The tomato market remains strong this week. Supply remains light in relation to demand. Eastern growers have been coming up short due to heavy rain coupled with high heat, forcing Eastern buyers to pull from California. California growers are challenged with drought, heat and overall lower production in anticipation of the water being short.
Market is up on all tomato items at the moment, and we may see this market rise sharply by late September or early October as the California season may finish a bit early this year.
Heirloom supply dipped rather drastically and the heat in growing areas caused some quality problems, such as growth cracks, for a spell, but supply is rebounding a bit and should get better moving forward for the next few weeks.