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market-farming - [Market-farming] Re: shallots, alliums and other bulbous things

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  • From: Roger Weeks <roger69 AT yahoo.com>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Re: shallots, alliums and other bulbous things
  • Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2003 12:56:15 -0800 (PST)

This is just my .02, but I don't recommend growing any root vegetables
for sale to restaurants. Here's why:

You can find a local restaurant with a chef who is really into "local"
food. However, he's already got suppliers. Some of them might
actually provide him "local" food. Chances are, however, that the
"local" food he/she is interested is NOT a root crop. Whether that is
garlic, shallots, onions, leeks, carrots or potatoes - it doesn't
matter. These are not what I call "show" produce - they are base
veggies that go into soups, etc.

Chefs get these in huge bags for very low cost from distributors. Even
organic carrots, potaties and so on available cheaply, and it's
difficult if not impossible for a small grower to compete with those
costs.

Now, there are a couple of ways you can get around this. If you really
want to grow root crops for restaurants, grow BABY crops. Baby
carrots, leeks and fennel are all very easy to grow, and easy to sell
into restaurants because they can put them on their salads, garnish
their plates with them, and say on the menu "LOCAL BABY VEGETABLES".
With a locally grown carrot as part of a stock, you don't get the same
treatment or consideration.

If you're considering ANY kind of crop for the restaurant trade, my
advice is to first go talk to chefs in your area and find out what they
really want.

Now, back to growing shallots: if you're in an area where people do
lots of french-influenced cooking like louisiana or california,
shallots are a wonderful thing to grow and sell at farmer's
markets/CSAs. People here in Sonoma county love shallots, and they're
easy to grow in our climate. If you're in an area where people might
not have any idea what a shallot is, you may want to grow some for
yourself and find out how easy they are to grow in your region, then go
talk to local chefs and find out if they want local shallots - AND if
you can make any money doing it.

Roger Weeks
Weeks Gardens - http://www.weeksgardens.com
Sebastopol, CA

> Message: 6
> Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2003 09:56:13 -0500
> From: Alliums <garlicgrower AT earthlink.net>
> Subject: [Market-farming] Re:Info on shallots in New England
> To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>

> If the store is selling them for $7/pound, then they bought them for
> at
> most $3.50/pound. Can you make a profit at that price?
>
> I think you'd do MUCH better with garlic.
>
> >Do you direct seed or transplant?
>
> You can do seed for some varieties, but most folks do sets --
> shallots are
> mostly an asexual reproduction thing and take a while to build up a
> decent
> bed. I don't do shallots for anything more than myself so I don't
> pay as
> much attention to them, but it does seem to take a few years. Of
> course,
> the stuff I get is from SSE collegues, so it's incredibly rare and
> needs
> tending.
>
> >What varieties?
>
> Talk to local chefs -- there are a LOT of shallots out there (almost
> as
> many as garlic). Peeling is a pain in the butt, so there may not be
> the
> market you think there is.
>
> >When to plant, harvest?
> >Fertility requirements?
>
> It's a fairly typical alliums, but do more research into whatever
> variety
> the chefs like (and are willing to purchase).
>
> >What is the demand for shallots among the farmers market customers?
>
> Depends on how much and how fanatic your customers are about cooking
> and
> what cuisines. Real French cuisine folks loooooooooooooove
> shallots. Italian, not so often. Either there are an awful lot of
> rare
> German shallots out there or my PA Dutch heritage is just showing.
> Garlic,
> almost every whole food cuisine uses.
>
> I defer to anyone growing shallots out there who is actually making
> money,
> but when you can't sell leeks (easy to prepare, easy to grow, tastes
> good,
> etc.), I'd be real nervous about jumping into shallots without a
> contract
> in hand from someone to actually BUY them.
>
> Dorene "Ask Me About Any Allium" Pasekoff
>
>
> Dorene Pasekoff, Coordinator
> St. John's United Church of Christ Organic Community Garden
>
> A mission of
> St. John's United Church of Christ, 315 Gay Street, Phoenixville, PA
> 19460


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  • [Market-farming] Re: shallots, alliums and other bulbous things, Roger Weeks, 12/31/2003

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