[gardeners] tomatine?
Margaret Lauterbach (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Fri, 10 Apr 1998 14:59:58 -0600
I've talked to Kay about this before, and I'm hoping she'll chime in here.
A friend told me he had seen discussion of the green on potatoes
(solanine), in which one of the writers mentioned a toxic substance in
green tomatoes as well. I just received a copy in the mail, and it's from
the "solutions" section of Organic Gardening, Nov/Dec., '97 issue. OG
quotes Dr. Rod Bushway, professor of food science at the U. of Maine, as
saying "Green tomatoes contain a glycoalkaloid called tomatine, which
disappears as the tomato ripens." (there is also a recommendation that you
not trim away the green and eat the rest of the potato, but discard the
whole thing to be safe.) Any reactions? Margaret