Tomatoes that taste like tomatoes

During one of my art events in a local farmers market this summer I ended up beside a lady who was selling vegetables from her own greenhouse. I still hear her repeat, tirelessly, all day long, “these were picked fresh this morning”. And then, when someone was looking at her tomatoes, she said “my tomatoes actually taste like tomatoes, not cardboard”. I was intrigued. Eat your fruits and vegetables, they say. Five or ten a day, depending on who you ask. But it seems to have gotten to a point where the fact that vegetables that taste like actual vegetables, has become a novelty – a unique selling point, so to speak.
The lady was neighbourly enough to give me some of her products at the end of the day that she would otherwise have to throw out. It’s not meant to be ungrateful, but really I was getting her old stuff that she didn’t want to sell anymore. And when I cooked dinner that night I learned she was right – tomatoes that taste like tomatoes are a novelty. Her vegetables tasted amaz…
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