What I mean is that botanically speaking a fruit is a protective covering over the seed. Not all plants protect their seed, but those that do are said to bear fruit. With this definition in mind we could call something from the garden a fruit if we eat the part with the seed. Apples, cherries, peppers, cucumbers, green beans and yes, tomatoes would be examples of fruit. Lettuce, celery, radishes and carrots would then be examples of vegetables.
However, when it comes to the U.S. government and tariffs, the tomato is most definitely not a fruit. The U.S. Supreme court settled that way back in 1893 when the Nix family sued to be exempt from paying the vegetable import tax on tomatoes they were buying from the west indies. Nix, of course wanted to use the botanical definition to get around the Tariff Act.
Nix lost when the Supreme Court decision read, "Botanically, tomatoes are considered a fruit of the vine, just as are cucumbers, squashes, beans, and peas. But in common language of people, whether sellers or consumers of provisions, all these are vegetables which are grown in kitchen gardens, and which, eaten cooked or raw, are, like potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, beets, cauliflower, cabbage, celery, and lettuce, usually served at dinner in, with, or after the soup, fish, or meats which constitute the principal part of the repast, and not like fruits generally, as dessert."
I think most people today agree that in common thought, a fruit is something eaten for desert. So unless you have a rare tomato desert recipe, the tomatoes that we are growing today are vegetables.
Speaking of tomato recipes and growing tomatoes...
If you have written a post about either recently, or have read a good tomato post, please link it to our Tomato Tuesday by signing in on the mister linky below. Remember to link to the actual tomato post, not your general blog in the linky. You can link to your general blog in the comment section below. Anyone is invited to comment about tomatoes, even if you are not participating in this week's Tomato Tuesday.
Help spread the word about this little meme by adding a link or one of the banners from the bottom of this post to your blog or website.
And here are some banners to choose from. Just copy the code below the picture of the banner you like, and then paste into your post or sidebar.
This one is good for the bottom of a tomato post.
Same thing but smaller:
The next three can easily be placed in a sidebar:
Sidebar Version 2:
Thank you to all who use these banners. Happy Tomato Tuesday!
