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Old October 14, 2011   #1
tedln
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Default Pricy black cherry tomatoes!

I guess next spring, I will need to grow some more Black Cherry tomatoes. I read this blurb on a news site this morning regarding the growing trend of auctioning highly desirable foods.

"At $1,000 a crate, bidders can walk away with 15 different varieties of tomatoes as well as other unique produce like black cherry tomatoes, Turkish Orange Eggplant, Pink Banana Pumpkin and Lady Godiva Squash."

I will need to build a razor wire fence around my garden next year at those prices.



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Old October 14, 2011   #2
lakelady
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It's unreal. I bought some heirlooms of unknown variety at a market, and they were charging 3.99/lb. The regular "jersey tomatoes" were 2.99. Next year I'll be growing all of my own heirlooms so I won't be paying those prices.

The only theives I have to worry about here are the muskrat in the lake, and the groundhog who has made a nice tunnel in my yard under some big boulders!
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Old October 14, 2011   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lakelady View Post
It's unreal. I bought some heirlooms of unknown variety at a market, and they were charging 3.99/lb. The regular "jersey tomatoes" were 2.99. Next year I'll be growing all of my own heirlooms so I won't be paying those prices.

The only theives I have to worry about here are the muskrat in the lake, and the groundhog who has made a nice tunnel in my yard under some big boulders!
Farmer's markets, stores, etc., will charge what they think they can get and it also depends on where they are, that is, in an area where heirloom varieties are known and desired, or elsewhere.

Just curious but what do you call "jersey tomatoes"? It used to have a meaning many decades ago when NJ was one of the prime sellers of OP varieties to Philly and NYCity, but that was decades ago. And it's from days of yore that NJ was referred to as the Garden State, not just b'c of the fruits sent elsewhere but also b'c of the many commercial canning factories that were there at the time.

The majority of the large scale commercial growers in NJ now grow the red round F1 hybrids of their choice although there are a few smaller scale growers who do concentrate on heirloom varieties.
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Old October 14, 2011   #4
lakelady
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LOL Carolyn, that was exactly why I put "jersey tomatoes" in parentheses! That is what the sign said, so I bought one out of curiousity, it was very excellent, but I have absolutely no idea what it was, if it was an OP, if it was a hybrid, or if it was simply who knows what, but grown in NJ! When I asked the girls working the cash registers they simply looked at me like I'd grown 2 heads and had absolutely no idea. In fact, no one there had any idea what the heirlooms even were. This is not the first time I've come across that reaction at farmstands. In upstate NY near Albany I was visiting my mother in law, and bought some very pretty orange tomatoes ...the staff there also had no idea what they were. I didn't save seeds because I wasn't too crazy about the taste, too mild for me. I wonder why people don't list varieties to be honest. I think they'd sell more tomatoes personally if they did include some information about the variety.
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Old October 14, 2011   #5
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Must be gold plated black cherries.
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Old October 14, 2011   #6
OddBall
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I Remember seeing black cherries in a small box last year for about $5.

Hopefully lower it would be lower, as many farmers got their hands on the variety this year
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Old October 14, 2011   #7
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I had such an abundance of beautiful, heirloom tomatoes this past spring; I put a lot of effort into giving most of them away. I had a kitchen counter covered with a rainbow collection when some friends visited. The lady normally shops in the high end grocery stores where heirloom and organic are the buzzwords causing produce prices to escalate.

I gave the lady a walmart bag and told her to fill the bag with all the tomatoes she wanted. Her eyes got big like she had just struck gold. She kept trying to give me money for the tomatoes because she would have paid a high price for them at her produce market. I enjoy watching peoples faces when they receive the free tomatoes.

I always try to give everyone more tomatoes than they can use in hopes they will share with their family and friends. I want people to recognize the difference in quality and taste between what is typically sold at most grocery stores and what can be grown in their gardens or flower beds around the house.

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Old November 1, 2011   #8
The Future
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Bland store tomatoes routinely sell for $6 a pound in my country. I've seen heirlooms in a high end store (flown in from Canada) for as high a $9 a pound. Never below $6.
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Old November 1, 2011   #9
biscgolf
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i can only get $2/pound or so for heirlooms at my local farmer's market about an hour south of DC, my neighbor sells all he can grow at 2 markets in the heart of DC for $5/lb...
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Old November 1, 2011   #10
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Bland store tomatoes routinely sell for $6 a pound in my country. I've seen heirlooms in a high end store (flown in from Canada) for as high a $9 a pound. Never below $6.
Most tourist destinations like Bermuda have at lease one shopping and dining area where the touristas are charged exorbitant prices for everything. They typically also have "normal" shopping and dining areas where residents are charged much lower prices. Is Bermuda not that way?

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Old November 1, 2011   #11
The Future
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Nah. Everyone gets jacked! The best deals for fresh food (othe than growi your own) is a farmer's market. But I find few that are into heirlooms just yet. The experiences of a few (low production from Brandywine is one story I have heard several times) has dissuaded many. I am a part time grower and have the luxury of experimenting rather than growing to pay staff, bills. Bermuda prices are generally higher than US because everything has to be shipped from afar and there is an import duty for many things (not certain foods including fresh). With that said our consumptions based tax system actually makes it about even (no income tax, state tax, sales tax, county tax etc.). Seeing he price built into everything can provide a shock though.

I am considering small scale high end clients for heirlooms, ones who can appreciate what they are. If a tomato is a tomato, maybe customers need to be just going to the supermarket....
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Old November 1, 2011   #12
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Don't be afraid of Brandywine (Sudduth Strain) because of what you read. I was reluctant to grow it for the same reasons you state. I grew it this year and found it to have very good, and very long production into our high heat summer. Cherokee Purple pretty much lived up to it's reputation for me. It was great tasting with low production. I've read other reports this year of great production with CP. I've finally decided to ignore most reports and grow those varieties which intrigue me. I've already been pleasantly surprised by a few varieties and disappointed by a few others. All of them would probably have performed differently in someone else's garden.

Ted

Last edited by tedln; November 1, 2011 at 11:54 PM.
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Old November 2, 2011   #13
The Future
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Ted,
I am with you. I have about 200 varieties I am growing and will see what works for my situation in terms of combined yield and taste. Thankfully haven't had much if any disease issues with tomatoes.
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Old November 2, 2011   #14
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I pay $3/pound in the heart of Atlanta for heirloom tomatoes, mostly Brandywines, but many get $4/pound. I would still buy at that price, but prefer to grow my own.
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