Stop Eating Sad Winter Tomatoes

Let’s get one thing straight: a fresh tomato out of season is nothing but a red disappointment dressed up like the real deal. You know it. I know it. Even the tomato knows it.

In summer, a tomato is juicy, fragrant, and full of sunshine, a little love letter from the earth to your taste buds. In winter? It’s about as romantic as soggy floury cardboard.

A tomato’s magic comes from long days of proper sunshine and lazy vine ripening. Those plastic imposters you see in winter are picked green, gassed to look red, and shoved into your salad like they belong there. Spoiler: they don’t. And please don’t even think about making gazpacho with them. You’ll ruin a perfect Spanish summer fling by serving it up with bland, watery imposters.

In-season tomatoes are loaded with vitamin C, antioxidants, and lycopene, all the good stuff that gives them colour and taste. Out-of-season ones? They’re just low-energy, nutrient-light stowaways with no business being in your fridge, let alone starring in your soup.

A real tomato in summer is soft and lush, bursting with juice. Winter tomatoes? Firm in a creepy way, floury in the middle. Because they were bred to survive weeks on end in the fridge and not seduce your senses — or glide into your gazpacho with style.

Eat fresh tomatoes like you eat seasonal cherries. Binge on them when they’re here, wave goodbye when they’re gone, and don’t go texting them at 2 a.m. in July. They’ll come back, and they’ll be worth the wait, especially in gazpacho.

So next time you are looking for that summer burst remember it will happen! But not in the midddle of winter. Get some wonderful winter greens and eat seasonally your body will thank you!