The Winter and Spring “No Fresh Tomatoes” Challenge

Pink, mealy tomatoes are not good, stop eating them.

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

I have been in the small farm business for ten years, most of my time working with eaters, trying to get them to understand how food is grown and how to enjoy fruit and vegetables when they are in season.

Eaters have been confused by the availability of fresh produce throughout the year.

Tomatoes are such a clear example of a vegetable that is available year-round, but doesn’t taste the same year-round. You can get slices every day of the year at your favorite burger or sandwich shop. They are always on the grocery store shelves regardless of the temperature outside.

But at the same time, I bet you have tasted the difference between a tomato in August and a tomato in January. The appearance is similar on the outside, but when you look and taste inside, you come to understand that they are not the same.

These two different tomatoes have come from three advancements.

The first is that seed growers have created tomatoes that are better for picking, packing, and shipping. They do work towards better flavor as well, but that is not the priority.