What about separate baskets for each variety?

I've yet to find a label that works as efficiently as I would like. I now use a marker and write on the bottom of the fruits. Depending on what varieties I have in the garden, I don't have to even spell out the name...abbreviations work well. They make food-grade markers as well. This of course, if just for my own indentification of each variety and not necessarily what I would use for identification to a customer.

Jay

Personally, I would be put off by anyone writing with anything on the food I'd be eating, even with food grade markers. It's just gross to think of eating anything with INK on it. Ink is simply NOT natural.

Make labels with 80-per-sheet labels (Avery 8167) or put a sign on the baskets. Smaller baskest can be purchased at dollar stores for little money--or go to tag sales and get them for nearly free. If you can get wicker baskets or mallorca pottery all the better--people associate tomatoes with Central/South America--find some display baskets or containers that fit that descriptive.

Your customers need generic labeling...yellow beefsteaks, brick-colored tomatoes (try not to say black--which has a lot of bad feeling as a food-color to people as black equates emotionally with rot, so brick-coloered is less upsetting), red beefsteaks, orange pastes, saladettes, etc are all good choices. Use cheery colors and descriptive adjectives for basket labels. If you're growing a brandywine, then say brandywine because it's become a name synonymous with good tasting heirloms, but for the rest, stick with descriptive shape and color for their labels.

Marketing is everything--don't write on the fruits and appeal to peoples emotions when you sell--you should then do well.

I do not have anything to contribute to the question but all I can say is those tomatoes look awsome!!!

Debbie, the seperate baskets work for more plants and I even use for cherry and grape varieties but for many heirlooms I might only pick 2-4 tomatoes.

A food grade marker should work well in dry conditions. That is a great idea if customers accept the concept. The identity is as much for their benefit as mine and some want to even buy and compare very similar looking fruits like the Paul Robeson Angolan, Black Prince and Noir de Crime.

I see a potentially higher demand if people are offered more information with their purchases. I just wish that the ID would be as simple as the picking.

Trudi makes some exellent points regarding the use of a marker or not using it and for all the reasons she mentioned, I probably would not recommend it. Again, I'm mostly referring for personal identification purposes. However, I do think it necessary to state what the individual varieties are. Your repeat customers will no doubt discover a favorite and they won't be able to positively identify their favorite if the tomatoes are identified with generic labels as the customer won't necessarily be able to determine one yellow variety from the next. With the variety name, they can identify with the specific yellow variety next year.

Jay

Years ago when I was selling to chefs as well as delivering fruits to a large retail place I faced the same issue.

I'd try to pick all of one kind in the basket and then all of the next kind, etc., but by that time I'd have baskets and baskets of fruits although I was sure I'd remember the varieties, it wasn't fool proof.

Then I started using those circular stick ons or even the square ones, but often the fruits would be wet and they'd fall off.

So I too finally started using abbreviations at the top of the fruits and the chefs and customers really appreciated that. One can mark in small letters in an area at the top that isn't going to eaten anyway.

I always had a several sheet handout that gave all the info I had about each variety and the abbreviation used was next to each variety on that sheet.

Cherry TOmatoes were different b'c I'd deliver them in pints and a simple stickum label or stick label did the trick for those, except for the pints that I called mixed and had cherries of many different colors.

So in my experience, the consumer really does want to know what variety they're buying, it's part of the so called mystique of OP heirlooms, and preparing a hand out sheet I think goes a long way towards facilitating even more interest.

Carolyn

Maybe you can find a way to partition your baskets, the holes on the side may aid the cause. i.e. a basket may be divided into separate compartments of varying sizes, accounting for the different quantities of each variety harvested. Of course it would be imperfect, with some compartments being under/over utilized. In addition a metal clip identifying each variety could be moved when needed.

I vote against the food marker, even if it poses no more risk than the glue on a sticker, some may perceive it otherwise, which is all that really matters when you sell them.

My method is to stick NUMBERS on tags.......e.g., 1 to 50, which then go on fruit

Numbers with names of all season's varieties are on printed/copied sheets of paper. This sheet can also be BLOWN UP and posted on the wall.....you'd be amazed how many people would be interested enough to read that list.

Thanks for all the good suggestions. I had tried Avery preprinted labels Trudi, but I couldn't rapidly locate the correct label on multiple sheets and til I was finished picking most of my sheets were wrinkled and unclean looking.

I may just keep my present price labeler. As you can tell in the pics I do use abreviations,"UG" for Mr. Ugly, etc. I'll admit many customers will need a translator. With the belt attached labeler I can make reasonable speed and I do know the ID (and don't label) about half of the varieties which accounts for 90% of the fruit picked.

My sense of the customer feedback is that they DO want the info. I have a few great customers that ask for specifics and others who may just purchase a few new varieties each week until they've samples all I have to offer. I can't take those requests lightly.

I'm always concerned about smudge of the marker on the fruit. A smudged label is just unreadable but smudges on the fruit may be unacceptable. I often hear the "What's that" comment on a variety of produce. Usually the tomatoes have a specific group of questions.

Thanks to all comments.

I agree with all that Trudi said. I too wouldn't buy tomatoes with writing on them, even if the ink is edible. I'm not even sure I would even be aware of the reason at the time I decided not to purchase tomatoes.

Trudi is also right about it being all about marketing.

I thoroughly appreciate how our local market does it. They too have a gorgeous inviting display of multicolored, shaped, and sized tomatoes. Above the display of tomatoes, they have a colomn of photos or rendered drawings each with a short description much like what Trudi said. Next to each picture they provide the name and a sentence or two like "Cherokee Purple: Large, deep purple to root beer in color with full, sweet flavor. While considered a great slicer, it's always a favorite in salads."

If you do it this way, you won't have to label each tomato. If you don't happen to have a particular variety that is listed, customers will take the time to look for it, then ask you if you haven any. That gives you the opportunity to tell them you'll have them next week or suggest another similar variety they can try.

Definately write a more enticing description than I just did.

Your display is beautiful! I would love to see you use it's allure rather than split up all those beauties.

Good luck!
Erin

I agree with Carolyn and Jay. Personally I would rather have writing in a small area with a marker than any sticker on my food. A local greenhouse put stickers on his for awhile and I didn't buy any. Just shows we each have our own preferences. The ones I plan on selling if I have extra's I will use small one or two letter abbreviations. Personally I don't have the time to mess with labels. Jay