Nightshade Vegetables - dangerous?

There's some level of concern about nightshade vegetables.

I think there is little cause for concern, but let's take a look and examine some of the facts and opinions, so we can all make our own decisions.

Vegetable gardening isn't supposed to be dangerous. At least the plants aren't supposed to be, but some of the vegetables belonging to the nightshade family have toxic qualities that we need to be aware of.

First let's identify the common nightshade vegetables, and then let's talk about what aspects of those vegetables have what type of toxic qualities. Common nightshade vegetables include:

• The ever popular tomato. Perhaps America's favorite item to grow in the garden. It's also one of America's favorite flavors. We have tomato soup, ketchup, sauce, sun dried tomatoes, and the list goes on and on.
• The beautiful, but not nearly as popular eggplant. They come in multiple shapes, sizes and colors.
• The potato in it's many sizes, shapes and colors.
• All kinds of peppers, regardless of what they are known as or used for.

Sorry if I just named all of your favorite foods from the garden, but it's true, they are all nightshade vegetables.

The Problem

So, what exactly is the problem? It seems that nightshade vegetables are in the family of vegetables that includes tobacco, and as such there is nicotine or a nicotine related substance in the leaves, stems and other green elements of the plant.

Okay, so we essentially have green tobacco plants on our hands. That's about right.

The idea is that the leaves and stems are loaded with a mild toxin that can make people ill if it's consumed. The other issue is the presence of these toxins in the green fruit of the plants.

It seems that such substances are a natural defense against insects. Well, it doesn't seem to bother the tomato worm, but I'm not taking any chances - I'll eat the tomatoes, but not the leaves and stems.

And, I'm not eating the tomato worm either.

Precautions

I've heard from several people that it's a good idea to wash your hands after handling the plants, but as kids we used to immerse ourselves in tomato plants and never had any ill effects. This might very well be a case of "now that we know more about it, we know enough to be afraid."

My suggestion is to wash your hands when they are dirty, and enjoy the smell of the tomato vines and leaves that get smashed up a bit while you're harvesting - it's part of the joy of your garden.

Good advice is not to consume the green parts of the tomato plant, but I've heard of chefs who prepare tomato dishes with the green stems still attached and served with the red edible portions.

Common sense would dictate that if you have a reaction to a certain type of plant, nightshade vegetables or other kinds of vegetables, stop growing them and stop eating them.

Those involved in the "nightshade vegetables watch" will also caution you not to eat green tomatoes or green (immature) peppers, but people have done so for years. Again, I'm not changing my eating patterns because of this advice, but if you have any reaction to green tomatoes or green peppers, then you might want to stop eating them.

The same advice goes for green (immature) potatoes, but I understand the potential for toxins is more serious with our friends the spuds. That's probably why potatoes are recommended for cool dark storage, so they don't start greening up.

Adverse Effects

So what happens when you eat these things? Well, for some people, they have problems with arthritis, and for others they have minor skin problems. If you ingest leaves or stems, you might get a headache or upset stomach. It all depends on how sensitive you are to the toxins.

My suggestion is to use common sense and don't eat anything except the ripe fruit from any of these plants. That should keep you safe and sound.

Vegetable gardening isn't supposed to be scary, so don't let the nightshade vegetables give you the creeps. Just use common sense and take reasonable precautions not to ingest the leaves and stems, and stay away from the immature (green) fruits if you detect any sensitivity to them.

Done with Nightshade Vegetables, take me back to List of Vegetables