Mini Tomato Crisis

For anyone who has gone to buy fresh tomatoes recently, yes they really have gotten expensive.  There have been poor harvests in the southern U.S. and northern Mexico, where we get our tomatoes this time of year.  The wholesale prices have skyrocketed, and the quality is not always great.  I did an invoice at work, and it was $95 for 20 lbs of slicing tomatoes.  At Smart & Final, it was $83.  The case of Romas I bought last year to can for $15 is now $45.

This is kind of like the year eggs were expensive due to bird flu.  Now you can find them for 99¢ on occasion.  It's supply and demand.  I fully expect prices to normalize within a month, as more tomato crops start to come in.

Meanwhile, I'm popping open those jars I canned last year.  I'm eating 69¢ per pound tomatoes, when Romas are $2.49 today.  Ok, yes, they're canned and it isn't exactly the same thing, but they still taste good in salads and burritos.

There's the possibility that this current shortage will show up in canned product prices in six months.  It may not happen, if back supplies are sufficient.  Commercially canned tomato products have a shelf life of close to two years.  The problem is that, unlike many other vegetables, tomato products aren't sold frozen.  Your choices are fresh or canned.  There is freeze-dried tomato powder, but you might as well just get canned tomato paste for that.

The lesson from this is to know your supply options.  When eggs were pricey, I experimented with egg replacer powder.  In a tomato shortage, I'm finding other vegetable workarounds.  Beef is expensive, so I'm eating less red meat.  I'm supposed to limit it on my current diet anyway.  There's plenty of food in the stores.  You just have to learn to cook with what's available at the price you're willing to pay.