Tomatoes in the News

• California Farm Bureau Rains help, but could be 'too little, too late'California Farm BureauIn the southern San Joaquin Valley, which did not receive as much precipitation as Northern California, Bob Wilson, a diversified grower in Kings County, said his tomato planting is "still pretty much on schedule," with three-quarters of his crop ...
• Ag leaders optimistic despite challengesGustine Press-Standard... hay continues to be a West Side staple commodity and the diversity of row crops ranges from broccoli and cauliflower to lima beans and tomatoes. Water issues are clouding this year's prospects, however. The Central California Irrigation District is ...and more »
• ConAgra Completes Del Monte DealFood Product DesignConAgra Foods, Inc., has completed its acquisition of Toronto-based Del Monte Canada, Inc., a leading provider and marketer of packaged fruits, fruit snacks and vegetables in Canada, from an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners.ConAgra Foods Completes Acquisition of Del Monte Canada from an Affiliate of ...MarketWatch (press release)ConAgra Foods completes acquisitionCBS Newsall 19 news articles »
• Tomatoes Ripe With Powerful Health BenefitsFood Product DesignResearchers from the National Center for Food Safety & Technology, Illinois Institute of Technology and ConAgra Foods Inc. examined current research to discover the role tomato products play in health and disease risk reduction. ...Tomatoes Pack A Nutritious Punch, Study FindsBETTER Health Researchall 3 news articles »
• Local companies face cap-and-trade deadlineFresno Business JournalEmitting more than 53000 metric tons of pollutants in 2008, the processing plant of Los Gatos Tomato Products in Huron will also be looking into allowances or offsets to fulfill its share of the emissions cap. Producing around 265 million pounds of ...
• California Farmers Feel PainTruth about Trade & TechnologyFIVE POINTS, Calif.—Sharp cutbacks in water for farmers threaten to trigger renewed layoffs in a large swath of California, eating into the state's $40 billion-a-year agriculture industry and damping its nascent economic recovery.and more »
• California Farm Bureau Commentary: Farm Bureau outlines programs key to farmers, ranchersCalifornia Farm BureauBy Rayne Pegg Programs in the US Department of Agriculture budget that benefit California farmers and ranchers include those aimed at fighting specific pests, such as Asian Citrus Psyllid. Programs in the US Department of Agriculture budget that ...
• Fresno Bee Smelt Supreme Court ruling goes against farmersSan Francisco Chronicle(10-31) 15:43 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- The US Supreme Court denied an appeal today by Central California farmers who claimed the federal government lacks constitutional authority to protect the imperiled delta smelt by limiting north-to-south water ...Supreme Court denies California farmers as Delta smelt swims onWestern Farm Pressall 47 news articles »
• Western Farm Press California tomato processors to contract for 12.7 million tonsWestern Farm PressAs of January, California tomato processors reported plans to sign 2012 contracts totaling 12.7 million tons of processing tomatoes. Processors estimate the contracted production for 2012 will come from 266000 acres producing an average yield of 47.74 ...

Lasagna with Ground Beef

School cafeterias everywhere serve this kid-tested favorite containing lots of antioxidant vitamin C and lycopene to keep their students healthy.

• 10 to 12 ounces ground lean beef
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dehydrated onion flakes
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground basil
  
• 1 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
  
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  
• 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
  
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
  
• 1/8 teaspoon ground thyme
  
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
  
• 2 1/3 cups water

7 ounces uncooked lasagna noodles
1 1/4 cups shredded American cheese (5 ounces)
2 cups shredded part skim mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)
 
Brown ground beef; stirring to break into small pieces. Drain excess fat. Add onion flakes and garlic powder. Cook and stir for 5 minutes. Stir in seasonings, tomatoes, tomato paste, and water. Heat to boiling, uncovered; remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook noodles for 10 to 12 minutes or until tender but still firm. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain well; set aside.

Spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce over the bottom of a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Layer half of the cooked noodles in the bottom of the dish, trimming or overlapping as necessary to fit. Spread with half of the filling; sprinkle with half of cheeses. Repeat. Sprinkle additional cheese on top.

Place baking dish on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated 375ºF oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 10

Nutrition facts per serving: 280 cal (44% cal. from fat), 14g total fat (7g sat fat, 5g mono, <1g poly), 45mg chol., 400mg sodium, 21g carbo., 2g fiber, 18g pro. Daily Value: 20% vit. A, 20% vit. C, 25% calcium, 15% iron, 13% potassium.

Adapted from the School Nutrition Association Recipe Database.