Restaurants, Supermarkets Confront Tomato Shortage

washingtonpost.com ^ | Wednesday, November 17, 2004 | Griff Witte

[crushelits]

Fried Green  Cucumbers It's been a rough few months for tomatoes. They've been swirled in California floods. They've been smashed by Florida hurricanes. They've been picked at by Mexican bugs. The result has been a national tomato shortage that has sent prices climbing like a vine seeking light. With costs up and quality down, some national restaurant chains are reconsidering their marketing strategies to keep the thought of juicy, tender tomatoes off customers' minds, or switching recipes to make up for the absence of certain hard-to-find varieties.

The popular Juice Joint Cafe in Northwest Washington, meanwhile, has at least for the next few weeks become a tomato-free zone. continues...

[Thrusher]

It's been a rough few months for tomatoes.

Bush's fault.

[sheik yerbouty]

I grow my own.

[UB355]

I do to. Bumper crop

[elli1]

Prices for bell peppers and cucumbers have also gone up, though both are less in demand than tomatoes.

Last week, a 3 pack of green peppers, normally around $1.29 at my local Aldi's, was priced at $2.89. Aldi's really should carpet the produce aisle...

[crushelits]

Where are you located?

[crushelits]

and you UB355 where do you grow your tomatoes?

[sheik yerbouty]

Behind enemy line in the LA area. My father grows his own in New York.

[JoanneSD]

I have ripe ones now on my vines and lots more on the way..I like the green house idea.. however if I did not have my own.. my life would not change if I did not have a fresh tomato, in a month or so they will be plentiful..

[crushelits]

You would need a micro-climate environment to able to do that!

And its very expensive to setup a greenhouse, about 100 g's per acre!

[sockmonkey]

I grow my own, too. I didn't even know there was a shortage.