The Great Tomato Book

Readers can ponder America's favorite garden produce in all its pomp and plumpness here. From the tomato's sophisticated Aztec beginnings (more than 500 years ago) to its impressive invasion of Europe (except in England where, in a 1592 article, herbalist John Gerard described the tomato as being ""of a ranke and stinking savour"" before it became known as the ""love apple""), Buff moves quickly into the agribusiness behind the contemporary tomato. Descriptions of the top 10 producing states aside, the bulk of the text covers all the basics of growing tomatoes: starting seeds, cultural and pest problems, diseases and hybrid vs. heirloom varieties. But gardeners of all ilks will stay with the book for its entertaining lore and facts that Buff sets straight. She tells us how the botanically correct ""fruit"" became a ""vegetable"" (the result of a Supreme Court case) and about the ""space tomatoes"" whose seeds hitchhiked aboard the Challenger and spent six years in orbit before they were planted on Earth, and she relates a corrective piece on the consistently misquoted Gershwin song--""You say Tomayto, I say to-mah-to."" Recipes from the now familiar book and movie Fried Green Tomatoes to Green Tomato Chutney and Fresh Tomato Pie round out this fast-paced compendium. A hefty list of seed sources includes Big Tomato Contests, which only proves the author's earlier point: ""Something about tomatoes make gardeners get a little strange."" Photos not seen by PW. (Apr.)