Old world tomatoes prior to early 1800's breeding projects and wild tomatoes look like currants, and being Solanaceae were considered a Nightshade. Not only in

Old world tomatoes prior to early 1800's breeding projects and wild tomatoes look like currants, and being Solanaceae were considered a Nightshade. Not only in Europe, but as some have pointed out here well into the 1800s in America as well. George Washington grew tomatoes in his personal garden only for looks and thought they were poisonous. The vine of the plant itself as with all the solanaceae actually is at least mildly toxic but the dose makes the poison. So is eggplant. Potatoes are fine to eat raw when they're ripe so long as they're fully ripe, and not green. Green potatoes still contain solanine which will make you fairly sick if you eat enough of it. Potatoes also contain small amounts of nicotine, as do tomatoes and eggplants. For the longest time, tomato vines were considered to be completely toxic even very recently. They do contain tomatine and nicotine but only very recently in the last couple decades have some chefs ventured into cooking with a small bit of tomato leaf for an added rich tomato flavor. For decades of large tomato growing, Ive gotten myself completely covered in tomato vine terpenes and juices from the vines to no ill effect. I was taught by my grandfather since I was really young that the tomatoes are ok to eat and that the vines are poisonous. This was mostly anecdotal and passed down from the time of the 1800s and earlier when people thought the entire tomato was a nightshade variety and then eventually thought only the fruit was edible. Only in the past 10 years or so among us tomato breeders and absolute tomato fanatics in the culinary world has the toxicity of the tomato vine really been being called into question. Some Michelin type chefs have been cooking dishes with tomato leaves and this was pretty much completely unheard of and thought to be poisonous just a couple decades ago. And all that being said, plants are the closest thing that I believe we have on this planet to magic. They're perfect little chemical plants, flavonoid and terpene producers. Just in tomatoes alone I've got beefsteaks that taste like mild pineapple, rich, meaty, heavy, and acidic to mild, sweet, and light. Peach tomatoes that actually grow peach fuzz and have a mildly tangy citrus profile to them. With small cherry and currant varieties you have a quick sweet and tart snack that has no flesh. With a giant 2 pound heirloom beefsteak like a Sudduth strain Brandywine, the tomato is all flesh and is the absolute peak of bursting and rich "meaty" tomato flavor. I grow at least 10-15 different varieties a season and at times 40+. I can tell by the smell of touching the vines if the tomato plant is an heirloom indeterminate or a hybrid. Now I'm rambling, but I __really__ love tomatoes. Huge passion of mine. In the next few years I plan to start an entire acre dedicated to tomatoes and a focus on keeping some of the oldest heirlooms alive. Ben Quisenberry is a huge hero of mine.