North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[road's end farm <organic101@linkny.com>]

On Oct 24, 2006, at 12:52 PM, Doreen Howard wrote:

> Jim Furth's anecdotes are very interesting and support my experiences.

I have over several years built up a group of farmers' market customers who will buy weird-looking heirloom tomatoes, even with some cracks in them. I had the luck that there were a couple of customers coming there to start with who had at least heard of Brandywine, and were willing to try other heirlooms. These customers then talked to the other customers. There's nothing at all that convinces people better than other customers at your booth exclaiming in glee in loud voices that you have these great tomatoes.

Can you give samples? I've done that, too, and had some success.
> I've grown heirloom tomatoes for over 15 years and learned that the black 
> ones from Russia have the most complex flavors....like fine wines.  Their 
> dusky purple or chestnut skins and meat are gorgeous in my opinion, but not 
> for most people.  The acid-sweet balance of flavors with numerous undertones 
> such as salt, lemon or even clover are exquisite.  But....it's almost 
> impossible to convince the average consumer to taste a slice to experience 
> such gastronomic heaven.

You might start with some of the pinkish-red heirlooms, many of which also have great flavor; and which don't look quite as weird to the customer, but in comparison to the grocery store will be a revelation in taste. Once you've got them eating those, then try them on the purples.

Warn them that they're juicy! I had a customer once who took a sample strawberry, bit into it, and then complained with great indignation, "It's juicy!" (she had gotten strawberry juice on her shirt). I said in some confusion, "Of course it's juicy, it's a strawberry!" Then I got curious and bought a pint of California strawberries in the grocery store. Huge, very red (except for the unripe green tips); and the approximate texture of an unripe pear. No juice at all. No flavor either, of course. -- I don't intend to dis California in general; I'm sure there are people growing good strawberries in California. Those just aren't the ones they ship clear to New York.

The only reason I can imagine why people buy most of the supermarket fruit is that they have no idea what it's supposed to taste like and think what they're getting is normal.

> [. . .]
> Draw your own conclusions.  Mine was that I will continue to save seeds and 
> grown my own forever.  I've also developed an OP cross from a black tomato 
> and a green heirloom.  I've stablilized it to the F4 so far.  But, I have no 
> illusions about a seed company ever selling it.  

We must get a different selection of catalogues. Just about every seed catalogue I have lists purple tomatoes. A sampling starting at the top of the pile: Johnny's, Fedco, Territorial, Nichols, Baker Creek, Tomato Growers Supply, others also, even Burpee's. There may well be somebody out there interested in carrying yours.

> > On Oct 24, 2006, at 10:03 AM, Jim Fruth wrote:
> > In the twenty years I've been selling at farmers' markets, I've only ever once been asked,
> > "Which one tastes the best?"
>
> And yet, when I ask people that very question at farmstands, they often
> shrug and say they don't know.  I'm surprised how many people who SELL
> produce either don't taste the goods or are indifferent to flavors.
>
> Ginda

If they just shrug and say they don't know, you're probably right that they haven't tasted or don't care. (It may not be their own produce, they may just have met the stuff themselves at the wholesale market that morning.) But that's not an easily answered question, because tastes really do vary. I have no hesitation in saying that any of my strawberries will taste better than the average grocery store offering, but if I run taste tests of, say, Sparkle and Jewel; or of six different tomatoes, or several different snap beans; not everybody likes the same one best.

I learned very fast at the markets I've gone to not to bring anything I hadn't had time to eat yet (sometimes an issue with things that need to be cooked and got ready just in time for market, in the middle of frantic late-night harvest and pack). People do ask me about flavor; and if I have to say, "Don't know, I haven't had any of that yet" they don't buy.

--Rivka
Finger Lakes NY; zone 5 mostly