Tough Times for Tomatoes
You might have noticed high prices for tomatoes recently. We are certainly seeing them here in Northern California. Mike Marks, the produce expert for the Sacramento Bee, discusses the causes for the jump in prices in this week’s food section. As usual, the high prices are directly related to low supply and high demand.
The source of the problem for California began in April, when planting of tomatoes was delayed by heavy rains. Then July brought days and days of unseasonably hot weather, which stopped production and caused “blossom drop.”
Every blossom is a tomato. When the blossom drops off before pollination, there is no fruit later. Then came storms in the East and in Baja California, knocking out production in those growing regions.
Marks notes that retail prices for average slicing tomatoes are between three and four dollars a pound. He predicts that the high prices will remain at least through the Thanksgiving season.
[Photo from Wikipedia]
