GRAINGER COUNTY, Tenn. — In Grainger County, the annual tomato festival draws hundreds of people in every year. 2019 was no different, and organizers say it grows bigger every year.
"Because we add more things, people are coming out to see the different things," Kathie Self, the chairman of the tomato festival said.
All the tomatoes at the festival, even the fried green ones, came from local produce.
"You know our farmers are the lifeline," Self admitted.
Farmers noticed there was a bigger crop of people, "The crowd seems to be really good this year, so we're tickled with that," Kim Stratton, the owner of Stratton Farms said.
But explained the weather this year brought in an average amount of the red fruits.
"We had a couple of weeks in May when it was really, really hot in the mid 90s, and that made the plants really yearn for lots of water, so we've been having to use lots of irrigation until here lately and now we're getting lots of rain," Stratton noted.
When it comes to tomatoes, the dryer, the better.
"Too much rain messes stuff up," Tony Morgan, owner of Tony Morgan Farms explained. "especially if it's real hot and then you get rain and then the cold water on it messes the fruit up on it."
"It turns them black around the stem, which they're still fine to eat, just not that pleasant to look at," Stratton detailed.
The secret to that sweet, unmistakable Grainger County tomato taste? Everyone has their opinions.
"I believe it's the soil," Self added in. "I'm not the agricultural extension agent, but in my mind it's the soil."
"Some say it's the soil, some say it's the climate we're at, all I know is they're good," Stratton continued.
"Well they're recognized worldwide, Grainger County tomatoes are," Morgan said.
Overall, the festival hopes to keep growing, and the farmers always hope for a good season.
"We've got a lot to celebrate," Self admitted. "We are a good, family community, and we want to show everybody."
Farmers say tomato season usually goes until the first freeze in November.
You can get all the tomatoes you want at the festival, though, and that goes until Sunday, the 28th.
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