The supply of organic heirloom tomatoes looks to be more consistent this year. "We're not seeing peaks and valleys–it's a nice production cycle that's steady weekly," says Ethan Abendroth of Earl's Organic Produce.
At the moment, organic product is largely coming out of California's Central Coast and the Watsonville region and that should continue until past Thanksgiving, weather-dependent. "On the organic side, we've got good production plans out of Lompoc through the first frost or through December," says Abendroth.
Fall heirloom production
All of this is coming at the end of California's tomato season which goes from late August until about October 1st. "We like to think of tomatoes in July and August but California goes a little later than that," says Abendroth, adding though that fall heirloom production levels may slow down slightly given the lower levels of light available.
In terms of varieties, Earl's Organic is shipping Chocolate Stripe, Cherokee Purple, Green Cherokee, Brandywine, German Johnson, Striped German, Golden Jubilee, Celebrity and Beefsteak heirloom tomatoes.
As for demand, it too is steady and Abendroth adds that the often vibrantly colored heirloom tomatoes do give shelves a fall color break as fall produce items such as squash, onions, and potatoes fill the shelves. "On pricing, some pricing is lower than average right now for between $31-$34/box," he says, noting that pricing will likely stay or strengthen from here on in.
For more information:
Susan Simitz
Earl's Organic Produce
Tel: +1 (415) 824-7419
[email protected]
https://www.earlsorganic.com/