tomato farms in grainger county tn

But processing produce continuously all day long at a rate of thousands of tons in order to meet food demands leads to much of the produce being processed through dirty water on dirty equipment. 'I can lose $200,000 worth of tomatoes in 10 minutes in a hailstorm. In the meantime, consumers are being trained to choose produce by its appearance and not its taste. This change in the quality specifications and shelf life for the tomato has affected the choice of varieties that Grainger County farmers grow. We grow top-quality produce. The Grainger County tomato is unique in its time from harvest to consumer. For approximately 100 years, Grainger County has been noted for production of a tomato that has the same taste as the tomato you picked in your grandmother's garden. A family farm based in Knoxville, TN happy to provide locals with fresh produce. I couldn’t have chosen a more challenging day to watch someone pick tomatoes. Howard's son, Danny, started helping out when he was 9 years old. In order to meet rigorous inspections at distribution centers, farmers have had to give up growing some of the typical garden type varieties because they wouldn't pass an inspection. Jimmy Pierce likes to grow a For years now, shoppers have purchased tomatoes and other produce for looks rather than taste. TN (Grainger County) Phone 865-828-5690 The County is comprised of three cities Bean Station, Blaine and Rutledge with a population of approximately 25,000. Grainger County Farm. R&C Farm Grainger County, Tennessee Randle Pierce is a 2nd generation Farmer and his Dad and his family started farming Tobacco and Tomatoes back in 1960. If the government can tell you what you can eat and how it is grown, harvested, prepared, and sold, then the government has total control of our food supply, and we, as subjects of this country, are at their mercy. Phone #'s: (865) 828-8316 Fax: (865) 828-3199. We're in a very rural community, a very rural area. It was July 27, 2016, and the temperature in Grainger County hovered at around 96 degrees. Except for the family farms in Grainger County and in small agricultural counties in other areas of the United States, the majority of our produce on the grocery store shelves go through this process: produce is grown by corporate farms with thousands of acres and many farmers who funnel their produce through a central location called a packing house, processing plant, or receiver facility. The total value of approximately 2,000 acres of farms recently listed for sale in Grainger County, Tennessee, is $7 million. The Morgans sell a variety of tomato known as 'Empire' that's commonly grown by Grainger County growers. Steve Longmire owns Tennessee Homegrown Tomatoes in Grainger County. Howard's son, Danny, started helping out when he was 9 years old. As we must educate our customers – the chain stores, and other retail markets we service must also educate the consumer who buys the product to take home and eat. Thousands of tons daily go through this same water. 'If it wasn't for some of the shipping varieties, we'd never have tomatoes year round. We have 2,100 boxes in the cooler ready to go out. We even go into our stores and show their customers how to choose the best tasting tomato by looks and feel. Hubert Williams Farm. These companies are a fear factor within themselves because they are developing seeds and varieties of plants that are resistant to different kinds of harsh chemicals, such as insecticides and herbicides that, if an insect such as a honey bee were to pollinate that particular crop and carry the pollen back to its home, it would destroy the entire hive. As they looked to seed companies for tomatoes with the qualities demanded by chain stores, Grainger County farmers found that there were plenty to choose from, and Grainger County farmers experimented with many varieties. These are consumer identifiable traits of a homegrown tomato. This is part of the burden we feel as a family concerned for the health and safety of our fellow Americans. Stores in this area had to have the Grainger County tomato because that's what people in this area wanted to buy. At first ,they wanted the Grainger County tomato for its name. The Morgan tomato farm was started by Howard's father, James, a former zinc miner who switched to full-time farming in the late 1940s. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 865-828-3308. The Grainger County Tomato Grainger County tomatoes are tomatoes that are grown in the county of Grainger in the eastern part of the state of Tennessee. But when Grainger County farmers had to look to chain stores to market their tomatoes, all that changed. Like many farms in Grainger County in East Tennessee, the Stratton Tomato Farm grows the crop in both fields and greenhouses. Growing tomatoes and other garden vegetables in Grainger County. 