Seen at Whole Foods Today

[JamesL]

Originally Posted by GnomeGrown

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UFc1pr2yUU

That is hysterical!
I stopped going in there last year year. The place just irritates me.

[tlintx]

I found the imported heirlooms from Mexico to be tough skinned and unripe tasting. Yes, I bought them, from Trader Joe's.

HEB has a whole display of about ten different clamshells of tomatoes right now. Only one, of San Marzanos, originated here, the rest are labeled "Grown with care" right above a San Antonio address. On the underside of the clamshell is "Product of Mexico".

It's deceitful, and HEB should be above that kind of thing. At least Trader Joe's was honest!


Tl

[Qweniden]

I find the best off season tomatoes to be the Campari and grape tomatoes from Costco. Grown in the USA too. They scratch my off season tomato itch. Trader joes used to sell some blackish green slicers that could be pretty good but I have not seen those for like a year or so..

[debles]

A couple of years ago, we had no luck at all with our own tomatoes and were starving for some heirloom flavor. We bought 3 large "heirloom" tomatoes at the local Whole Foods and paid $14 for the three. They were good, but we still laugh about spending so much for 3 tomatoes.
Now I focus on varieties that are capable of setting fruit at high temps so we never get that starved for tomatoes again. A few weeks later we were visiting friends in WI who had a great laugh over our tomato hunger and gifted us a couple boxes of homegrown to bring back with us.

[Vespertino]

Whole Foods is expensive, but I must report $9 a lb organic heirlooms at the Union Square Farmer's Market in NYC. They were the best tomatoes I've ever eaten, but I knew I was being robbed blind- the problem is that the heirlooms sold at Whole Foods (across the way) didn't taste as good so we just bit the bullet and forked over the cash. I found another vendor at the Farmer's market selling organically grown sungolds for $6 a pint- thist started my love affair with sungolds which is why I'm trying to grow them on my patio. Hubs isn't as keen on the sweeter tomatoes, but he still liked them enough.

I had another odd experience buying hydroponic heirlooms at Whole Foods- they were heart shaped with deep ridges, about the size of a plum tomato. When I brought them home they were almost entirely hollow in the middle, dry and tasted like paper. I was sooooo disappointed.

[Worth1]

I would have taken them back at that price.

We have whole foods and a place owned by HEB called central market that is higher than a cats back.

Price comparison of the same product is sometimes over 100 percent difference.

An old saying a fool and his money soon part rings loudly with these places.

I do go there for odd ball stuff I can't find anywhere else and get out fast.

Worth

[mountain dog]

I bit and bought some of those from Whole foods. They were better then normal store tomatoes not as good as home grown.

[Vespertino]

Originally Posted by Worth1

I would have taken them back at that price.

The sad thing is in NYC we didn't have a choice if we wanted to buy good tomatoes. Unfortunately it's the farmer's market, WF or nothing else. Stores in NYC don't tend to sell local produce, just garbage shipped from mexico. It's one of the many reasons why we left.

Originally Posted by Worth1

We have whole foods and a place owned by HEB called central market that is higher than a cats back.

Price comparison of the same product is sometimes over 100 percent difference.

An old saying a fool and his money soon part rings loudly with these places.

I do go there for odd ball stuff I can't find anywhere else and get out fast.

Worth

I've shopped at Central Market, some of the prices are indeed outrageous. However the local produce isn't priced too bad at all, and it's fresher than what I've found at Krogers... I don't buy tomatoes from there; unless I get tomatoes at a farmer's market I just buy the camparis from Costco when out of season. With the exception of some of their yummy sausages I don't buy meat at Central Market, it's way too pricey.

[GnomeGrown]

Local farmer's market is $5/ pint for organic cherries (Matt's/ SunGold) and $4/ lb for pretty much all other homegrown tomatoes. Had a real nice hydro grown Cherokee Purple from Aiken, SC two weeks ago.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Vespertino

The sad thing is in NYC we didn't have a choice if we wanted to buy good tomatoes. Unfortunately it's the farmer's market, WF or nothing else. Stores in NYC don't tend to sell local produce, just garbage shipped from mexico. It's one of the many reasons why we left.



I've shopped at Central Market, some of the prices are indeed outrageous. However the local produce isn't priced too bad at all, and it's fresher than what I've found at Krogers... I don't buy tomatoes from there; unless I get tomatoes at a farmer's market I just buy the camparis from Costco when out of season. With the exception of some of their yummy sausages I don't buy meat at Central Market, it's way too pricey.

