The U.S. Supreme Court says it's a vegetable, while botanists declare it a fruit. This ripe, red, organic, locally grown tomato was one of several colorful fruits and vegetables I found at the farmer's market this weekend. So, fruit or vegetable? Well, botanically, the tomato is a fruit, a berry in fact, consisting of the ovary and seeds of a flowering plant. But in the U.S., the Supreme Court ruled it a vegetable in 1893 because it is generally served with dinner and not desert. Why would the Supreme Court care, you ask? Because an 1887 tariff law imposed a duty on vegetables but not fruit. I learned in school that the tomato is a fruit, so I guess calling it so is just one more law I'm in violation of...so sue me!
Photo taken with an iPhone SE
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