Tomato Leaves~ Are they really poisonous? Read this.......!!

[Hattie the Hen]

I have found a very interesting article: I wondered what you felt?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/29/dining/29curi.html?_r=2&hpw=&pagewanted=all

http://news.curiouscook.com/2009/07/curious-cook-in-new-york-times-tomato.html *****edited to add this info******

I have been spending this snowy, frozen period wandering round the net, on the lookout for interesting information to entertain you (& myself of course).


:rose Hattie :rose

 

[lesa]

Very interesting, Hattie! I would bet the poisonous idea is leftover folklore from the time when tomatoes themselves, were considered poison! It would be cool to be able to use the leaves for something- heaven knows we have a lot more leaves than fruit!! We can always count on you to find something fascinating on the internet...Think spring!

 

[wifezilla]

My ducks ate two whole tomato plants while they were still pretty small. If they really were poison the idiots would have been dead.

 

[ducks4you]

I remember reading about tomatoes being related to nightshade. Read below links:
http://naturalmedicine.suite101.com/article.cfm/nightshades
http://science.jrank.org/pages/4675/Nightshade.html
(You gotta scroll down to read THIS one.)http://science.jrank.org/pages/4675/Nightshade.html

Early settlers believed tomatoes were poisonous. Read below link:
http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/pae/botany/botany_map/articles/article_35.html

 

[Beekissed]

My young sheep and heifer mowed down all 104 tomato plants I had this year after the garden was done. Ate them like they were candy and were healthy as ticks....supposed to be a poisonous plant for sheeples.

 

[Ariel301]

Well, that's interesting! I grew up being told not to eat any of the green parts of tomato plants, and not to let any of the pets get ahold of them either, because it was poison. And my goats won't touch them at all, so I figured they must be poison if a goat won't eat it lol! They sure eat everything else they can when they break into the garden...

 

[HiDelight]

there is nothing that smells as good as those tomato vines I am really tempted to tast them this year! thanks Hattie!

 

[Lavender2]

Very interesting! The article did not mention ... but I wonder if toxicity/alkaloid levels vary in the different varieties of plants?
Also they mention 'accumulate toxic alkaloids'... might vary with the stages of growing??
I love the smell, not sure if I'm adventurous enough to take a bite tho... :/

Yep, Hattie, I am entertained! ... thanks! :rose

In any case ... the deer rarely bother my tomato plants, maybe a nibble now and then. But I've heard many others comment about losing their entire crop ... maybe their deer had cholesterol problems they needed to fix? ...