865-828-8365. strattonfarmstn@yahoo.com. Grainger County produce is direct from our farms to you. 'I never went to day care,' Danny … 'Locally, consumers know the stores and roadside markets. (ADAM LAU/NEWS SENTINEL) (Photo: Adam Lau). 'You need to find the old growers, the people who stick to traditional farming practices and avoid chemicals,' Ritter said. Hubert Williams Tomato Packers 12248 Lakeshore Dr., Rutledge 865-828-3308 Region: East - Grainger County. Thus, we educate our customers, letting them know what to expect from a homegrown tomato. We feel strongly about giving our customers a good tasting tomato. Steve Longmire, of Tennessee Homegrown Tomatoes, had his first field of tomatoes when he was 7 years old. His tomatoes are some of the best you can find. I'm proud to be part of this. Location: Lakeshore Rd 3.5 miles from Hwy 92. 6195 Hwy 92 Rutledge TN (Grainger County) Mailing Address. Gas-green tomatoes have to be from 10 days to 2 weeks old by the time the consumer can purchase them. Another reason that the Grainger County tomato is unique in its superior taste is the soil in this county. So when the fruit begins to fly at the Tomatoes Wars at the Grainger County Tomato Festival be glad it wasn't the potato that became the county's number one crop. The rest, he said, are a mix of 'shipping' varieties with less flavor but longer shelf life. 'We grow our greenhouse tomatoes in the soil, and we stick with proven varieties.'. Additional Information: We are located 4 miles on Lakeshore Road from Hwy 92 or 13 miles on Lakeshore Road from Hwy 25 E (375 Hwy). 'I never went to day care,' Danny said. (ADAM LAU/NEWS SENTINEL) (Photo: Adam Lau), Tomato greenhouses and farms dot hillsides outside Rutledge, Tenn., in Grainger County. WHOLESALE LOCAL FOOD GUIDE LISTING. ', 'This is hard work, and everything is expensive,' added Howard. People, as a majority, seem to feel good about this system except the family farmer and the ones who see this new system for what it is. I don't get up every day dreading to go to work. Local food doesn't suffer the "jet lag" of produce trucked across the country. Please take a beautiful country drive to our mountainous county to visit with our farmers in their stores on their farms to buy those juicy tomatoes you love. The county celebrates the tomato in an annual festival since 1992. Our first sales were to individual stores, then we were asked to deliver the tomatoes to a central distribution center. These grants turn on in May of each year. Tennessee Homegrown Tomatoes is run by Steve Longmire. Hopefully, the younger generation will slide over to farming and feed the world.'. They wanted us to grow a tomato that conformed to their specs. Tomatoes are the main commodity and these “World Famous Tomatoes” are highlighted annually the last weekend in July at the Grainger County Tomato Festival. The south-central part of the county is ground zero for growing tomatoes. There are different reasons why these tomatoes have had these unique qualities. If you are interested in carrying our Grainger County Tomatoes, or other farm items, please inquire! It is the acid of the tomato that gives it a good taste. Grainger County is situated close to Knoxville and is renowned for its tomato crops. He also provides us with okra, yellow squash, zucchini, and green beans. We have people come in from out of state and make special trips to Grainger County to buy locally. 'We use greenhouses to get on the market as early as possible and stay as late as possible,' said Howard Morgan. Ritter Farms is a second generation family farm. Get directions, reviews and information for Williams Hubert Tomato Packers in Rutledge, TN. Farmers' Markets around Grainger County, TN. The only thing they could do was to choose the lesser of the evils of the genetically engineered tomato and grow the one with the least mealy, cardboard taste. There are two levels of funding: 35% and 50% cost-share dollars. Went to festival last weekend, unfortunately bought 2 boxes of homegrown tomatoes. Stratton generally starts his greenhouse tomatoes around Dec. 10, and then plants them about two months later. Menu & Reservations Make Reservations . Tomatoes with a “just picked out of the garden” taste are not perfect. In order to sell them a hard tomato that was perfectly shaped, and had a long shelf life and no blemishes, they would have to sacrifice the very thing that the Grainger County tomato was all about – good taste. We have seen this happen in the chain stores that we sell to. The only way the farmers could survive and continue selling tomatoes to the chain stores was to sacrifice taste in order to meet the requirements of the inspectors. Location (s): 175 Greelee Road. The first product has a good chance to be clean because the bath water starts out clean and the equipment starts out clean. Some of the shipping tomatoes I'm talking about are simply hybrids that have those characteristics, but some are genetically modified, and that's what scares me.'