Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- INTRODUCTION -- 1. THE EARLY AMERICAN TOMATO -- 2. THE TOMATO ON THE FARM: CULINARY AND AGRICULTURAL ADVANCEMENTS, 1820-1900 -- 3. A TOMATO FOR ALL SEASONS: THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TWELVE-MONTH FRESH AND PROCESSED TOMATO INDUSTRIES, 1880-1945 -- 4. CONSUMING TOMATOES: CULINARY CREATIVITY AND EXPANSION IN THE AGE OF INDUSTRIALIZATION -- 5. "A POOR TOMATO IS BETTER THAN NO TOMATO": THE HARVESTER AND THE COMMODIFICATION OF THE TOMATO -- 6. MEET THE FARMER OR BECOME ONE: CHALLENGING COMMERCIAL FOOD CULTURE -- CONCLUSION -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index
Summary
John Hoenig explores the path by which, over the last two centuries, the tomato went from a rare seasonal crop to America's favorite vegetable. Garden Variety illuminates American culinary culture from 1800 to the present, challenging a simple story of mass-produced homogeneity and demonstrating the persistence of diverse food cultures throughout modern America