HOW TO ENJOY TOMATOES ON A BUDGET

 HOW TO ENJOY TOMATOES ON A BUDGET

 

1.    Everyone knows that Nigerian party jollof rice is the king of all jollof rice. Forget about the ones from Ghana and Senegal. They are still learning the act of jollof rice. What makes our Nigerian Jollof special? What is that special ingredient that brings out that beautiful and unmistakable red color? What is it that transforms white grains of rice, giving it an irresistible smell, and has you salivating just from the perception of its odor? Let’s welcome our special guest and chairman of the party Jollof, Mr. Tomato into the building.
2.    Tomatoes are edible red berries, scientifically known as Solanum Lycopersicum. You can refer to a tomato as a confused fruit. It is botanically called a fruit but prepared as a vegetable. Tomato is an important part of the Nigerian family diet. It packs a lot of nutrients which helps us in more ways than one. Tomatoes contain one of the highest amounts of lycopene that can help prevent cancer. It also contains a good amount of vitamin C and vitamin K, all of which are pretty necessary important nutrients we need in our body.
3.    Do you know that a lot of the tomatoes produced in Nigeria is wasted? In fact, up to 40 percent of the tomatoes we produce is wasted. This wastage is one of the things that make tomatoes very expensive during some period of the year. Another reason is that tomatoes are grown only during the rainy season. However, with dry season irrigation and greenhouse cultivation, tomato can be planted and harvested all year round.
4.    If you are tired of buying tomato for exorbitant prices especially during the dry season, you can start a small garden behind your house. Of course, you need a small space where you can do this. Starting your tomato garden can be a good source of fresh plump tomatoes every once in a while.
5.    However, be ready to tend to the tomatoes from time to time, especially during the dry season. No matter how small you think space is, you can plant tomatoes there provided the soil is fertile. Make sure you remove the seed of the tomato from fresh tomato fruits. Don’t take them after they have been cooked. Cooking them will destroy your seeds. How to cook your tomato.
6.    If you have a slightly large garden, you may need to store your tomatoes. If you want them fresh, you can store them in the fridge but they won’t last too long. You can ground them then boil it to remove the water so that they can turn to paste. After that, you can store them in the freezer. This will last you a while. There are different methods for storing tomatoes in their fresh state for a very long time, say six months but this hasn’t been verified.
7.    How do you enjoy your tomatoes? Well, we already talked about how they are incorporated into party Jollof. You can make some stew with which to eat rice and other starchy foods. You can decide to be inventive with your tomatoes. Include them in your fruit mix if you want something slightly sour. You can also use them in salads if you so wish. There are a lot of things you can do with tomatoes. Just be creative. Remember not to create something you can’t eat. Wastage isn’t the best option. Don’t forget to invite your friends to your feast.
8.    Do you also know that you can make money from commercial tomato farming? No, you don’t have to own a farm. Some companies do agricultural real estate business and all you have to do is to buy a specific size of land and they will do all the cultivation for you. At the end of the tomato season, you’ll be smiling to the bank with a handsome profit. This is also another opportunity to put all the talks you have heard about making your money work for you while you are sleeping. This is something we can help you do at FarmKonnect. Talk to our specialist to help you figure out something that fits your purse.
What other ways do you think that you can enjoy your tomatoes? Please tell us in the comment section.