It could be that a picky eater has an untapped hankering for raw vegetables, and you can encourage them by introducing them to new choices.
Sometimes, just the shape of the food, or the way it is presented makes all the difference. If wedges of beefsteak tomatoes don't cut it, try sweet cherry tomatoes, or even sweeter and smaller (and cuter) grape tomatoes.
Failing that, try funny-shaped pear tomatoes (they look like grape-sized pears), firm and smooth romas or yellow-colored varieties. It could be that you bring home a pint of orange pear tomatoes and you'll hit pay dirt.
TIP FROM THE CHEF: BUY FRESH
The key is to pick what's fresh and in season. Not only will the veggies taste better, they will have traveled fewer miles (that means they're more likely to have been picked ripe, and that means fewer preserving agents), and they'll cost far less (compare an ear of corn in March at $1.10 to a larger, tastier ear in July at $.10).
