Fully Ripened, Not Gassed, Tomatoes Is Way for Farmers to Improve Sales

Regarding the article about the losses sustained by tomato farmers in the 1991 season (“Tomato Farmers in the Red After a Rotten ’91 Season,” Sept. 20, Business): Could it be that consumers are finally waking up to the fact that the tomatoes sent to market by these farmers are practically inedible? Gassing a tomato to turn it red does not ripen it, and it still tastes like a green tomato.

As a back-yard tomato grower, I’ve always marveled that anyone would buy the tomatoes--more than once anyway--that commonly appear in our local markets. I think that farmers should concentrate on figuring out some way to get their tomatoes to market in a ripened condition, as there are few things in this world tastier than a fully ripened tomato. Surely this would improve their sales?

JAMES R. GALLAGHER

Huntington Beach