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market-farming - Re: Roadside Stands

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  • From: "Del Williams" <delannw AT dlogue.net>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Roadside Stands
  • Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2001 13:07:41 -0600

I sell lettuces, arugula, chard, beets, and fresh herbs at the farmers' market.  In July and August it is a challenge to keep them looking good for the duration of the market.  In October I am sometimes unable to take the basil out of the truck because it is so cold out.  Nothing like handling wet items on a 25 degree morning.
 
I harvest almost all of those items in the morning before the market (we open at 7AM).
However, at the height of the season when there are too many things to harvest, I often do the beets and chard the night before.  I'm always reluctant to harvest herbs the night before...especially on those hot Illinois nights where the nighttime temperatures don't seem a lot different from the daytime temperatures.
 
Like you I use coolers...I have five very large coolers.  All of the lettuces and greens in general go into coolers with about 4" of water and 2 lbs. of ice.  They are placed in the coolers as soon as they are cut.  As the sales day goes on, I add more ice if the water seems like it is getting too warm.  The chard is so long that I often have to lay it down and pour more water into the cooler once it is loaded.  I've never had a day when I couldn't keep it looking nice right until the very end.  On each cooler there is a sign with the cooler's contents and the price.  Usually, I meet the customer and take out what they need. 
 
With herbs it's a little trickier.  As the sun comes up and moves around the market, I move the herbs out of the sun or block the sun with colorful Mexican woven blankets that are draped over the side of the tent.  (People often ask if the blankets are for sale!)  I should start that little side since I get so many request to buy them.
Once the sun hits sage or basil it is almost a lost cause to get them looking good again.
 
All of the herbs are placed in clear plastic containers (actually icebuckets) that have an inner plastic container.  The herbs are cut and placed right into the containers before they are loaded onto the truck.  I do not put ice into the buckets of herbs.  It would certainly not work to improve the basil and I have never needed to add ice to any of the other herbs either.  It really doesn't make sense because as long as they are kept out of direct sun they last for the entire market.  Smaller stemmed herbs like thyme and oregano are cut in bunches and just placed in the buckets.  At the market, I pull out a handlful...ask the customer if it looks good to them and put a rubber band around the bottom of the bunch.  Then I put them in a sandwich bag...larger bag for bigger (taller or woodier herbs). 
 
Oh, I also have a spray bottle full of water that I occasionally use to mist the beets and herbs.  Boy, when you get those bright red chioggia beets out there and they are wet they just look great.  Once they start drying out they don't look as good and the greens start wilting.  On really hot (say 95 degree) days, the beets stay in the coolers with the chard.
 
Del
 


  • Roadside Stands, Kathy Somers, 03/13/2001
    • <Possible follow-up(s)>
    • Re: Roadside Stands, Del Williams, 03/13/2001

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