What Tomato varieties are included in PLU 3423?

Gardadore · May 20, 2016

My husband bought two "Heirloom" tomatoes in the grocery store, one black and one orange. Both were labeled Canada Heirloom PLU 3423. I googled this and found they are part of a Sunset Gourmet Tomato Medley distributed by MCL/4Earth. The tomatoes are beautiful. No other details are given except they are "heirloom". They say they are grown from seeds that are over 50 years old!! I assume they mean that these varieties are very old not that the seeds are literally 50 years old!
Here is the link to the site I was using: http://www.mclproduce.com/product_co...p?cat=7&id=345

I think I will save seeds from the black one. We still have to cut them and taste them for me to decide to save them!

I wish the stores would specify what variety their "heirlooms" are!

ContainerTed · May 20, 2016

An heirloom is something handed down from generation to generation over several decades. There are enough lies and discrepancies in the info at the link you gave to make me very suspicious of the whole thing. My guess is that it is just another overly hyped advertising campaign to get you to buy the product under false pretenses.

If the tomatoes taste good, then I might save a few seeds to see if it would repeat. I would also be suspicious of those being GMO's.

The "PLU 3423" sounds like one of the SKU numbers used by the seller. Covering more than one variety with one ID number is not standard practice. The more I look, the more this deal goes sourly down the porcelain facility.

ABlindHog · May 20, 2016

PLU
Price Look Up is a code used by grocers to categorize produce for pricing. The International Federation for Produce Standards assigns codes, and the code 3423 means heirloom tomatoes. When checking out at the store the checker doesn't need to know what kind of tomato she is looking at. She simply inputs the code which is associated with a price and you are charged the correct price.

Gardeneer · May 20, 2016

I agree. All the tomatoes sold as "Heirloom" has the same PLU number.
Also, as Ted said, what they label as "heirloom" are actually OP. That is a way to differentiate them from Hybrids. You'll never see a tomato marked as OP in the store. The general public does not know what "OP" is.

Gardeneer.

JaxRmrJmr · May 20, 2016

Just to muddy the water...... Both open pollinators and self pollinators are usually called open pollinators as self pollinators can be cross pollinated as well - thus both are actually OP. I thought the "heirloom" designation was given to a plant after a certain amount of time an established variety had been around and consistently reproduced true - generally 50 years.

Seeing how a hybrid can not reproduce true in even the second year, it would make more sense to call them "non-hybrid". You are right.

Walmart is selling "heirloom" tomatoes for $2 a piece. I'm sure they are picked green and gassed.

Gardadore · May 21, 2016

We ate the black one tonight and it wasn't bad. I did save some seeds as Ted suggested because I am sure it will taste much better grown in my own garden if it is indeed an OP! This tomato had Canada stamped on it so must have originated out of a greenhouse up there. I rarely buy tomatoes in the supermarket but my husband was enticed by their beauty and I can't say I blame him. The black was nice and ripe. Will try the orange tomorrow. So I have learned a lot today about marketing. I did not realize that number pertained to all "heirlooms". I thought it was just this Sunset medley.
Can it be a GMO tomato? I thought there were no GMO tomatoes on the market. Must check that out!
Thanks for the input everyone!

feldon30 · May 21, 2016

I find the Sunset "heirloom" tomatoes at the grocery store from Canada to have an average flavor. If I see Vintage Ripes from Lipman I do buy those.

May 20, 2016	#1
Gardadore Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Saylorsburg, PA Posts: 261	What Tomato varieties are included in PLU 3423? My husband bought two "Heirloom" tomatoes in the grocery store, one black and one orange. Both were labeled Canada Heirloom PLU 3423. I googled this and found they are part of a Sunset Gourmet Tomato Medley distributed by MCL/4Earth. The tomatoes are beautiful. No other details are given except they are "heirloom". They say they are grown from seeds that are over 50 years old!! I assume they mean that these varieties are very old not that the seeds are literally 50 years old! Here is the link to the site I was using: http://www.mclproduce.com/product_co...p?cat=7&id=345 I think I will save seeds from the black one. We still have to cut them and taste them for me to decide to save them! I wish the stores would specify what variety their "heirlooms" are!

May 20, 2016	#2
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	An heirloom is something handed down from generation to generation over several decades. There are enough lies and discrepancies in the info at the link you gave to make me very suspicious of the whole thing. My guess is that it is just another overly hyped advertising campaign to get you to buy the product under false pretenses. If the tomatoes taste good, then I might save a few seeds to see if it would repeat. I would also be suspicious of those being GMO's. The "PLU 3423" sounds like one of the SKU numbers used by the seller. Covering more than one variety with one ID number is not standard practice. The more I look, the more this deal goes sourly down the porcelain facility. __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

May 21, 2016	#7
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	I find the Sunset "heirloom" tomatoes at the grocery store from Canada to have an average flavor. If I see Vintage Ripes from Lipman I do buy those. __________________ [SIZE="3"]I've relaunched my gardening website -- [B]TheUnconventionalTomato.com[/B][/SIZE] * [I][SIZE="1"]*I'm not allowed to post weblinks so you'll have to copy-paste it manually.[/SIZE][/I]

May 20, 2016	#3
ABlindHog Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2014 Location: The Texas Hill Country Posts: 149	PLU Price Look Up is a code used by grocers to categorize produce for pricing. The International Federation for Produce Standards assigns codes, and the code 3423 means heirloom tomatoes. When checking out at the store the checker doesn't need to know what kind of tomato she is looking at. She simply inputs the code which is associated with a price and you are charged the correct price.

May 20, 2016	#4
Gardeneer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: NC - zone 8a - heat zone 7 Posts: 4,919	I agree. All the tomatoes sold as "Heirloom" has the same PLU number. Also, as Ted said, what they label as "heirloom" are actually OP. That is a way to differentiate them from Hybrids. You'll never see a tomato marked as OP in the store. The general public does not know what "OP" is. Gardeneer.

May 20, 2016	#5
JaxRmrJmr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Jax, FL - 9A Posts: 172	Just to muddy the water...... Both open pollinators and self pollinators are usually called open pollinators as self pollinators can be cross pollinated as well - thus both are actually OP. I thought the "heirloom" designation was given to a plant after a certain amount of time an established variety had been around and consistently reproduced true - generally 50 years. Seeing how a hybrid can not reproduce true in even the second year, it would make more sense to call them "non-hybrid". You are right. Walmart is selling "heirloom" tomatoes for $2 a piece. I'm sure they are picked green and gassed.