Vegetable: Tomato

Recipes:
Tomatoes and Yellow Pepper Crostini
Stir Fry Green Beans, Cherry Toms & Basil
Mel's Fantastic Tomato Soup
White Bean & Cavolo Nero Soup
Tomatoes Stuffed with Spinach
Curried Green Tomatoes
Penne Tricolori with Tomatoes and Red Peppers
Liz's Slow Cooked Tomatoes
Pappa al pomodoro
Jerusalem artichoke with tomato sauce
Basic Tomato Salsa

Type: A member of the nightshade family, along with potatoes, aubergines and peppers. There are many varieties of tomatoes - large, small, round, oblong, yellow, orange, purple and green.

Vitamin and mineral content: Vitamins A, B, C, folic acid, antioxidents.

Reputedly good for: Arthritis and rheumatism, digestive problems, and some studies in America link eating tomatoes with prostrate health and with fighting an increasing list of cancers. There's a fair body of evidence that proves that organic tomatoes, even those made into ketchup have more cancer-fighting carotenoid, lycopene.

Availability: Blink and you'll miss the UK tomato season (June-September, sunshine permitting), unless they're heated and grown in glass houses. The best tomatoes are generally those imported from sunny southern Europe and North Africa.

Storage: They'll keep in the fridge for about a week. They're tastiest when picked and eaten straight away

Preparation: Raw, grilled, skinned, made in to sauces.