Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - RE: [Market-farming] selling herbs at market

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "mmaysen" <mmaysen AT alltel.net>
  • To: "'Market Farming'" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: RE: [Market-farming] selling herbs at market
  • Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 21:02:42 -0600

I sell many types of fresh-cut herbs; basil, lemon basil, chives, dill,
oregano, cilantro, thyme, mints, tarragon, sage, etc, etc. Here's how
I do it, and they seem to hold well at market even in the hot, humid
weather.
First I cut my herbs the evening before market. I take a large wheel
barrow out into the gardens with many food-grade plastic containers
(you'll need the lids, too). I hold my hand around the stems and cut a
'handful' of an herb at a time. I then set these cut herbs 'upright'
into a plastic container. When I have all of the containers full, I
roll the wheelbarrow to a shady place and put the lids on the
containers. Certain less-sensitive herbs (rosemary, thyme, typically
the herbs with less moisture content) don't need to be capped. The
containers then go into empty ice chests. If the weather is very warm,
then I add a little ice to the bottom of the ice chests first. just a
little ice .. you don't want to freeze them. I take the ice chests to
market, and sell out of the little containers which remain seated in the
ice chests if it's hot.

I've been doing this for 5 years now and have tried many different
variations on cutting time, packaging, containers, temperature, and
moisture; but this seems to work best for me. Once cut, the enemies
are moisture, direct sun, and plastic bags. So I don't cut the herbs
right after a rain. And I don't store them in anything that clings to
them, like plastic bags, creating moisture.

hope that helps you,

MeLani



--Does anyone sell herbs such as basil, oregano , etc at
--market. How do you
--keep them from wilting? We dabbled in it last year but it
--didn't take long
--for them to be good only for composting.God Bless,
--Kevin Miller (NW Ohio, Zone 5)
--Turnin' Back Time Farm ( www.geocities.com/tbt_farm )






Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page