Day 9

Today was all about the tiny details. 

We made garnishes. 

Yes...they were cheesy...but very detail-oriented.

I have decided to take things to the next level with my pairing knife. We are getting pretty serious. 

We used lemons, tomatoes, and granny smith apples to create our garnish masterpieces.

Awesome things to know about these fruits: 

Did you know that Christopher Columbus brought lemon seeds to the Americas in 1493? What's even more interesting is the fact that lemons were only used for ornamental and medicinal purposes until the 1700s....over 200 years passed before people starting cooking with lemons! 

The Granny Ramsey Smith apple originated in Australia in 1868 from a chance seedling propagated by Maria Ann Smith, from whom comes the name.

Granny Smith apples are best for garnish-making because they are extremely firm and tart therefore they do not brown quickly like most apple varieties. 

Tomatoes belong to the nightshade family which means that they are close relatives to tobacco and eggplant. The species of tomato that we know today is native to South America and was brought to Mexico where it was eaten by prehistoric humans. 

Evidence shows that the first deliberately farmed tomato was a small yellow fruit, likely an ancestor of the cherry tomato. The exact date of cultivation still remains a mystery. The species name, lycopersicum,  means "wolf-peach" because in South America the  tomato is the main food source for wild dogs.  

The earliest written mention of the tomato occurred in Europe in 1544 by Pietro Andrea Mattioli who was an Italian physicist and botanist. He called the tomato "pomo d'oro" which literally translates to mean "golden apple". 

In the late 17th century it was widely believe that tomatoes were poisonous and not safe for consumption. It wasn't until the late 18th century that Thomas Jefferson was said to have eaten a tomato in Paris and after sending some seeds back to America, the full potential of this fruit was realized, and they finally planted it as a food crop.

Today, more than 7,500 varieties of tomatoes are grown worldwide. 

Now for the details of today's production: 

#1 - Lemon : Dent de Loup ("wolves teeth")  and Panier ("basket")

#2 - Tomato : Rose

#3 - Apple : Swan