Aside from a slightly off-topic discussion about the feeding habits of bears, I’d say that our tasting of the gorgeous Indigo Rose tomatoes went reasonably well. I’m pretty well-versed in my heirloom tomato varieties having sampled all kinds of treats from the iconic Brandywines to the yellow Pineapples. But Indigo Rose tomatoes are one of my favorites. They’re sweet and fruity, with a wonderfully juicy texture; they’re my go-to summer tomato for salads, fresh tomato sauces, and bruschetta. And my sidekick Lauren, the other tomato lover in the house, couldn’t agree more.
ME: Guys! We have a new one. What am I holding?
LAUREN: A tomato.
ME: A tomato, that’s right. Does anyone remember the name of this tomato from the Farmer’s Market?
SAM: Uhhhhh….
LAUREN: I didn’t even read the sign.
ME: This is called an Indigo Rose tomato. Why do you think it’s called that?
LAUREN: Uh because of the color of indigo in it?
ME: Yeah, it’s go that really, really deep bluish purple coloring on it. Isn’t that cool? Do most tomatoes have this color?
SAM/LAUREN: No.
ME: So when we see this color we know that we’re dealing with a very special tomato. I’m going to have you guys smell this because it–
EMMA: I don’t like tomatoes.
ME: It doesn’t matter if you don’t like tomatoes. I still want you to smell it.
SAM: It smells like a normal tomato.
ME: Don’t lick it. Ok. Are you going to smell it for me Emma? Let’s all do this together.
[smelling]
ME: Mmmmmm, I think it smells so sweet. It’s actually making me want to take a big bite out of it. Usually I like tomatoes better with a touch of salt.
[tasting]
ME: Oh my gosh, how good is that? Lauren’s taking a big bite. What do you think it tastes like?
LAUREN: Hmmm, tomatoes.
ME: Like a regular tomato?
LAUREN: Uh huh [yes]. Well, a little sour.
ME: A little more sour?
LAUREN: Uh huh [yes].
ME: I think it tastes like the most luscious, fresh, juicy tomato. Does the dark side taste different from the light side?
LAUREN: I don’t know.
ME: Why don’t you try?
LAUREN: Uh huh [yes].
ME: It does?
LAUREN: Un huh [yes]. It tastes sweeter.
ME: It taste sweeter?
LAUREN: Uh huh [yes].
ME: How interesting. Sam, you want to try both sides of your tomato?
SAM: No. I don’t like tomatoes.
ME: Have you ever tried one?
SAM: No. And I won’t ever try one.
ME: Why don’t you even want to try it? What scares you about a tomato.
SAM: If bears don’t like tomatoes, I don’t like them.
ME: Actually, I think that bears do like tomatoes.
LAUREN: A bear would eat anything.
SAM: [shakes head no] Still no. Bears eat meat, I eat meat.
ME: What scares you about tomatoes?
SAM: I just hate them.
ME: But, what do you hate about them? Is it the way they smell, the way they look?
SAM: The way they look..
LAUREN: Can I have another one?
ME: Yeah. Here you go. All right, so we’re done. I like these tomatoes a lot. I’m going to have them for dinner actually.
LAUREN: Me too, me too!
ME: Awesome! We’ll both have them for dinner.
