Describe a plant/flower in your country - Speaking Part 2

1. Where is it grown
2. Why is it important
3. What do you like/dislike about it

There are many plants all around us. Here I would like to talk about a plant, the fruit of which we eat every day as a vegetable. I am talking about the tomato plant, which is found in all regions of India and the world. There are many species of the tomato plant. I came to know all about the tomato plant accidentally as I was watching discovery channel about two months ago. Biologically tomato is a fruit but for culinary purposes, it is a vegetable, We use tomato in almost all Punjabi dishes to sauté the dish We also eat tomato as a salad, I love tomatoes in salad and like it sprinkled with salt and black pepper, There are many varieties of the tomato. I have even grown a tomato in my kitchen garden. Few people know that leaves and stem of tomato are toxic They contain a substance tomatine, which is toxic and can even cause death if taken in large quantities. Even the raw or green tomato has a small bit of toxicity, The ripe tomato has a lot of advantages, it contains lycopene which is an antioxidant, which helps prevent cancer Tomato is also a rich source of Potassium and Vitamins. It should be eaten but we should avoid consuming leaves and stems. Tomato is known to be toxic to dogs. So a tomato is a plant, which is eaten as a vegetable but is a fruit.

Follow-ups Questions for describing a plant/flower in your country

1. What kinds of vegetables are common in the kitchen gardens of your country?
Many vegetables are common in kitchen gardens, such as okra, aubergine, tomato,
coriander, mint, fenugreek.

2. Do people like to plant vegetables in your country?
Yes, people like to plant vegetables. In my neighborhood only, almost everyone has
maintained a kitchen garden, and we all feel pride in growing our veggies without any
insecticides and pesticides.

3. How do people feel when they eat the vegetables grown on their own?
People feel very good when they eat vegetables grown on their own. It gives a feeling of
fulfillment. At least we are not eating vegetables on which insecticides and pesticides have
been sprayed.

4. Will people grow more or fewer vegetables in the future?
I think more and more people would grow vegetables of their own. Urban agriculture will
become popular in the future.

5. Compared to working in the office, farm work is tiring. What do you think? Do
people enjoy doing farm work?
People do not enjoy farm work. It is very tiring and on top of that, it is very much dependent
on weather. Unseasonal rainfall or delayed monsoons may damage the whole produce. That
is why the youngsters are not going into agriculture. They like to do white collar jobs sitting
in air-conditioned offices.