ABOUT
Delectation of Tomatoes, etc. was established in 2011 with these primary objectives:
• Enhance physical and psychological health
• Facilitate appreciation for and enjoyment of the best food the earth has to offer
• Promote ecologically responsible and sustainable food growing practices
• Encourage self-reliance and independence from the “System” for nutritional needs
• Preserve, propagate and promote the growing of rare and heirloom garden vegetable
varieties from around the world
Accordingly, offerings and services have included:
• Seeds - more than 4,000 varieties in inventory, 75% of these tomatoes
• Starts - up to 30,000 seedlings raised each spring
• Produce - CSA's, restaurant, health food stores, famers markets as outlets
• Service - consulting on strategies, solutions, workshops, classes with particular focus
on design solutions for growing year-round at higher elevations
All phases of this business use only organic (though not officially certified - are you kidding?
Who has time or $ to jump through THOSE hoops??), non-GMO products and methods.
Currently (2023), primary focus is on offering seeds, seedlings and service, with some produce available August - October.
Why Tomatoes? Perhaps this question merits and in-depth blog post. But for the moment, check out this article:
HEALTH BENEFITS OF TOMATOES
A few defining traits about Delectation of Tomatoes:
• Sole proprietorship, with occasional help from relatives and volunteers, along with occasional part-time, paid help.
• All seeds, seedlings and produce are personally produced, harvested, processed and distributed by me (Dale)
• There is no retailing, no reselling and no pretending
• Remember the Fairy Tale, "The Emperor's New Clothes?". Like the guileless young boy
in the story, I will label a tomato as I see it and as measured against objective criteria
whenever feasible. Be honest - have you ever seen a "Black" tomato? "Dark" is a far
less precise term; "Burnt Umber" or such a much better approximation. And don't get
me started on "Pink" tomatoes. "Giant", "Huge" and such are relative terms. You will find
actual weights here, as weighed on scales precise to 0.002 lbs. Likewise, geometric
descriptive terms such as "Spheroid", "Cardioid" and "Prolate" are used to describe
shapes, while names of other fruits are used sparingly; and "Beefsteak" to describe a
tomato - huh?? Self-appointed queens and kings of all things tomato - those who
try to dictate - will get little obeisance from me. Likewise for the highly critical,
negative, naysayers and arrogant. I don't often contribute to online forums
anymore because of certain supercilious and disrespectful persons who dominate
online gardening forums. I simply don't have the time, or energy, or ego to do battle.
• All published photographs are my originals; all descriptions are also original unless clearly stated otherwise
• I fully endorse the Open Seed Source Initiative (OSSI), and this statement applies to seeds of all varieties that I have developed and released:
"You have the freedom to use these OSSI-Pledged seeds in any way you choose.
In return, you pledge not to restrict others’ use of these seeds or their derivatives
by patents or other means, and to include this Pledge with any transfer of these
seeds or their derivatives."
In my opinion, those opposed to OSSI have ego issues and desire to control others...
• I am neither qualified nor educated enough to use verbiage such as "rare", "exclusive",
or "only person who offers"; what is rare to someone in Fargo, North Dakota
might be quite common among those who live in Ngozi, Burundi. But how could I
know this for 3,000 varieties? For example, for a variety which I have been offering
since 2013, a bombastic seed seller writes at SSE, "ONLY USA SEED SOURCE! ..."
This is the some person who uses words such as "RARE" and "EXCLUSIVE" more than
100 times on their website. To each their own, I suppose.
• I am reluctant to sell seeds to people or companies who are trying to make a
profit from my labors - those who buy my seeds in bulk, repackage them
under their label, "borrow" pictures from my website, become my
competitors, then undercut my already very modest prices. For example, in
early 2023, one of my fiercest competitors (who shall remain unnamed here,
but who has a huge following on YouTube and far superior marketing skills)
approached me, urging me to grow seeds for his company. "I pay really well,
$60 for one ounce of tomato seeds". Well, one ounce of tomato seeds can be
sold for about $1,000 (at 10 cents per seed) if I sell them directly to my own
customers. I was seriously insulted and offended. My tomato patch is barely 1/10th
of an acre in size, and I grow very intensely. I politely declined, he obnoxiously
persisted. I fumed for a few hours, then chose not to respond anymore, rather
than spew the venom that I felt. It's a personal lesson in some of the worst
aspects of capitalism: the middle-man makes most of the profits, sets the
prices, takes advantage of the poor, leads to inflation, etc. Look into the causes of
the recent out-of-control prices of lumber and eggs. It's really about greed and
profiteering - not about supply and demand.
• For perspective, the average citizen from Kenya earns more than my net
business income (my only source). Even though I devote 100+ hours per week
to this endeavor, 52 weeks every year, keeping it afloat is an enormous
challenge. Most people who have not attempted this can scarcely conceive of how
the business expenses pile up. An alternate perspective: after business expenses,
I have to work for 14 hours to make what the average American earns in one. Rather than
raise prices (as so many have urged me to do), I choose to devote almost every waking hour
to Delectation of Tomatoes, work as hard, as long, and fast as my no-longer-young body
can manage, and I'm constantly trying to improve efficiency without sacrificing quality.
• In competitive markets, customer reviews are very important for many
consumers. So please do check out what other tomato growers
are saying about Delectation of Tomatoes:
www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=39407
Saving germplasm of thousands of varieties from around the world is obviously
an endeavor that belongs under the auspice of a non-profit conservation
organization, research university, or government entity; and what I'm attempting
and hoping to do really deserves the work of at least ten people working full time.
But at this point, I don't own one square foot of land on which to grow and am very
far from being able to afford to pay a full-time assistant. So your patient indulgence
is appreciated as this vision unfolds at a much slower rate than either of us would prefer.
Delectation of Tomatoes, etc.
PO Box 655
East Carbon, UT 84520
[email protected]
www.delectationoftomatoes.com
www.gianttomatoseeds.com
Proprietor: Dale K. Thurber, Ph.D.
Phone: So many solicitors... send email first if you would like to talk by phone.
I don't bite! (Unless you're a tomato or a melon...)
PO Box 655
East Carbon, UT 84520
[email protected]
www.delectationoftomatoes.com
www.gianttomatoseeds.com
Proprietor: Dale K. Thurber, Ph.D.
Phone: So many solicitors... send email first if you would like to talk by phone.
I don't bite! (Unless you're a tomato or a melon...)
Wondering about seed purity, germination rates, etc.? See this recent blog post:
Seed Germination Tests
and
DT DISCLOSURE
Update 4-10-2017
Preliminary seed germination tests are in for varieties planted in plug trays in late March, 2017.
Germination rates listed here are only for seeds raised by Delectation of Tomatoes.
Tomato seeds (harvested between 2010-2016): 85.8% (87.7% for those seedlings destined only for sale, not seed propogation)
By year
2010: 83.3
2011: 91.7
2012: 88.5
2013: 63.9
2014: 86.4
2015: 78.7
2016: 88.7
Sample sizes were too small to make valid comparisons between years, but it appears that there is little concern that older seeds have reduced germination rates yet. This summary represents 88 batches, 11-20 days after seed sowing. There is some chance of additional germination, but in my experience, nearly all tomato seeds that will germinate do so within 10 days.
Of these 88 batches, 37 had 100% germination and 66 had over 80%. Only one batch (Sibirskiy Skorospelyi) had less than 50%, that is, only 1 of 6 seeds has emerged to date.
Pepper seeds
The news is not nearly so good: 62.5% average germination rate among 32 batches, with 5 batches at 100%, 14 batches > 80%, 9 batches under 50% and 3 with 0% (I already knew about these - planted heavily just to see if ANY of the seeds might germinate - trying to rescue the varieties for my inventory). Looks like I need to start including more pepper seeds in seed envelopes, and especially allow pods to mature fully on the plant before harvest!
Seed Germination Tests
and
DT DISCLOSURE
Update 4-10-2017
Preliminary seed germination tests are in for varieties planted in plug trays in late March, 2017.
Germination rates listed here are only for seeds raised by Delectation of Tomatoes.
Tomato seeds (harvested between 2010-2016): 85.8% (87.7% for those seedlings destined only for sale, not seed propogation)
By year
2010: 83.3
2011: 91.7
2012: 88.5
2013: 63.9
2014: 86.4
2015: 78.7
2016: 88.7
Sample sizes were too small to make valid comparisons between years, but it appears that there is little concern that older seeds have reduced germination rates yet. This summary represents 88 batches, 11-20 days after seed sowing. There is some chance of additional germination, but in my experience, nearly all tomato seeds that will germinate do so within 10 days.
Of these 88 batches, 37 had 100% germination and 66 had over 80%. Only one batch (Sibirskiy Skorospelyi) had less than 50%, that is, only 1 of 6 seeds has emerged to date.
Pepper seeds
The news is not nearly so good: 62.5% average germination rate among 32 batches, with 5 batches at 100%, 14 batches > 80%, 9 batches under 50% and 3 with 0% (I already knew about these - planted heavily just to see if ANY of the seeds might germinate - trying to rescue the varieties for my inventory). Looks like I need to start including more pepper seeds in seed envelopes, and especially allow pods to mature fully on the plant before harvest!
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Delectation of Tomatoes Receives 2016 Best of West Valley City Award
West Valley City Award Program Honors the Achievement
WEST VALLEY CITY July 7, 2016 -- Delectation of Tomatoes has been selected for the 2016 Best of West Valley City Award in the Vegetable and Melon Farming category by the West Valley City Award Program.
Each year, the West Valley City Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the West Valley City area a great place to live, work and play.
Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2016 West Valley City Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the West Valley City Award Program and data provided by third parties.
About West Valley City Award Program
The West Valley City Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the West Valley City area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.
The West Valley City Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community's contributions to the U.S. economy.
SOURCE: West Valley City Award Program
CONTACT:
West Valley City Award Program
Email: [email protected]
URL: http://www.awardconnect.org
Links to online articles etc. about Delectation of Tomatoes
2016 Best of West Valley City Award
The Green Urban Lunchbox: Delectation of Tomatoes
Catalyst Magazine: Delectation of Tomatoes
Deseret News: Big Tomatoes
KSL Radio: Delectation of Tomatoes
Utah Pumpkin Growers: Largest Tomatoes
Salt Lake Tribune: Record Tomato
Wasatch Cooperative Market: Testimonial
- To the many people who insist that I "ought" to have pictures of myself plastered all over my website, blog and videos:
You don't know me; you just don't understand what feeds my ego or my passion.
- A lifetime of living in a dark fog of serious toxic shame (thanks, cult religion...)
- Highly Sensitive Person (look it up), with an endless stream of extraordinarily painful rejections by other people
- Dismal failure at so many things
- PTSD, many bouts of severe depression and other mental illnesses too painful to mention
So, here's my facetious photo:
You don't know me; you just don't understand what feeds my ego or my passion.
- A lifetime of living in a dark fog of serious toxic shame (thanks, cult religion...)
- Highly Sensitive Person (look it up), with an endless stream of extraordinarily painful rejections by other people
- Dismal failure at so many things
- PTSD, many bouts of severe depression and other mental illnesses too painful to mention
So, here's my facetious photo:
February 2021 above, March 2023 below [I finally found something I am good at: growing hair]
