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Tomato leaves


_john

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Interesting thread. But besides the argument of whether or not tomato leaves/vines are toxic, I've always found the very distinctive smell of tomato plants to be off-putting. I love tomatoes, but the smell of the plant is not something I'd want to add to any tomato-based dish I might cook.

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I have no allergy to tomatoes, can eat lots with no problems. However, I have to wear long sleeves and gloves when picking the fruit or handling the vines because I get welts on my skin and with prolonged exposure, fluid filled blisters, similar to those seen with poison ivy.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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I have no allergy to tomatoes, can eat lots with no problems. However, I have to wear long sleeves and gloves when picking the fruit or handling the vines because I get welts on my skin and with prolonged exposure, fluid filled blisters, similar to those seen with poison ivy.

That has happened to me as well - not consistently though.

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I think a few leaves really do perk up a tomato sauce

 

Yep!

~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

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  • 3 years later...
On 4/7/2011 at 8:15 PM, _john said:

I sometimes use tomato leaves as an herb for their wonderful savory smell. Does anyone else use them in their cooking or know of any recipes? I know that the tomato plant is in the nightshade family and the leaves and stems contain alkaloids that toxic to humans and animals*.

Here is what the Curious Cook has to say about them in the New York Times.

*Use common sense please, "at least one death has been attributed to tomato leaf tea". I am not recommending their consumption.

 

 

WebMD says tomato leaves are toxic:

Quote

The tomato leaf is UNSAFE. In large amounts, tomato leaves can cause poisoning. Symptoms of poisoning may include severe mouth and throat irritation, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, mild spasms, and death in severe cases.

Not enough is known about the safety of the tomato vine.

Here's the web page with their summation (which I've cut & paste above).

 

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Tim Oliver

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