PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
818-369-7900 FieldLawPC.com
P.O. Box 8306 La Crescenta, CA 91224 INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Honoring Your Word
Caleb’s Corner Celebrating Great Outdoors Month
Sweet and Spicy BBQ Chicken Skewers Father’s Day Gift Guide
The Salem Tomato Trials
Falsely Accused and Condemned The Salem Tomato Trials
Surely, you’ve heard about the Salem witch trials in Massachusetts, but did you hear how the people of Salem, New Jersey, put tomatoes on trial in the 1800s, believing that they were poisonous? It sounds like a fictional movie plot, but it really happened! Even back in the 16th century, people were very suspicious of tomatoes. As if enough confusion didn’t already surround the tomato — is it a fruit? Is it a vegetable? Deemed a fruit but treated as a vegetable, the tomato is a bit of a contradiction. To make matters worse, in the 1800s, it was discovered the stems and leaves
against the grain. Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson, a farmer and historian, refused to believe that the tomato was harmful and ate them on a regular basis. In fact, he even hosted tomato competitions, granting a prize to the person who could grow the largest tomatoes. People thought he was simply mad.
To prove his point and redeem his reputation, he showed up at the Salem tomato trial with a giant basket of tomatoes, frantically eating them
in front of the crowd. He ate the entire basket full and stood before everyone, as healthy as can be, hoping to coax the crowd into dropping the “charges” on the healthy fruit. When he remained healthy days, weeks, and even months
of tomatoes contained tomatine, a toxin. Within the fruit itself, a small amount of the toxin exists in a much lower concentration. However, people feared being poisoned if they were to consume any part of a tomato. Today, we know there isn’t nearly enough of the toxin to create a problem for us. In 1820, wary of the poisonous red fruit, tomatoes were put on trial in the town courthouse, made to answer for their toxicity. But, there’s always one who goes
later, tomatoes were no longer regarded as evil and poisonous.
Today, the tomato is actually the fourth most popular “vegetable;” after all, how could we live without salsa and marinara sauce?
4 | 818-369-7900
Published by Newsletter Pro • www.newsletterpro.com
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator