Why we don't see other colors or even striped tomatoes in the supermarket?

[Josetom]

I' was reading news from new tomatoed and they always are just developing more disease resistant, more durable post harvest or more productive tomatoes.. It will be very simple to offer other colors just like peppers.. I cannot explain why there isn't more variety.. Probably the consumers but I love having different colors and shapes

[PoisonApple]

Occasionally in summertime at our Safeway we will see unspecified varieties of "heirloom tomatoes." Many look like German Johnson's and occasionally some other orange and yellow looking varieties. Not very common though.

[PlainJane]

I do, but only at Whole Foods or Fresh Market, not Winn Dixie or even Publix typically.

[MissS]

My store offers them at a premium price in the heirloom tomato section.

The stores mostly only offer the red ball things. They have been bred to have a long shelf life, not to bruise easily and to be able to survive a long truck ride or a drop on the floor. These are bred for shipping an heirloom turns to mush under these conditions.

[Tormahto]

All of the supermarkets, here, had a large wicker basket of about 2 dozen "heirloom" tomatoes, on a display elevated slightly higher up than other produce. All were medium to very large in size, all colors (except red) including striped, selling for $1.00 a pound more than what the other tomatoes would go for, all grown in Canada. They were sold for about 3 or 4 years, until Covid hit, and have since disappeared.

[ddsack]

Aldi's carries a carton of cherry/grape tomatoes in a mix of red, yellow, orange and purple colors. They taste good, and the price per box is usually less than smaller sizes of only red cherry tomatoes.

[Cole_Robbie]

We're the weirdos. Most people think tomatoes are supposed to be red. The co op grocery store near me stocked all colors one year that a friend was getting the spoiled unsold ones for livestock. Almost all of them were green when ripe varieties, rarely were any of them red.

[Whwoz]

Here Down Under, cherry tomatoes in clam shells have been available in mixes for a number of years and occasionally one sees slicers available in yellow or blacks occasionally. Always sold under an obscure name, none of well known heirlooms or ops sold.

[Mark_Thompson]

Consumers. Consumers are stupid. They want the perfect round unblemished tasteless red globes. The tiny minority that don’t are already shopping farmers markets and paying a premium for real produce.

[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

My store offers them at a premium price in the heirloom tomato section.

Which is yer store? You's ever mosey on down to the Woodman's Waukesha, a mere ~4.5 miles/~7 kms south of you's https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Woodman ... ?entry=ttu

Their vine-ripened Heirloom Tomato selection is (IMO) superb (see viewtopic.php?t=5008&start=100 for examples), and oddly enough, often cheaper than them there dreaded Red Balls

I'm headed there later today to select the participants for the fast approaching Monday Morning BLT Brunch; can't hardly wait.

The Gotch

[PoisonApple]

I find that a lot of people are just not food aficionados. While there are certainly those who enjoy great food, the masses are happy to just have common, everyday produce as long as it is economical. Of course you get into more expensive speciality stores and you’ll find more produce diversity just like you’ll find more cheese or meat diversity, often at a premium. I think it’s just a matter of being content, habitual or prioritizing economics and simplicity over high end taste. I don’t think that makes them stupid, but for those of us who love more interesting and diverse tastes it sure seems boring!

Consumers. Consumers are stupid. They want the perfect round unblemished tasteless red globes. The tiny minority that don’t are already shopping farmers markets and paying a premium for real produce.

[karstopography]

Definitely a lot of non-foodies out there. They have their deeply grooved lane they like and by golly won’t even consider leaving the well trodden path. Zero curiosity about food, I have a few of these folks in my or my wife’s extended family. Do not travel or go out to eat anywhere with folks like this if you are more of a curious or adventurous eater. These two peoples or worlds do not mix well. The kind of folks that go to New Orleans and want to eat at the Olive Garden or Santa Fe and hit up Taco Bell. These are first hand examples of actual events. My wife’s BIL ordered a beautiful gazpacho and sent it back because it was cold. He’s horrible to travel with as meat and potatoes and not much else excites him and he complains incessantly about any food that’s not “normal”.

No way would any of these people put anything but a hard red globe, roma or cherry tomato in their mouths, if even.

[MissS]

. My wife’s BIL ordered a beautiful gazpacho and sent it back because it was cold.

[karstopography]

. My wife’s BIL ordered a beautiful gazpacho and sent it back because it was cold.

To be fair, we were in a restaurant called Pasquale’s and nothing is normal in there. I think the BIL saw the word soup and that was about all that was familiar to him.

[edweather]

For the same reason they call muskmelons cantaloupes. It's what people will buy. Let's not confuse them.

[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

Today's $1.99/lb Woodman's vine-ripened Heirloom selections (there were a bunch of Yellers & Dark with Green Stripes):

thumbnail_IMG_2708.jpg

Left is a Pinky, as the Rear View indicates:

thumbnail_IMG_2709.jpg

The Gotch

[Josetom]

Mmm of course, makes sense that you all up there have a little more variety.. I think ultimately all this makes even more special the tomatoes that we grow I'm growing about 20 varieties this year and my dream is to host a Tomato Tasting Party at home.. fingers cross!!

[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

@Josetom, Asunción is ~ 25°S latitude, which is about what Miami, FL is up this here way, the latter having an enviable 11 Hardiness Zone rating.

Right about now I would think Southern Hemisphere Tomato Ranchers are enjoying the fruits of their own bounty and wouldn't even bother looking at store bought'n Tomatoes, is that accurate?

On that subject, howse about some pics?

The Gotch

[Josetom]

I could have had tomatoes @Cornelius_Gotchberg but I started later.. Just today I started to transplant my 1 month plants so in about 2-3 months I will send the pictures

[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

I could have had tomatoes @Cornelius_Gotchberg but I started later.. Just today I started to transplant my 1 month plants so in about 2-3 months I will send the pictures

Whaaaat? Yer in the Southern Hemisphere, where, according to all reports, Fall is not only fast approaching....but there...and then some.

Is your Hardiness Zone (@~ 25°S latitude) such that your Fall and Winter are so gosh darn immune to...um...worrisome temperatures that you's can plant outdoors?

If that's the case:

a-fistful-of-dollars-clint-eastwood.gif

And looking forward to the pix!

The Gotch