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Closeup of the "legend" tomato developed at the OSU vegetable farm near Corvallis. Another grafted tomato plant is the "TomTato," to be released in 2015 by an Oregon seed company.

(Lynn Ketchum)

An Oregon seed company is unveiling a new nightshade to accompany your summer barbecues.

The "Ketchup 'n' Fries" is a hybrid of tomato and potato plants. The roots of the TomTato are thin-skinned white potatoes attached to a vine of red cherry tomatoes. The plant was released in the United Kingdom this year.

The Territorial Seed Company in Cottage Grove is selling the TomTato in its 2015 seed catalog as a way for home gardeners to maximize use of limited space. Instead of planting potatoes and tomatoes in separate areas, the company's literature for the TomTato advises that the plant can grow in a 10-gallon container.

The plant was created by SuperNaturals Grafted Vegetables using grafting -- not to be confusing with genetic engineering. The tomatoes were chosen for the qualities the breeders wanted and then spliced onto potato rootstock. Since both potatoes and tomatoes are fairly closely related, they graft well together.

Now, if only somehow they could incorporate the hamburger patties...

-- Molly Harbarger