Yes NYC is nothing but shipped in stuff an old school friends dad used to haul strawberries from California to NYC years ago.


As for the meat at central market I almost had a heart attack when I wanted to buy some quail once.

I though it was $25 for the package it was 25 a pound

For some tea they have I can get it for around 400% less at an middle eastern market.
Same bag and everything.
$4 at one place 20 at central market.
Now central market doesn't even carry it.
Olives of all kinds are cheap and the dates are to die for.

I love the Phoenician market and deli in Austin.

It is like walking into another country.

Worth

[carolyn137]

About NYC.

What about the Green Market at Union Square? I ask b'c I know ofseveral folks in the Hudson Valley up as far as where I live who drive to that market every week with local fresh produce, and that includes tomatoes. Some even haul in tomato plants b/c quite a few folks have rooftop gardens.

And I know several in NJ and PA who do the same.

Carolyn

[Vespertino]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Yes NYC is nothing but shipped in stuff an old school friends dad used to haul strawberries from California to NYC years ago.


As for the meat at central market I almost had a heart attack when I wanted to buy some quail once.

I though it was $25 for the package it was 25 a pound

For some tea they have I can get it for around 400% less at an middle eastern market.
Same bag and everything.
$4 at one place 20 at central market.
Now central market doesn't even carry it.
Olives of all kinds are cheap and the dates are to die for.

I love the Phoenician market and deli in Austin.

It is like walking into another country.

Worth

Few things are worth $25 a pound, I'm not sure quail is one of them. Ethnic markets are some of my favorite places to shop, as you've pointed out they sell wonderful things that gourmet places love to rip shoppers off for.

Not to say they don't always have some good stuff At CM. I was very tempted to buy a wagyu ribeye to cook on my wedding anniversary, but then I realized I don't have a grill- just an electric stove- so there was no way I could do it justice. Their prices on some yogurts are cheaper than krogers, and I really love their fresh rye bread. And their creamy mushroom soup.... Their prepared foods are excellent, far better than the prepared food I've had at Whole Foods.

Someone else in passing has mentioned the Phoenician market. If I'm in Austin I'll have to check it out

Originally Posted by carolyn137

About NYC.

What about the Green Market at Union Square? I ask b'c I know ofseveral folks in the Hudson Valley up as far as where I live who drive to that market every week with local fresh produce, and that includes tomatoes. Some even haul in tomato plants b/c quite a few folks have rooftop gardens.

And I know several in NJ and PA who do the same.

Carolyn

Before I moved to TX I lived a block away from Union Sq and bought all my veggies there during the summer & fall. The Green Market @ union square (sometimes called the Union Square Farmer's Market) is where I found the $9lb organic heirloom tomatoes They were advertized as the "best tomatoes you will ever eat!!" and they certainly were! But we had to find a different vendor with prices that were down to earth, it took a while (some sold organic heirlooms that were VERY sour and almost as expensive!!)

Eventually I found Norwich Farms which had the organic sungolds for $5 a pint, their other tomatoes were very good too. When it came to good-tasting tomatoes it was hit and miss until I settled on Norwich (very consistent tasting and not the most expensive).

I have some pics of the Norwich stand @ union square below. Everything they had was wonderful.

[jdcooper]

One of the Union Square vendors wrote a book about starting his tomato farm. It's worth reading, but the name escapes me right now. Anyone else read it?

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by jdcooper

One of the Union Square vendors wrote a book about starting his tomato farm. It's worth reading, but the name escapes me right now. Anyone else read it?

Yes, I read it:

http://www.amazon.com/Heirloom-Notes.../dp/B005UVUXKG

I got to know Tim a bit for the following reason.

I had been invited to do a weekend workshop at Organic Gardening in PA and just as I was about to start the talk on that first day a man riding a bike came up the road to the barn. His name is Jim Weaver and he's a Mennonite farmer in the area/

I was able to visit his farm, meet his wife and we became good friends.

I asked him to write an article about his farm and Jim was a bit uneasy about that so asked Tim Stark, who lived close by, to help him with the article.

The article was for OTV ( Off The Vine), which Craig LeHoullier (nctomatoman) and I were copublishing at the time.

And Jim still has two very popular events he runs each year, one for heirloom tomatoes and another for peppers, HOT peppers being his favorites.

Carolyn