PHOTO GALLERY: Tomato Festival draws in crowds

People wander through the numerous rows of tomatoes and peppers at the Tomato Festival on Thursday at MU's Bradford Research Farm. A tent was set up outside with 216 different tomatoes, tomatillos and peppers to sample.

  |  Emma Kessinger

The toma verde tomatillo's light green color is seen at the Tomato Festival on Thursday at MU's Bradford Research Farm. Tomatillos are in the tomato family and are generally used in green salsa, known as tomatillo salsa.
  |  Emma Kessinger

Rows of tables were filled with various tomatoes and peppers at the Tomato Festival on Thursday at MU's Bradford Research Farm. Papers were next to each plate for people to rate the taste of each tomato or pepper, with a 1 being the best and a 5 the worst.
  |  Emma Kessinger

Doris Hessee and Emily Scruggs taste a gourmet pepper at the Tomato Festival on Thursday at MU's Bradford Research Farm. A whole tomato or pepper is placed next to each plate. "I like that you can see what the tomato looks like," Hessee said.
  |  Emma Kessinger