Market Farming

["Del Williams" <delannw AT dlogue.net>]

I followed Lucy's advice, did the hydrocool in icewater, put my lettuces in
coolers and they stayed very crisp even on the hottest days.  I never left
the market with any lettuce unsold.

Last summer, I went to the market and I saw the lettuces that the other
vendors had.  They just stacked them in bins and they looked awful.

For what's it's worth, I went to putting my lettuces in bags with a hole
torn in the bottom so they were resting in cooled water in the coolers.
customers just picked out a bag or more.  Sure, the bags needed a bit of a
drain but the lettuce was crisp and looked great.

I grew several varieties including Butterhead (green and red) that is a bit
more delicate to handle.  The others, Oakleaf, Black Seeded Simpson, Cos,
and a few others were always fresh looking with Lucy's approach to
hydrocooling.

Anyway, I recommend it for sales.

Del Williams
Country Fruit and Floral
Kankakee, IL