Tomato Fruit: Frequently Asked Questions

The world really has two different meanings for the word fruit. There is the use of the word when you go to the grocery store, and then there's the use of the word by a botanist. In the grocery store, we generally understand a fruit to be a natural plant product that is sweet, and a vegetable to be a natural plant product that is not sweet. In this standard definition, apples, strawberries, grapes and bananas are all fruits, while green beans, tomatoes, squash and potatoes are all vegetables.

Both. Botanically, it's a fruit but legally, it's a vegetable. Legally? Yes, the U.S. Supreme Court in 1893 ruled that because a tomato is eaten during the course of a meal--and not for dessert--it could be classified as a vegetable and therefore could be subjected to import tariffs like other vegetables. (Fruit was exempt from tariffs. )

Commonly, a fruit is a part of a plant that we eat. Botanists define fruit by its seed-bearing structure—but if that makes a tomato a fruit, then what about eggplants, squashes, cucumbers and olives? By the strict terminology of botany, nearly every vegetable that’s not a root or a leaf is a fruit!

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This condition is usually caused by low temperatures during bloom and pollination. Fruit that set when temperatures are 55 degrees F. or below often are odd-shaped and of poor quality. The blooms these tomatoes develop from often are abnormal because of temperature conditions and grow into abnormal, odd-shape fruit.

This is an environmental problem. The translucent areas are sun scalds. Heat from direct intense sunlight destroys the color pigments of the tomato. This damage does not make the tomato inedible.

It sounds like damage from by tomato blossom blight, which is caused by uneven moisture supply that results in a lack of calcium in the plant during fruit formation. It begins as light tan water-soaked lesion on the blossom end of the fruit. The lesions enlarge and turn dark and leathery. The problem may be very severe where the soil has a high salt content, is sandy, or has poor drainage. Container or pruned plants are more likely to suffer. Apply a two-inch layer of organic mulch under plants and water consistently. ...

Tomatoes are technically fruits, but they are lower in sugar than most fruits, so I include them as a vegetable for Somersizing.

Tomatoes are technically fruits, but they are lower in sugar than most fruits, so I include them as a vegetable for Somersizing. IS GEM SQUASH LEGAL? IT'S DARK GREEN, ROUND, AND BRIGHT YELLOW INSIDE. Sorry, but this is like pumpkin and considered a Funky Food.

Your problem is not of a varietal origin. The yellow speckling is caused by sucking insects such as stinkbugs or leaf- footed bugs. Early control of sucking insects that feed on the fruit is helpful in alleviating the problem.