The Food With No Name

A long time ago--so long ago that bubble gum had not yet been invented--a farmer found something wonderful growing in his garden. “Look!” Mr. Jones called to his family. “I grew this new food, and I just tasted it. It’s delicious and nutritious, but it has no name.”

“It’s good to look at,” said his wife. “I like the red color.”

“It’s good to eat too,” Mr. Jones said. “It’s so delicious that every time I take a bite, it makes me feel good all the way down from my head to my toes.”

“Let me try,” Mrs. Jones said, reaching down into the garden. She smiled. “My, my, this one is nice and round, just like yours.”

“Just go ahead and taste it,” her husband urged.

Mrs. Jones took a large bite. Her face beamed. “I like it! You’re right. It’s delicious. It makes me feel good all the way down from my head to my toes.”

The farmer nodded. “But what shall we call it? This new food needs a good name.”

They thought and thought but neither one could think of anything. Then their son reached into the garden. “Let me try one,” Junior said.

Mr. and Mrs. Jones watched him take a big bite. “Do you like it?” they asked.

Junior grinned. “I sure do!”

“It made me feel good all the way down from my head to my toes,” Mrs. Jones said. “Did it work that way for you too?

“Yes,” said Junior. “Just like you, it made me feel good all the way down from my head to my toes. And so now I think I have a good name for it.”

“What?” asked his mother and father. “What?”

“Tomatoes,” said Junior.

So that’s the way “tomatoes” got their name.

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Carol Farley loves vegetables and fruits, and this yarn features one of her favorites. This story will be on The Times’ Web site at www.latimes.com/kids.