North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Jim Fruth" <jfruth@uslink.net>]

Sam,
   I wish I could agree with you.  There, most definitely, must be alot of 
people who buy local tomatoes because they savor the taste but I have spoke 
with (Interviewed?) a great many tomato buyers and learned that they don't 
have a clue about taste difference from grocery store fare.  Many buy my 
tomatoes because they are bigger and few eat sliced tomatoes without having 
them in some dish such as a salad or BLT.
   I should clarify by mentioning certain facts about the farmers' market I 
sell at.  It is a Saturday morning market that is situated adjacent to one 
of the busiest highways in Minnesota that funnels visitors and vacationers 
to vacationland.  Probably 80% of our customers are from the Minneapolis/St. 
Paul area and/or from all over the country, city people, mostly.  We educate 
them as best we can and most we'll either never see again or we'll see them 
again next year.  City people grow up with cardboard tomatoes (grocery store 
tomatoes) and, I'm sure, not many eat them sliced with salt and pepper such 
as tomato fanciers do with garden tomatoes.

Jim Fruth
Brambleberry Farm
Pequot Lakes, MN  56472
www.bberryfarm.com
(218)568-8483 [Store]
(218)831-7018 [My Cell]

I'm sure you are correct about adventurous chefs helping to popularize
out-of-the-ordinary produce.  Another difference may be that the season
for fresh, locally grown produce is quite short in Minnesota.  My theory
is that Minnesotans are just darn happy to finally have fresh tomatoes
and don't ask many questions about what kind, taste, etc. -- Sam
Brungardt, St. Paul, Minn.