. 'We can ship a medium-grade flavor tomato with some extra shelf life to a restaurant in New Jersey, and when a customer puts that in their mouth, they'll swear it's the best tomato they've ever had,' Carver said. Those guidelines include detailed policies regarding production, packing, distribution and handling of fresh tomatoes. 'Right now we're gearing up for the Fourth of July. We're listed in ASAP's Wholesale Local Food Guide, ASAP's Farm to Business Trade Directory. Yes, that Grainger County — where home-grown and carefully cultivated tomatoes have gained a brilliant reputation for taste and texture from coast to coast, if not beyond. At Ritter Farms, we try to educate our consumers and especially young people who come to the farm in groups from their schools by letting them know what a garden variety tomato looks like and tastes like. They found varieties that had been engineered to ripen uniformly, be free of growth cracks, be perfectly uniform in shape and size, but in all the varieties, the one thing lacking was a good taste. We cull a lot of our tomatoes 'cause they crack. Hubert Williams. In stores that carry our tomatoes, once educated and enabled to recognize our tomato for its looks and taste, we have seen sales increase from 10 to 50 percent. This is not only true with tomatoes, but with other produce items as well. View our Wholesale Listing. Today there are over 650 hot houses in the county and 500 acres of field crops of mostly tomatoes which bring in $10 million in sales annually. VISITING. People have forgotten what a tomato is really supposed to taste like, and young people have never tasted a true “tomato taste.”. Our Farm … Each operation is a vine ripe operation. We have a strong local market, but we also ship to northern groceries.'. They are not hard as a brick, but they taste like a tomato rather than a piece of cardboard. People wonder what is happening to honey bees world-wide. Anthony Carver, Grainger County agricultural extension agent, said the county's greenhouse tomatoes are grown in the ground without the use of hydroponics. If I grew a hard, shipping tomato with no flavor, I'd be killing the Grainger County name.'. Early greenhouse tomatoes come first, followed by early, middle and late season field crops. Grainger county is a rural county whose primary industry is agriculture. We have concentrated on going back to the old varieties we used to grow by using heirloom seeds. That means that they are picked green, run through washing and grading machines that would bruise a ripe tomato, put in coolers and exposed to ethylene gas which makes them ripen. Hubert Williams has provided us with Grainger County tomatoes for over 20 years. RUTLEDGE, Tenn. — Some say it's the mist off Cherokee Lake that gives Grainger County tomatoes their renowned texture and flavor. Of the 95 counties in Tennessee, Grainger County ranks 77th in terms of size. Grainger County. Seed companies and other companies like Monsanto are genetically engineering our seeds to increase production, appearance, and shelf life at the expense of taste and health in most of our produce items. Tennessee Agriculture Enhancement Grant Program - These cost-share grants put money back onto the farm as investments to livestock handling equipment, registered bulls, hay storage barns, hay feeders and much more. It's a classic table tomato packed with flavor, but also somewhat delicate compared to hardier 'shipping' varieties. It is nothing more than an attempt to control our food supply by the federal government. View on a Map. Attention to safe practices is focused on everything from the quality of the soil where the tomatoes are grown, to the cleanliness of the packing facility, to the delivery to the markets. Ritter said in the last five years he has seen hybrids, and even genetically modified strains, overtake the old-fashioned tomato as growers strive to meet the demands of major supermarkets. Grainger County TN used to be the premier growing location for farms that produced great home grown tomatoes but the loss of mom and pop stores forced most of the growers to change to the terrible, hard, mealy, tasteless tomatoes they sell in chain supermarkets. Howard Morgan said as the market has expanded, he has invested in refrigerated trucks with air-ride suspension that protect his tomatoes over the long haul. We feel that this is the safer means of fertilizing our crops. Call for additional directions. We are a small agricultural community … Grainger County is situated on the Clinch River (impounded by Norris Dam to form Norris Lake) and on the Holston River (including Cherokee Lake). Somebody has got to do this after we're gone. In a lot of crops, we can almost be considered an organic grower except that we use commercial fertilizers instead of manure. Who