cannot be eaten at all. So-called ornamental tomatoes are normal types of tomatoes that stay very small. If you buy a bag of tomato seeds or a pot tomato that is labeled as edible, you are allowed to eat their fruit.

Ornamental tomatoes are often not very tasty because they are cultivated for beauty and often have little sun. However, if you put the pot in the sun, you will usually get delicious, juicy tomatoes.

The fruits of ornamental tomatoes in the pot that are not expressly considered edible are better not to be consumed. These are not poisonous varieties, but breeders have them according to the criteria for Ornamental plants cultivated. You might get plenty fertilizer and Pesticidesthat are not approved for use in crops.

The coral tree (Solanum pseudocapsicum) is offered by very few nurseries under the name ornamental tomato. It's very poisonous. You can easily recognize the fruits of this plant by the stem of the berries. There are green sepals on the tomato stalk that are missing from the fruits of the tree.

Some special types

As mentioned, there are no tomatoes that cannot be eaten. The species that are shown in the table as ornamental tomatoes remain small, but bear beautiful fruit.

Special tomato varieties

description	Specialty	Ornamental tomato
Mini Roma Tomatoes Ravello	wears early many small egg-shaped fruits	no
Balcony tomato BALCONI YELLOW	small yellow fruits spread over the whole bush ripen at the same time	Yes
Heart tomatoes Heartbreaker Vita	sweet heart shaped fruits	no
Oxheart Tomatoes Rugantino	very large ribbed beefsteak tomatoes	no
Yellow Pearshaped Tomatoes	small yellow sweet fruits reminiscent of pears	no
Cherry tomato Black Cherry	violet-red, almost black fruits	no
Tomato balcony magic	Panicles with lots of red fruits	Yes
Pomodori Tomatoes - Micro Tom	Plants do not grow taller than 20 cm smallest variety in the world red small fruits	Yes

This must be taken into account when eating

All tomato plants and unripe fruits contain the poisonous solanine. Therefore, do not eat any green parts of the plants. The poison breaks down as they ripen and the tomatoes become edible. The exception is the fruits of green tomato varieties.

• Check the color of the ripe fruit.
• Use light pressure to test whether the tomatoes are on shrub let yourself be indented a little.
• Only harvest fruits that have passed the test.
• Cut open a fruit to be on the safe side.
• Check whether the kernels are yellowish brown, green seeds are immature.

As mentioned, there is no type of tomato that is inedible. All you should do is refrain from eating tomatoes that are designated as purely ornamental varieties and that you have not grown yourself. In addition, you must never eat unripe tomatoes.