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Value (in millions of U.S. dollars) of grapes in California’s Lake County alone that were rejected this past fall because of suspected damage from smoke taint. The taint can occur when grapes still hanging on the vine are exposed to prolonged intense smoke. Luckily, in both 2017 and 2018, the enormously destructive fires in California and Oregon occurred after most (but not all) grapes had been harvested.

According to Consumer Reports, which vegetable below is healthier for you when it’s cooked, rather than raw?

A. Tomatoes

B. Onion

C. Zucchini

D. Snow Peas

Speaking personally, I have always assumed that vegetables are healthier when they are eaten raw. Wrong, says Consumer Reports in their Oct 2022 issue. Among the vegetables that are healthier cooked: tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms, spinach, bell peppers, and asparagus. When tomatoes are baked, fried, or pureed and cooked as a sauce, the heat increases the phytochemical lycopene which has been linked to lower rates of cancer and heart disease. The magazine cites one study where absorbable lycopene was boosted 35% after tomatoes were heated for 30 minutes at 190 degrees F. Cooking tomatoes also concentrates their flavor. CR suggests quartering tomatoes, drizzling them with olive oil, sprinkling garlic and a little salt and pepper on them, then roasting them in the oven for half an hour at 200 degrees F.

“Men are like wine–some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age.”

—Pope John XXIII

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