Keith,,I just bought two bushels of green beans for canning from a local farmer and paid just about the same price you have listed there.I see it lists "canner tomatoes" price but doesnt say for how much.Bushel,,pounds?

Do these same vendors attend Rogers auctions?
I know quite a few that buy machinery there.

I have a few jars that need reloaded.
I should go.


I think Ohio is the auction Capitol of America.

The canner tomatoes are usually sold by the half bushel, but since they don't say, were likely a bushel, which is the default measurement. Tomatoes can be sold by the bushel, half bushel, peck, half peck, 10 pound box, or bag. It's important to know what size container you are bidding on, to determine what to bid. Canners are usually a mix of tomatoes. I bought 8 half bushels of canners, a couple of weeks ago and they were mostly over, or undersized oxhearts, smaller romas and small slicer tomatoes, in that order of prevalence. Mixing tomato varieties makes better sauce, just like mixing apple varieties makes better pies and cider. Cherry tomatoes make very good sauce too.

A bushel of tomatoes weighs around 48 to 60 pounds, usually being in the mid fifty pound range. Depending on the size of the produce and how it's packed, weights vary a lot.

Canner tomatoes are usually, but not always, blemish free.

Keith

I have not been to Rogers. It is too far. I wish it was closer. The Amish all sell at the closest auction to them, I would guess they all live under 15 miles from the auctions I go to. Using horse and buggy, or horse and wagon, really limits their range.

The produce is mostly picked the day before, or early that morning. The produce auctions usually start late enough in the day to give them time to pick immediately before. The quality is usually outstanding, because they pick at near peak sugar and ripeness. Being at peak, you have to process, or chill most produce very quickly, to prevent spoilage.

Produce auctions are usually twice weekly, to every other day, depending on the location. Most of the larger buyers resell the produce. I know the largest buyer at Scioto Valley. He makes mid 6 figures in sales, but has a pretty huge amount of waste, that substantially lowers his profit margins.

Keith

Well it said canner tomatoes $4.70,,so no way that was for a whole bushel.But even if that was for a Peck,,it would still be a bargain price.

I pretty often get 10 pound boxes of tomatoes for 50 cents a box. That's a nickel a pound. That $4.70 might well be for a whole bushel. $4.70 for a peck of canners would be very high. The best I ever did on tomatoes, was on flats of 12, 2 pound clamshells, of cherry tomatoes for 50 cents a flat. That came out to a little over 2 cents a pound. There was a bad tomato or two every few clamshells. They were labeled "product of Mexico".

They often run many pallets of produce that is excess, or slightly blemished, from commercial growers like Dole. I have seen as many as 8 pallets of bananas sell at Scioto in a day. The first few 20 pound boxes will go as high as $2.00 a box for choice. They sell those to everyone that is interested at that price, starting with the winning bidder, to the backup bidder, going until nobody else wants them at the same price. Most buyers will buy 1 to a few boxes for that. They then keep auctioning larger lots, until they are all sold. The last buyer takes whatever ever is left at usually 25 cents per 20 pound box of bananas. Often that is a few pallets of boxes still. I think there is 20, 20 pound boxes of bananas per pallet.

They do pineapples, lemons, limes, oranges, grapes, strawberries, grapefruits, celery, lettuce, cabbage, potatoes and cut and washed fruit, such as cantaloupe, watermelon, papaya, strawberries, fruit blends and bags of salad mixes, the same way. That stuff mostly goes extraordinarily cheap at the end.

They sell candy, chips, pretzels, cereal, tea, coffee, salad dressing and all sorts of canned food like that too sometimes, especially in the Spring, when there's not a lot of produce yet.

Keith

We might ride over to Rogers.
We have New Wilmington, Smicksburg and R19 here.
No way they will produce to mid Oct.

All I have left is tomato and pepper,
and I am hiding from those.

You must be West of Little Beaver fur buyer.
Been there, sold to him RIP and the now Nephew?
They attend(ed) our D fur sale.

Small world man.

Good luck with the huckstering.

Same at West Salem Auction, lot of big buyers sell their extras .
Mid October is right around our first frost date.
Mostly cabbage, broccoli cauliflower , brussels sprouts , apples and what's left of winter squash, at the last few sales.
Monday, Wednesday and Friday are sale days.
I've bought canner tomatoes for 50 cents a big box, not a bushel box , just what the seller had .
Cash is usually the way of business.
Get some great deals, and if you get a bad bunch, just report the seller number to the auction house, they take care of it.
Buyers and sellers have numbers issued at the time you register.
You need a number to buy or sell.
That's your number for life.

I did find a good deal today!! Gala apples @ $0.29/lb at Piggly Wiggly.

I 'm not sure, but anywhere there's an Amish population, there's a produce auction.
Seems to be the case here and in Michigan .
I know Amish live in New York as Amish go back and forth from here.
They seem to have relatives in both places as well as Michigan.
Check around your state for Amish communities.
More than likely they will have auctions.
There are some English as the Amish call us, that go to Amish farms and haul large loads of produce for them, much like the vans that take them to bigger cities to shop.

Angela, here's some Missouri Produce auctions.

"Missouri hosts a variety of produce auctions, primarily geared toward wholesale buyers, with several operated by Amish and Mennonite communities offering fresh, local fruits and vegetables.
Key Produce Auctions
1. Central Missouri Produce Auction (Fortuna, MO)

Address: 37808 State Highway E, Fortuna, MO 65034
Hours: Monday 11:00–15:00, Wednesday 09:00–13:00, Friday 09:00–13:00
Details: Established by Old Order Mennonite farmers, this auction draws buyers from across Missouri. About 90% of produce comes from farms within a 10-mile radius. Auctions are fast-paced, with two auctioneers selling large lots of fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Open to wholesale buyers and anyone using produce for canning or freezing
KCUR 89.3 - NPR in Kansas City
KCUR 89.3 - NPR in Kansas City
+1
.
2. North Missouri Produce Auction (Jamesport, MO)
Address: 32629 State Highway F, Jamesport, MO 64648
Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 08:00–15:00
Details: Amish-operated, offering produce grown within 100 miles. Auctions include vegetables, fruits, and nursery plants. Primarily for wholesalers, but small lots are available for individual buyers
BusinessYab
BusinessYab
+1
.
3. Webster County Produce Auction (Seymour, MO)
Address: 801 Berry Rd, Seymour, MO 65746
Hours: Tuesday & Friday 13:00–16:00
Details: Retail-focused auction selling fresh produce to local buyers
missouri.edu
missouri.edu
.
4. Leadmine Produce Auction (Tunas, MO)
Address: 839 State Road T, Tunas, MO
Details: Local auction serving retail buyers, with a focus on fresh produce
missouri.edu
missouri.edu
.
5. 4-County Produce Auction (Windsor, MO)
Address: 1399 NE Highway WW, Windsor, MO
Details: Wholesale auction for stores, farm markets, and individuals using produce for canning or freezing
missouri.edu
missouri.edu
.
6. C Hwy Produce Auction (Seymour, MO)
Address: State Hwy P, Seymour, MO 65746
Hours: Tuesday–Friday 10:00–13:00
Details: Amish-run auction selling produce by boxes or flats, with a variety of vegetables, flowers, and plants"

Keith

Look online for produce auctions in your state.

I did look it up. Nearest one I found was in TN, about 4 hours. But lots closer than OH, lol.

I did a search for Mississippi produce auctions, and they're there, but the links were confusing.

I found this but don't know where, but it looks like the produce auctions up here.
Maybe you can find out something.

https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=A2RRjJc4xrRq8AIAhGkPxQt.;_ylu=Y29sbwN1cy1lYXN0LTEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Nj?hsp


https://www.mississippifarmtoschool.org/ms-farm-fresh-map

The Amish are not known for having decent websites.

Keith