Tomatoes with Great Taste and More

Nan Jensen, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, Pinellas County Extension


There is nothing better than biting into a sandwich topped with a sweet juicy tomato or sitting down to a crisp green salad packed with lots of bright red tomatoes that have that fresh from the garden flavor. Meet Tasti-Lee™, a special tomato variety developed by the University of Florida. It has all the characteristics you want in a tomato- great taste, a juicy texture and a bright red color. Not only are you getting all those qualities as well as vitamins A and C and the mineral potassium, this variety contains a higher amount of lycopene. Lycopene is an antioxidant, which means that it reduces the amount of damage done to body cells by oxygen. This damage can eventually lead to cancers, heart disease, and other illnesses. Research is currently underway to look explore the health benefits of this compound.

Tomatoes taste best if not refrigerated, so when you bring your tomatoes home, store them at room temperature away from direct sunlight. Tasti-Lee™ tomatoes do have a shorter shelf life than other varieties so make sure to use them soon after you purchase.

Whether it’s a classic Italian salad you crave or a fresh salsa for dipping or topping, enjoy the new “Fresh from Florida” Tasti-Lee™. For recipes ideas, and more information on this variety, click on the links below.

Tasit-LeeTM Official Fact Sheet
Tasti-LeeTM Website

What’s Fresh Near You- Florida Strawberries

By: Nan Jensen, FCS Agent

Eating local foods in season provides fresh products with exceptional flavor and nutritional value, helps protect the environment by minimizing the amount of miles food has to travel, and supports our local economy.


Here in Florida, we have lots of choices from avocados and greens in the fall to watermelon and blueberries in the summer. While it may feel like spring, it is still winter here in Florida and with winter comes strawberry season. Our state is known for being the largest producer of strawberries during the winter, with peak months of production in February and March.

Strawberries are good to eat and good for us. They are low in calories, about 55 in a cup and loaded with vitamin C. When buying berries, look for bright red berries with fresh green caps on, once the caps are removed, an enzyme that destroys the vitamin C is activated. Also, visually check each package, making sure there are no signs of mold growth. If one berry is molded, those spores will have traveled throughout the entire package. Buying a quart of berries will yield about four cups of sliced strawberries.

Most people buy berries from the local grocery store, a farmer’s market or roadside stand, but more adventuresome folks may want to try to pick their own. While many of those farms have disappeared over the years, there a few still opening their fields. To help you find a u-pick field and recipes for your berries visit the Florida Strawberry Growers Association.

Hot Food Trends in 2011

By: Nan Jensen, FCS Agent

According to a recent survey by the National Restaurant Association, locally produced foods, sustainability and child nutrition are among the hottest food trend for 2011.

The survey of over 1500 members of the American Culinary Federation asked them to rate a list of 226 food and beverage items, cuisines, culinary themes and preparation methods as a “hot trend,” “yesterday’s news” or “perennial favorite” on restaurant menus in 2011.

The “eating local theme” appeared in 3 of the top 5 trends. What does eating local mean? While there is no firm definition of local, the term locavore was coined back in 2005 and means to eat foods produced within 100 miles of the table, and from small farms and ranches. An easy way to start the local trend in your home is to choose one product to focus on. The Fresh from Florida logo can help you find local agricultural products grown and raised here in the state.

The top ten hot trends for 2011 are:

1. Locally sourced meats and seafood
2. Locally grown produce
3. Sustainability
4. Nutritionally balanced children’s dishes.
5. “Hyper local,” such as restaurants with their own gardens and chefs who do their own butchering.
6. Children’s nutrition
7. Sustainable seafood
8. Gluten-free food and being food allergy conscious
9. Simplicity/back to basics
10. Farm/estate-branded ingredients

For a complete of the survey results visit: http://www.restaurant.org/pdfs/research/whats_hot_2011.pdf.