May 10: Tomato Trivia

On this date in 1893, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the tomato is a vegetable, not a fruit. In deciding the Nix v. Hedden customs case, the Court noted that even though a tomato is botanically a fruit, in common language it is considered a vegetable because it is usually eaten as a main course rather than as a dessert. We’ve assembled a nice selection of digital tomatoes to enhance a class discussion of language, law, and botany.

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Tomato Illustrations

A small gallery of tomato illustrations from the ClipArt ETC website.

Main Course

Tomato served as a part of the main course of a meal, making the tomato a vegetable in the culinary and common sense of the word. Photo from the ClipPix ETC website.

Tomato Blossoms

Tomato blossoms from which the seed-bearing tomato forms, making the tomato a fruit in the botanical sense of the word. Photo from the ClipPix ETC website.

Picking Tomatoes in 3D

Three stereoviews of tomatoes from the Exploring Florida website. Red/Blue 3D glasses required.
View 1 | View 2 | View 3

Salad Course, Of Course

Tomato, cucumber, olive, and feta cheese salad from the ClipPix ETC website.