solanaceae

Absolutely luscious tomatoes from Eloisa Organic Farm on display at the Portland State Farmers Market, Summer 2021

Ashwaganda • cocona • Eggplant • ground cherries • hierba mora • naranjillo • Pepino Dulce • Peppers • potatoes • Quishtán • Tamarillos • tobacco • Tomatillos • tomatoes

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Solanaceae, Home to the sun-lovers

Solanaceae (Soul-uh-nay-see-ay), the mercurial family filled with delectable fruits, deadly poisons, and storage crops that people have depended upon for centuries. Also known as the Nightshade Family home to poison hemlock, Solanaceae is full of sun- or sol-loving veggies that we all know and love, such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and potatoes.

Many of us grew up knowing only one red tomato, red and green bell peppers, and of course jalapeños, but the bursting diversity of fruits that come from this family is never-ending! Tender Fairy Tale eggplant striated white and light purple; plump juicy tomatoes that burst open with summer’s sweet sunshine embodied in every possible shape, color, and size; bright shiny peppers that scream color and go effortlessly from sweet to savory to fire.

And that’s not even the half of it. The grandeur of tomatoes and peppers aside, Solanaceae is home to many super sweet fruits; from ground cherries, the tiny sweet orange tomatillo cousins wrapped up in a paper skirt; to pepino dulce, a trickster named after a cucumber who is so much like a melon it’s crazy that it’s not actually a cucurbit.

And then there are potatoes! Boil ‘em, mash ‘em, stick ‘em in a stew. Although roots may not have all the bells and whistles of a fruit, potatoes have been the difference between life or famine for communities around the world, they are a staple starch. Potatoes, like other roots, hold the energy of the sun beneath the soil and can be stored for many months.

Another Solanaceous root is Ashwaganda, a powerful medicine that can work wonders in the body. And then on the flip side there’s tobacco. The wide, sticky green leaf that has been a part of human life for centuries, but like its toxic relatives, definitely has a cautionary tale to tell.

Working with these plants, you really come to learn how powerful the compounds in them are. Wading through tall tomato jungles in hot, humid greenhouses in the heat of summer, your fingers collect a sticky green coating, along with your hair and your arms. You breathe in the tomato dust in the hot air, the green gunk from the leaves soak into your skin, and it’s common to get nauseous or have head aches.

For most farmers, the plants in this family are major cash crops, from tomatoes to potatoes to peppers, eggplant, and tobacco. On small organic farms, tomatoes almost always make up the most significant sales of the year. To race against the sun during heat season for tomato harvest is an incredibly dangerous, demanding, and skilled job that our farmers and farmworkers do ceaselessly. Anyone who’s been farming long has likely developed a kind of love-hate relationship with tomatoes and their cousins in Solanaceae. These plants mean business in every way, they are a force to be respected, the sun embodied, sugar & poison, a trick of the eye & the tongue.

Family Index

 

SOLANACEOUS Fruits

Although Solanaceae may be best known for tomatoes and peppers, there are a plethora of precious fruits to enjoy in this family as well.

 

Tomatoes

 

Tomatoes are incredibly diverse, coming in every color and in shapes ranging from tiny and round to giant and warped. From fresh salsas and Caprese salads to savory spaghetti sauce, ketchup, and the base of millions of juicy flavorful dishes, tomatoes are everywhere. Explore the Tomato Index to learn more about how to cook with tomatoes at home, the realities and impacts of tomato production in the US, and more.

 

Peppers

 

Peppers might just be the most diverse group of vegetables I have ever attempted to categorize, which just goes to show that peppers in all their glorious colors and sweet to fire flavors cannot and will not be tamed. Nonetheless, explore the five categories of peppers below to learn more about dozens of beloved peppers form around the world and how people love to cook with them.

 

Eggplant

 

These soft, spongy, bulbous beings are beloved around the world but often stump the average home cook. Explore the incredible diversity that eggplants have to offer and favorite recipes from around the world that you can easily make at home.

 

Greens & Herbs

 

In addition to such an impressive abundance of fruits and vegetables, Solanaceae is also home to rich and delicious greens, powerful herbs, and medicinal roots.

 

Potatoes

 

The hearty humble potato. Much like tomatoes and peppers, potatoes are an extremely diverse crop ranging in all sorts of colors, sizes, shapes, and cooking textures. Native to the Andean mountains, the potatoes are the difference between life and famine around the world. Everyone loves potatoes.

 

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