Quote:
Originally Posted by Garlic#1
This thread seems to have died out and I hope I can renew some interest.
As others have mentioned before, living in a rural area, few care about special varieties, it's all about the price. With chefs, the right ones, price is less of an issue. I refer to my area as "Podunk." Look it up.
In fact, this is why I joined Tomatoville.
I sell to chefs, and that's it. I refer to myself, first, as an "Gentleman Farmer" as I am retired from both Federal Government and the military. Secondly, as a "Purveyor of Specialty Produce." Sounds fancy, but I'll schlep sweet corn and potatoes to pay the bills.
What I concentrate is on specialty produce.
This year we introduced entire Artisan Tomato Collection, 6 varieties, sold mixed, and the Bronze Torch. Amazing results in sales.
We already are planning two more from Wild Boar Farms and Artisan Seeds.
Looking to hear from folks who want to talk specialty tomatoes and beyond. I need an "big ugly heirloom" to round us out. Any suggestions?
Beyond that, we want to hear about other specialty items such as Badger Flame Beets and Beauregarde Snow Peas. Anything on the cutting edge. Ideas?
Chefs want (demand) something new. Tastes great, is just a given.
Help an old guy out here folks, you have the knowledge. Reading through past posts here tells me you have this dialed in, I just need some new ideas and fresh thoughts.
Can you assist?
|
Since no one responded, here's my take: Just to clarify, I'm a backyard gardener but in the last couple of years sold tomatoes from my driveway to help offset some of the costs. I've grown a lot of varieties of tomatoes but am not an expert.
What tomatoes are you planning on growing from Wild Boar Farms? I've grown a lot of his and find they are all really soft tomatoes. This past season (my season is Sept - June), I grew PBTD, Indian Stripes, Chocolate Stripes and GGWT (Girl Girl Weird Thing). PBTD,GGWT, CS all look similar. I've grown them all before but not all 4 at the same time. Previously, I really didn't notice PBTD or other BG tomatoes being so soft until I started selling them.
Of the 4, GGWT and Chocolate Stripes were by far the best. We had a bad storm in late January that took out Indian Stripes so I can't really fault the tomato and going to give it another run this season. PBTD and the other BG tomatoes are just too soft - maybe it is a climate thing but I think GGWT would be a much better alternative.
-----
Not tomato related, but have you considered selling lettuce to your chefs? There are lots of specialty lettuces and info on the internet for selling lettuce year round.