Hm. I wouldn't have thought to ask for seconds. I will have to scout around. Our tomatoes this year were a complete bust- they don't like where SO decided to move them to and the plants just never developed well.
Stock up alert!
- Thread starter Wifezilla
- Start date
Local tomatoes are just starting to ripen, and are therefore expensive. Of my 5 tomato plants I have been harvesting a few cherry tomatoes, but the others are still green, though loaded with fruit. They will ripen while we are on vacation, and my brother and the neighbours will get to enjoy the bounty .... *sigh*
Kala
Lovin' The Homestead
That's a great idea!! Thanks bunches FF!!Farmfresh said:In the boxes like you are describing, which are the prime tomatoes we are paying about the same thing. I don't buy the prime tomatoes however. I buy the "seconds" which are the ugly, bruised or too ripe ones! The farmers do not have those on display - you have to ask them.Kala said:
I have bought to date 5 big boxes full of those "second" tomatoes with each box weighing right at 30 pounds each. (I weighed them) I paid $20 for one box, $10 each for three others (and that farmer threw in a free box of squishy tomatoes, too far gone for people to eat, for me to give my chickens) and I bought another box of the seconds today for $8.00!! By my count I have spent a total of $58.00 and purchased right at 150 POUNDS of tomatoes.
There IS some waste with the seconds. Sometimes a tomato is split and smells rotten and sometimes you find a squished moldy tomato at the bottom of the box - good for only chicken feed. The best way I have found so far to deal with them is to take them home and pop the whole batch into the freezer until they are frozen hard. Then I drop them in to a kettle of warm (hot is not necessary) water and the skins just slip right off. As a second benefit it is very easy to trim away the core and any bad parts when a tomato is frozen. When they are skinned and trimmed I let them thaw back out and use, or can, or make sauce like normal.
That is how I stock up!!
On another note I got a dozen ears of corn for $2.00 today! So we bought 4 1/2 dozen
Most other places are selling for $5.00 a dozen. I see lots of blanching and vacum sealing in my future....
Britesea
Sustainability Master
Well my first attempt at finding some seconds or "jam peaches" at a small stand didn't pan out. I will try at the big farmer's market this Saturday
My boss has organic, unsprayed ugly peaches every year that are the sweetest things I ever tasted. I get almost the whole tree full for jam if I want them. I don't think I have time this year. I haven't even gotten blueberry jam done, and they're almost over.
Farmfresh
City Biddy
The thing with seconds is that you just have to keep politely asking. Also I make it a rule NOT to "talk down" a farmer on seconds. Either they shoot me a great price or I walk and let them throw away their damaged produce. Once you make yourself known to them they will often flag you down to buy their seconds.
Another thing to realize about seconds is that they are usually what the farmer keeps to feed his own family. I always did that as well when I sold eggs. The best are sold and any small, or discolored or weird ones were ours. This means that you need to hold off a bit before seconds will be a bargain. Give the farmer a chance to do some canning too! After that the prices will start to come down. You might even talk to a farmer in advance and offer to bring your own boxes. The farmers here have to pay $5 each for those produce boxes.
Another thing to realize about seconds is that they are usually what the farmer keeps to feed his own family. I always did that as well when I sold eggs. The best are sold and any small, or discolored or weird ones were ours. This means that you need to hold off a bit before seconds will be a bargain. Give the farmer a chance to do some canning too! After that the prices will start to come down. You might even talk to a farmer in advance and offer to bring your own boxes. The farmers here have to pay $5 each for those produce boxes.
Farmfresh
City Biddy
Just freeze the fruit until you do have time.valmom said:
I make a bunch of jams and jellies every winter when I have time on my hands.
Living the Simple Life
Power Conserver
DH and kids gleaned 195# of tomatoes this morning for 18 cents per pound. We are going to can them into the 100 jars I got last week for $20. And I will enjoy all that cheap eating this winter!
Bimpnottin
Lovin' The Homestead
Wow - how did you manage that?!!!!! That's awesome.Living the Simple Life said:
