Father of the MODERN TOMATO

() — the large, smooth, red, tasty globe that many of us know and love—bears little resemblance to its South American ancestors, or even to the cultivars that appeared in the American colonies beginning in the 1600s. And until the mid-1800s, many believed that tomatoes were unhealthy or even poisonous—a notion likely originating from the similarity of tomato leaves to those of the deadly nightshade. Alexander W. Livingston recalled a memory from his childhood in 1831, when he was 10 years old, collecting some bright red “berries” along a lane. His mother promptly instructed him not to eat them, believing them to be poisonous and “only fit to be seen for their beauty.” Livingston did as he was told. However, always inquisitive, he did eventually taste them, reporting that the fruits were sour. These