Tomato Harvest

[RobS]

I have a question of curiosity about tomatoes, and this likely applies to many other seasonal crops.

Not far from me are a lot of tomato fields (SW MI). A few weeks back, I was driving by and saw the harvesting. Interesting process, I should have taken a couple of photos. Bottom line, the tomatoes are loaded into semi-trailers with 2 large, shallow "gondolas" per trailer. That would make them about 20' long, 8' wide and maybe 3' high.

Also not far from me, in the other direction is Red Gold, a tomato processing company in Elwood, IN. Also a few weeks back, I was on US31 headed north and saw a pretty steady stream of the tomato trucks headed towards Elwood.

So here's my question: Given that the tomato crop all comes in over a few weeks, and comes in huge volume, how do they handle that at the plant? Does it only operate for a few weeks a year or are they able to store the tomatoes to extend the processing window?

Thanks in advance!

 

[MossRoad]

I've always wondered about that too. We started noticing the tomato trucks in the fall on our trips back and forth to Purdue over a 9 year span that finally ended 2 years ago. They all appear to be Roma tomatoes, or at least shaped like Romas.

Here's one I took back on October 2 this year turning off of 31 towards Elwood.

 

[RobS]

Yep, that's a tomato truck!

Interesting that they use a dolly to pull the road trailer right through the field with a big, articulated tractor. Harvester loads directly into the road trailer. Sure makes for messy roads in the area, and they even have signs indicating such!

 

[MossRoad]

I might have mentioned this before. When our oldest graduated high school in 2011 I was fixing up the yard for the graduation party. Needed some sod. Went to Red Hen Turf Farm. Expecting to see pictures of sod on their walls, I was surprised there were none, and all of the pictures were of tomatoes. I mentioned something to the person at the counter and they said they had a business relationship with Red Gold, there were tomato fields all over the area, and they gave me a bottle of Red Gold jalapeño ketchup with my sod purchase!

The following fall, heading off to Purdue, we noticed the tomato trucks and tomatoes all over the highway. Now it's a tradition to look for the tomato trucks each fall.

 

[MossRoad]

Found this 10 year old video. Thing that stuck out to me...

29 TONS per acre!

 

[MossRoad]

So back to your original question...

It looks like for their canning operation, they run 24/7 for about 65 days, and can everything for the entire season as soon as it comes out of the field.

I'm gonna guess they do the same with the ketchups.

Can't find anything specific about that.

 

[MossRoad]

Geeze.... 45 minutes from the time it comes off the truck to the time it's in the can and done!!!

Very nice.

We use their products a lot at home. Always tasty.

 

[MossRoad]

Good think I'm sitting home with bronchitis today, because I'm spending a couple hours searching youtube for red gold ketchup, and there's a bunch of videos showing everything from start to finish, tractors in the field, trucking, etc...

 

[RobS]

Good stuff, thanks Moss! Yeah, I think the reason I brought this up is that I made spaghetti sauce last night with Red Gold tomatoes and sauce.

 

[beowulf]

Harvesting season here much longer - at least in our garden - typically get tomatoes from about early to mid June and until about the first week of December. (Central California foothills)

 

[MossRoad]

Good stuff, thanks Moss! Yeah, I think the reason I brought this up is that I made spaghetti sauce last night with Red Gold tomatoes and sauce.

About my favorite chili is a pound of browned ground beef, a packet of Chili-O (might be discontinued, but I have 10 packs left), a can of light red kidney beans, a can of dark red kidney beans, a can of Brooks chili hot beans, and a few cans of various 'chili ready' tomatoes from Red Gold.

 

[MossRoad]

Harvesting season here much longer - at least in our garden - typically get tomatoes from about early to mid June and until about the first week of December. (Central California foothills)

Yep. We get them all summer long as well. However, this is industrial farming for canning. They only do one pass per year. And then it's game on!

 

[BackRoad]

And how in the world do they pick tomatoes without crushing them?

It's a relatively tender crop...

Guess I need to Google it (Is google a noun or a verb)?

 

[BackRoad]

Mr. MossRoad...I found your Rex Gold Youtube video on tomato picking...wow!

One scene which only lasts for about 30 seconds around the 9 minute mark shows the automatic "color sorter" that separates (actually KICKS OUT) green tomatoes back into the field.

Amazing technology!

 

[jaxs]

And how in the world do they pick tomatoes without crushing them?

It's a relatively tender crop...

Guess I need to Google it (Is google a noun or a verb)?

Commercial tomatoes are far tougher than home grown varities. If some clever sole was able to combine shipping ability with taste,there would be 75% fewer home gardens. If a burger franchise had year round access to tomatoes with home grown taste and a way of getting them from field to restraunt it would be game over for compitition.

 

[MossRoad]

Mr. MossRoad...I found your Rex Gold Youtube video on tomato picking...wow!

One scene which only lasts for about 30 seconds around the 9 minute mark shows the automatic "color sorter" that separates (actually KICKS OUT) green tomatoes back into the field.

Amazing technology!

Yep. So it detects the color and blasts the misfits out with air and fingers. Now those are tomatoes. Relatively large if you compare that they sort rice the same way in the 'rice factory'. Individual misfit grains are puffed out of line. Think about that. A video system can detect off-color grains and puff em out of the stream.

Industrial farming and the supply system are incredible.