Free Republic

Astronaut Frank Rubio harvested one of the first tomatoes ever grown in space. And then misplaced it. He returned to Earth with the precious produce still lost aboard the space station. It remained lost — until now. “I put it in a little bag, and one of my crewmates was doing a (public) event with some schoolkids, and I thought it’d be kind of cool to show the kids — ‘Hey guys, this is the first tomato harvested in space,’” Rubio said during an October media event. “I was pretty confident that I Velcroed it where I was supposed to...

Social media users are sharing pictures of burgers without tomatoesFast food chain McDonald's has stopped using tomato in its food preparations at most of the stores in northern and eastern parts of the country citing the non-availability of quality products, amid the price of the commodity surging up to Rs 200 per kg. McDonald's India - North and East said it is constrained to "hold tomatoes for the time being" and is trying to resolve this issue by employing sustainable agriculture practices. "Due to seasonal crop issues arising out of farm fields in a few regions, there are not enough...

Two in three Americans (67%) said they could live on sandwiches alone for a full week, according to new research. The perfect sandwich, according to a survey of 2,000 Americans, consists of tomato (54%), cheddar cheese (39%) and Black Forest ham (39%). The survey also found that the average American craves a sandwich four times a week. It seems that the best solution for your tastebuds and your wallet is a sandwich as 42% polled said they are actively looking for ways to cut down the cost of food, with sandwiches being a good money-saving option for 67% of respondents,...

We all knew Obama winning the election would be bad. But did any of you really believe it could be this bad? Every day is just another astounding move of stupidity, treason, or both. Witness: If you were president of the United States, would you hire an alleged former spy for Fidel Castro to be ambassador to El Salvador, a country teetering on the brink of hard-core socialism? President Obama just did. On Dec. 9, Obama nominated Mari Del Carmen Aponte to be ambassador to El Salvador, despite the fact that in the late 1990s, the FBI discovered that she...

This Halloween, Heinz encourages all vampires to make the switch. Go vegetarian with HEINZ Tomato Blood.

There are many inventive recipes to celebrate our Independence Day, but I don’t think any are more expressive that the simple ‘Flag Cake’ that can be made with berries. This one from the blog ‘Cake is Love’ looks like it can be adapted very easily to using packaged brownie (or cake) mix and icing: https://blogcakeislove.blogspot.com/2012/07/4th-of-july-american-flag-brownies.html *************************************************** *************************************************** Lucile Wright was a renowned caterer in Savannah, Georgia, who became even more well-known when she was featured in the book ‘Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil’, by John Berendt and in the film of the same name. She was especially...

Scientists Create Tomatoes Genetically Engineered To Boost Vitamin D. They used gene editing to enhance the production of vitamin D3 in tomatoes.

More grocery stores have increased their prices to consumers for an iconic No. 1 size can of Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup. Here’s how prices have changed since our previous snapshot of prices at ten of the U.S.’s largest grocery-selling retailers roughly two months ago. ◾Walmart: $1.17/each, unchanged ◾Amazon: $0.99/each, unchanged (Lowest) ◾Kroger: $1.25/each, unchanged ◾Walgreens: $1.50/each, unchanged when you buy 2 cans ◾Target: $1.29/each, increase of $0.10 (+8.4%) ◾CVS: $2.19/each, increase of $0.40 (+22.3%, Highest) ◾Albertsons: $1.59/each, increase of $0.59 (+59.0%) ◾Food Lion: $1.19/each, increase of $0.19 (+19.0%) ◾H-E-B: $1.21/each, unchanged ◾Meijer: $1.19/each, increase of $0.19 (+19.0%) Among these sellers,...

The U. S. Food and Drug Administration is revoking the standard of identity for French dressing in response to a citizen petition from the Association for Dressings and Sauces. The petitioners shared information documenting that the standard is outdated. In December 2020, the agency issued a proposed rule and is now finalizing the rule based in part on its conclusion that revoking the standard will allow for greater innovation and more flexibility of products on the market. Standards of identity impose requirements related to the content and production of certain food products. Other provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and...

"The Food and Drug Administration said it will stop regulating French dressing after keeping a tight rein on its key ingredients since 1950. The US agency announced on Wednesday that it would lift guidelines that required manufacturers to sell a product with 35% vegetable oil if it wanted to market it as “French dressing.” French dressing also had been required to contain vinegar or lemon or lime juice. Other ingredients like salt, tomato paste, and spices were permitted, but not required. ..."

