And I Thought the Jersey Tomato Couldn't Get Any Better!

If you live in New Jersey, or anywhere near it, you know the taste of the famous Jersey tomato! It's nearly as famous as our cranberries, blueberries and, my July favorite, Jersey corn.

Well, at some point in the future, those Jersey tomatoes might be taught to make anti-viral drugs when eaten! A researcher at the Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, has received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to continue testing on a bio-engineered tomato to do just that.

This was one of 81 $100,000 grants awarded by the computer giant's Foundation funding 'out of the box' medical research. Other grants include a magnet that can detect malaria in human blood and tiny head colds for mosquitoes to keep these disease carrying critters away from humans!

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation also plans to donate $73 million to help farmers in impoverished countries. This foundation is the largest philanthropic foundation in the world, giving more than $2.8 billion last year.

And I didn't think Jersey tomatoes could get any better!