Tomatoes

Yet again working for a supermarket this time in the glass houses were tomatoes.The glass houses were huge covering acres and acres of reclaimed wetland in the East of England. The plants grow horizontally and they then trail the branches up towards the roof to maximise picking and exposure to sunshine. The bi product of the heating system (Co2) is pumped into the building. This increases the yield of the crop. All very clever and helps reduce green house gases (pardon the pun). The fruit, I used to think they were a vegetable, is suprisingly robust and puts up with quite a lot of handling. Picked while still quite un ripe they get to the shop in about 2 to 3 days when they are reaching perfct tenderness.

I am still amazed by the skill, investment and just scale of our farming industry. I hope these features help to educate people about how incredible these growers are.