silver spotted skipper resting on my knee on our deck

I had completely forgotten that Jeff Dawson wrote an article for our newsletter - he delved into the world of heirlooms right around the time that Carolyn and I were. He currently is on the board of the SSE, does some tomato breeding, and is a consultant to some biodynamic California vineyards. Jeff is responsible for the following tomatoes: Black Zebra, Copia, Orange Russian 117, and Dawson’s Russian Oxheart.

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Taking Your Tomatoes to Market

Jeff Dawson

Growing heirloom tomatoes for the restaurant market is a wonderful way to support a tomato enthusiast’s habit. The dramatic colors, unique shapes and heavenly flavors which inspire us to grow these exotic varieties of tomato also appeal to the restaurant chefs who recognize these qualities, not found in commercially available tomatoes.

I started Grandview Farms on the half-acre plot of land in Sonoma County, California, located one hour north of San Francisco. In 1988 I planted a variety of crops as a shot-gun effort to test the market for organically grown produce.

After the first season, vine ripened tomatoes were obviously a product in demand. Marketing to local restaurants and markets in the county proved to be a financially successful venture.

During a large produce tasting which involved many farmers from the San Francisco Bay area, I had the opportunity to taste the Green Zebra and Marvel Stripe tomatoes. These two varieties opened my eyes to a new world of possibilities. They were visually appealing with flavors that were completely new and exciting. This was the beginning of my search for varieties that were not available on the commercial market.

As my farm grew to five acres in size, its production far exceeded the local demand. I was forced to look to San Francisco restaurants, an hour drive south, as an outlet for the produce I was growing. This market is very competitive, as there are many small to medium sized growers such as myself selling in this area. To compete in this market, I realized I had to come up with something no one else had.

With the discovery of the Seed Savers Exchange, I found a wealth of varieties that were old, but not yet tested in the commercial market. Over the next six years, I tested over 200 varieties of tomatoes, looking for something new and different.

Varieties to be put into production had to perform not only to my standards, but also to the standards of the chefs who would be using them. These chefs expect a very high level of quality which forced me to work on improving my own farming techniques and the quality of my own product. The restaurants that I worked with were a valuable resource for finding o ut which varieties could be incorporated into the many different styles of cuisine.

An early success story was when selling salad mix to Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant, Postrio, I had a bumper crop of roma tomatoes which I tried for weeks to get them to purchase, knowing they used them on a weekly basis. Finally, when they agreed to a small order as a sample, the chef checking the order claimed that they were a little smaller than what they were used to. He seemed doubtful that there would be another order. The next morning I received a call from the same chef wanting to order 500 pounds of the same roma tomatoes twice a week for the rest of the season! The taste and freshness of the product so impressed the chef that he needed to look no further for his supply.

The next year I tested 15 different paste varieties and discovered Amish paste, Rocky, Chinese and Jumbo Roma. These varieties then became a part of the menu at Postrio and other restaurants.

The seasonal tomato salad is a staple on most restaurant menus during summer. This creates a unique opportunity to supply colored slicing tomatoes. My tests began to include the green varieties such as Evergreen, Garden Lime, Green Zebra, Green Pineapple and Aunt Ruby’s German Green; the white varieties such as Great White, Potato leaf White and Big White, Pink Stripes; and the so-called black varieties such as Black Krim, Cherokee Purple and Black Prince. I worked with yellows, oranges, bicolors and pinks, trying to find fruit which performed well in the garden and had the color and taste qualities the restaurants were seeking.

Many restaurants also used a fair quantity of red slicing tomatoes. It is always best to plan on planting up to 10 percent of your total tomato crop to red or pink slicers. Russian 117, Pink Sweet and hybrids such as Whopper or Celebrity have worked well for me. These varieties can be the bread and butter for any tomato growing operation.

Different colored cherry tomatoes, picked separately or mixed together in flats, sell very well. My favorites are Galina, Riesentraube, Green Grape and Sungold. These flats are very colorful and are called Toy Box cherries. It is very easy to get a chef’s attention by walking into the back of a restaurant kitchen with a case of multicolored heirloom tomatoes. The real challenge is to maintain their attention by developing a relationship that benefits both the grower and the chef. By planning with chefs during the offseason, desired varieties can be identified, menus can be planned, and verbal or written contracts can be made.

Retail grocery stores are also a potential market for the small tomato grower. First, I suggest trying to sell the red slicing tomatoes and paste varieties that a produce buyer is most familiar with. These buyers can be easily won over with a taste of a vine ripened, red heirloom tomato. Once a grower has proven that he/she has the ability to provide a consistent supply of quality fruit, buyers become more than willing to try more unusual tomato varieties. Care must be taken not to sell dead ripe tomatoes to a retail market as the grower must allow for some shelf time.

When calling on potential markets, restaurants or grocery stores, be sure to provide a sample which is large enough to be used or sold. A three or four tomato sample is not adequate, this small amount is easily misplaced or forgotten. A full case sample is enough to sell in a market and get the public’s response, or for a restaurant to prepare a dish on its menu.

Farmers markets are also a possible outlet for the small tomato grower. These markets have sprung up locally throughout the US. Many growers use these markets to sell all of their production. I know some farmers who will sell at seven different markets a week during their peak season. This is another area where growers can receive opinions about their varieties from regular customers.

Growers should look at all their potential markets before planting tomatoes on a commercial level. Diversity is the key to success, both in the varieties you grow and the market to which you sell. Consider selling to a combination of restaurants, local grocery stores, and farmers markets as a means of supporting the desire to enjoy and grow more heirloom tomatoes.

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Jeff’s thinking was ahead of its time, as much of what he wrote has come true - heirloom tomatoes at farmers markets and even grocery stores and great popularity of them with creative chefs. He makes many useful points in this interesting article. It is interesting to note some of the varieties that he mentions - some continue to be my favorites even now, decades later.