knew an ear of corn or fresh tomato could improve your health, your community and the environment, all at the same time? In the county that’s home to the world-famous tomatoes, Red Barn Produce on U.S. Route 11-W in Grainger County serves as a community landmark and destination for fresh produce. Get reviews, hours, directions, coupons and more for Ritter Farms at 2999 Highway 11W S, Rutledge, TN 37861. Because of our history of growing a tomato with an exceptional taste and being proud to put our name on a unique product that keeps people coming back for more, we have become concerned about what is happening in the produce industry. We use buffer zones between crops. That's when the problems started. Find 71 listings related to Clifton Farms Tomatoes in Rutledge on YP.com. Like many Grainger County tomato producers, Howard Morgan Farms is a family operation. We explained that they were destroying the purpose of having a Grainger County tomato. 'People say the flavor is not there unless the tomato is grown in a field, but our way of producing in greenhouses is fairly unique,' Carver said. That simply means that our tomatoes are picked in a ripe stage and are ready to sell or eat. They'll talk to our produce managers and say, 'I want the very best you have.''. Longmire said it was in the early 1980s when Grainger County tomatoes started to achieve widespread recognition and growers like himself started to branch out to other states. People eat it and suffer the consequences. Some of the rows were covered in plastic, others mulched with straw. In 2018, Grainger County was reported to have over 650 greenhouses, 923 farms producing 500 acres of field vegetables, and nearly 90,000 acres of farmland. The farmers in Grainger County are still growing and selling our world famous tomatoes and other amazing veggies. Grainger County tomatoes have in recent decades become nationally and internationally renowned. The average size of farms for sale in Grainger County was 45 acres. 'The big stores want a product that's picture perfect and hard as brick — a tomato that's pretty, but has no taste. Now, the iconic red barn has donned an equally iconic shade of orange for the nearly 6,000 travelers who pass by each day. Now we provide acres of produce and other farm items to local vendors, grocers, individuals- both regionally and nationally. They grow hundreds of acres of tomatoes and ship farther than we do, but we grow a different product than they do,' he said. Growing tomatoes in Grainger County is a staggered process that occupies almost the entire year. The decomposition of the limestone rock in this county adds alkalinity to the soil and gives it a pH that is very favorable for growing tomatoes. Sprinkled throughout the landscape were dark-green fields where the early season tomato plants were held up by stakes and twine. Then they are sent to re-packers where they are handled again, place packed in boxes and stickered with a PLU code. PRODUCTS OFFERED. This tomato is not picture-perfect – it has a slight give to it, it normally has a large woody calyx end, it has a tomato smell and a rich tomato taste that is very juicy and not mealy. (Photo: Adam Lau), Freshly picked tomatoes sit in Hubert Williams Farms' storefront in Rutledge, Tenn. on Wednesday, June 8, 2016. The taste that keeps one coming back for more is from the acidic content of the tomato, not the sugar content. 'That's the best way to know that the food you're feeding your family is safe.'. We also feel that if these major chain stores must have the picture-perfect, hard-as-a-rock, cardboard-tasting tomato, then someone else will have to sell them this type of tomato because we have a dedication to the general public and to our customers to preserve the reputation of the Grainger County tomato and give them the best tasting tomato on the market. Chain stores, produce markets, and consumers all over this country are free to choose the kind of tomato they want to eat, but as for me and my family, we choose to grow the type of tomato that has a tomato taste, and we choose to grow it in a way that is safe for all those who choose to buy it and eat it. I can show them at Ritter Farms because we have our own honey bees and we have seen this take place ever since seed companies and Monsanto have developed this monster that has to be affecting the general population by causing different forms of diseases, especially cancers and serving as population control by causing sterility in humans. Grainger County's tomatoes are an agricultural success story on par with the sweet onions of Vidalia, Ga. Carver said about 70 percent of Grainger County's tomatoes are the 'flavor' variety that's the most perishable. "Grainger County tomatoes mean the world to Grainger County and the reason is, we don't have a lot of industry. Vegetables tomatoes . 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