After more than 70 years, the federal government has decided that French dressing no longer needs to be regulated. "When the standard of identity was established in 1950, French dressing was one of three types of dressings we identified," the Food and Drug Administration said in the final rule posted in the Federal Register on Thursday. The other two were mayonnaise and just "salad dressing." French dressing is the only pourable dressing required to adhere to standards that require it to contain oil, acidifying ingredients and seasoning. Other foods, including bread, jam and juices, have their own standards of identity....

Went through the drive-thru at Taco Bell, and asked for tomatoes on crispy tacos, and there was a hand written sign stating that this Taco Bell and it said, that they had no "Sour Cream and hot sauce" Well I said I would like to have have two crispy tacos with tomatoes, and the very nice lady stated that they had no tomatoes.

A resident of a Florida retirement community angry over the thickness of a tomato was charged with a felony after she hurled racial slurs and a sandwich at a Black fast food-chain employee. According to records from the Wildwood Florida Police Department seen by the Villages News, Judith Ann Black, 77, was dining at a Burger King in the nearby Trailwinds Village last Friday when she confronted an employee about her unsatisfactory sandwich. According to the News, Black was angry over the thickness of the tomato slice on her Whopper, and the Burger King employee who was unnamed in the...

There is little to look forward to in the sweatiest days of summer—the days when it feels like you can’t cool down even if you peeled your skin off—except for the pleasure of a peak summer tomato and putting that perfect tomato in a sandwich. People have many thoughts on how to construct a tomato sandwich, my preference: squishy white bread, lightly toasted; mayo (Hellmann’s is fine with me, though I know fans of Duke’s mayo have strong feelings here); salt and pepper; and thick slices of the plumpest, juiciest tomatoes I can find—the ones you feel tempted to cradle...

In reality, the two are friends who have had some fun with each other on social media in the past. Two of the biggest sci-fi icons have finally come face-to-face. Mark Hamill and Patrick Stewart met for equal parts intense and silly moments in a new commercial for Uber Eats. The (socially distanced) spot opens with the Star Wars and Star Trek actors having an intense standoff over the pronunciation of "tomato," which leads Hamill to say, "Stewart, so it's come to this." To which Stewart replies, "Careful Hamill, daddy's not here to save you" (a solid Vader reference). An...

An international team of researchers led by Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research and the U.S. Department of Agriculture- Agricultural Research Service has created a pan-genome that captures all of the genetic information of 725 cultivated and wild tomatoes, establishing a resource that promises to help breeders develop more flavorful and sustainable varieties. The team found 4,873 new genes and identified a rare version of a gene that can make tomatoes tastier.

Tomayto, tomahto — to “uh oh.” One Michigan woman landed herself on the wrong side of the law after throwing a violent fit in Burger King, reportedly because the burger she ordered from the chain had tomatoes on it, much to her dramatic dismay. Porsha Tyler stormed into a Livonia Burger King and demanded a cash refund, WXYZ reports, as the burger she ordered included tomatoes, which she clearly did not want. The incident occured on Jan. 27. According to the outlet, the woman brought the sandwich with her and things quickly took a turn for the worse.

EAST GREENBUSH – Kristen Coyne goes to Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in East Greenbush every week. While there, she visits her parents and her son Tyler's grave sites. Tyler was 18 when he died of a brain tumor two years ago. She’s recently noticed all of the love, care and meticulous placement of sentimental objects was gone. "The first time I saw the emptiness of my son's grave, I was just heartbroken," said Coyne. "I don't even know if a sorry would cut it. That's the least that should happen." Maria Reardon is also outraged. She visits her parents' graves regularly....

Did you know that the tomato is a fruit? It actually is, you know. It certainly does not taste like one today. Though, it really used to. Tomatoes used to be sweet and delicious. That is, until the 1920’s in the United States. What in the world was going on then? All that damned “Progressivism” and trying to change America into a utopia ruled by a benevolent wealthy class. Nonsense. Oh, yes. They implemented the Federal income tax, and they banned alcohol and did all kinds of things (like giving the right to vote to woman) to turn the world...

Police arrested a tomato grower in Aichi Prefecture on Thursday on suspicion of stealing about 160 Chinese cabbages from a nearby field, as the price of the leafy vegetable has remained high in the country since late last year. Ikuo Shiono, 40, is suspected of taking Chinese cabbages worth ¥80,000 ($750) on Jan. 29 and 30 from a field in the city of Toyohashi. According to the police Shiono has admitted to the allegation, saying he thought he could sell the produce at a high price. He also said he was involved in three other Chinese cabbage thefts in the...