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Old January 12, 2009   #6
brokenbar
Tomatovillian™
 
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: South Of The Border
Posts: 1,169
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The "Specialty" tomatoes sell big. The "blacks" are currently very hot as well as some "whites". I had a chef tell me last week the "white" tomato sauce is currenlty in vogue big time. He says they are serving the white sauces with seafood. They also like the "bi-color" tomatoes as this chef says they make such a beautiful presentation when sliced (he actually told me he uses some big yellow/red bi-colors fpr a roasted, herbed sliced tomato appetizer.) It is also my experience that if you can convince customers that something is new or rare or very "in" they are wiling to pay whatever. I also wanted to add that locally (we do have a large hispanic farming community) tomatillos and hot peppers sell very well and for good money (they seem to like plain jalapenos and the long, chili relleno peppers like Serrano.) I grow two larger varieties of tomatillo, Maje & Burgess Giant. They each produce an overabundance of tennis ball-sized fruit. I sold probably a couple hundred pounds last year (I rarely even sell fresh tomatoes but someone advised several hispanic family that I had tomatillos.) Where I am, we havea free mini-paper and we can place ads in it for free. Another firned of mine offers her tomatoes and she says her phone rings off the hook.

I have theories about the re-emergence of growing a "truck" garden and a re-awakened interest in canning...
I am sure that the economy plays a large part but I also think people are starting to get very concerned about what they are eating and where it comes from. With rising fuel, water and labor costs (no more undocumented workers) Big growers in California are calling it quits. More and more of what we eat is coming from South America and other countries.I saw melons all last winter at our local grocery marked "product of Chile" Who know's how those commercial growers are regulated and heaven only knows what's in or on the produce we are being sold? Were I to sell fresh, I would hammer that home as a selling point for fresh, locally grown produce that is chemical free (there are many ways to say "organic" without saying it.)
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