Stacked Tomato, Summer Vegetable and Grilled Bread Salad

Tomato season is in the summer. I only recently became aware of that fact, which in retrospect seems kind of foolish and even bordering on ignorant. When I was a young child, I can still picture myself skipping across the luxuriant, emerald Bermuda grass in my grandmother Mimi’s backyard to go to the tomato-growing area. When I smelled the tomatoes, it was usually warm outside because of how warm and strong the vines smelled.

Why did it take me so long to realize that tomatoes are a summer food and are only available during that season?

The fact that tomatoes are always available must be the reason. They were always on burgers and salads when I was growing up. I was unaware that they were pallid, mealy, and far from the luscious taste explosion that summer tomatoes produced at home may be in the winter. Sometimes we just need to open our eyes and take that first amazing bite of a perfectly cooked tomato.

I only recently learned about further unpleasant truths relating to those poor store-bought tomatoes a month ago. I was requested to take part in Food Bloggers for Slave-Free Tomatoes by Nicole of The Giving Table, a proponent of moral eating. “Slave-free tomatoes, what? “, I pondered. “In 2012, isn’t everything grown in the US slave-free? Regrettably, no.

I picked up the copy of Barry Estabrook’s Tomatoland that I had been meaning to read since before Christmas. As I read the introduction, my eyes grew larger and larger, and as I reached the last five sentences, my heart sank.

I misspoke when I asked Molloy if it was acceptable to presume that a customer who had eaten a fresh tomato from a grocery shop, fast food joint, or food service provider in the winter had consumed a fruit gathered by a slave. It is not a supposition. It is a reality.

Also read: Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce

I’ve therefore consumed a tomato that a slave harvested. Most likely, you have, too. Let’s promise not to allow such to occur in the future. To help put an end to modern-day slavery in American tomato fields, sign this letter. (It happens in within 30 seconds.)

I know you don’t want to eat anything that was handled by someone who was made to work against their will, and neither do I. From now on, let’s pick tomatoes that weren’t grown by slaves. Locally grown, ripe tomatoes always have the best flavor, and the knowledge that they were farmed ethically makes them taste even better.

I purchase my tomatoes from local farms like Freedom Farms or Peach Crest Farm through Native Roots Market or Natural Grocers, or at the farmers’ market. Shopping at reputable stores like these, who go above and above to acquire locally grown tomatoes, is a wise choice. Additionally, two well-known retailers, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, have made a commitment to exclusively stock tomatoes that are free of slavery. Also keep in mind that tomatoes are a summertime favorite. Get your fill now because eating them in the winter is not worthwhile.

The details that follow give a more complete overview of the problem.

The issue: Slavery occurs domestically as well. Tomato fields in Florida were formerly referred to as “ground zero” for modern-day slavery in the US by chief assistant US attorney Douglas Molloy. In the
During 1,000 people have been rescued from slavery in American tomato fields over the last 15 years.

The Solution: This summer, the CEOs of three major supermarket chains—Ahold, Publix, and Kroger’s—are being asked to support the Fair Food Program as part of the Recipe for Change campaign, which is being led by International Justice Mission in collaboration with the Fair Food Standards Council and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. Companies who sign on vow to shift purchasing to Florida tomato growers who adhere to these stricter standards-and away from those who won’t-in exchange for a minor price premium for fairly harvested tomatoes (1.5 cents more per pound).

What you can do: By enlisting in the Fair Food Program, supermarkets may assist in eradicating slavery and other grave human rights violations from the tomato supply chain. However, CEOs require consumer pressure to alter their practices. Sign the letter right away and make it a point to only purchase tomatoes that were grown without the use of slaves moving forward.

For further detail, read Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit and Mark Bittman’s essay titled “The True Cost of Tomatoes” in The New York Times. Check out IJM’s Recipe for Change for ideas if you wish to take more action.