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Re: Shipping tomatoes

Mike wants to ship his Zone 5 tomatoes to Florida:
>        I'm looking for some info on shipping tomatoes out to a relative who
>loves them. I want to send my father-in-law some tomatoes via UPS or
>first class mail. Does anybody have any suggestions how I should ship
>tomatoes ? I'm in Ma. and he lives in Fl., it should not take more than
>2 to 3 day's for them to arrive to his house. If anybody has done this
>before or has any suggestions please let me know.

I have a brother living in Naples, FL, on the gulf side opposite Miami.
Naples is a *big* commercial tomato-growing area, and just as there are
local firms specializing in the shipment of citrus up north, there are
tomato firms that ship toms the same way.

I know for a local fact that the citrus firms in that area use UPS and do
not spend the extra money for overnight service.  However, their products
come with thick skins and naturally resist the slings and arrows of truck
and plane operations much better than toms would.

Here's my advice (not based on what the pro's might be up to):

Go to Federal Express and establish an account if you don't already have one
(doing that is free, but I believe you have to have a major credit card to
do it).

Get a FedEx mailing tube.  It starts ot flat but assembles to a square-sided
receptacle about 3 feet long with each side about 3.5 inches across.
Assemble the tube and shut one end permanently.  Pour an inch or two of
styrofoam peanuts into the bottom of the tube.  Carefully lower tomato #1
onto the packing material.  Another inch of peanuts.  Tomato #2, etc.,
alternating layers to the top of the tube.  End with peanuts; tamp the
contents down gently by bumping the closed end of the tube on the floor.
Maximize the peanut content before closing the second end for good.

If you choose fairly *un*ripe tomatoes for this and use overnight shipping,
I believe you will be successful.  Totally ripe toms will be so soft that
they might not remain intact for the whole trip.  Then the tube will be a
mess to deal with.

If you decide to send all-green toms, be certain to check their bottoms for
the presence of white branches radiating out from the center in a spindly
starlike formation.  These signal the "turn" of the tomato.  Greenies
without the star will never ripen.  Greenies with the star will *all* ripen.

Warn your recipient to open the tube immediately and position it on its side
and gently shake the tube until the bottom couple of toms roll out.  If they
seem to be stuck, the cardboard sides of the tube can be cut with a sharp
knife, but that does pose a small risk to the remaining fruit.

It's not insane to send toms to Florida now, by the way.  As Doreen wrote
from south of Houston recently, she's done with the first tomato crop now.
Floridians must be in about the same situation.

--Janet
------------------------------------------------------------------
Janet Wintermute             jwintermute@ids2.idsonline.com

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