Market Farming

[ecook516 AT earthlink.net]

Please, please do yourself a favor and just invest in an electronic (if you 
have power at market) or battery operated scale that figures price per pound 
for you. I've used everything under the sun at various markets and now that I 
have a good one that figures price per pound I would never go back. You'll 
probably make back the couple hundred you invest in revenue you make NOT 
rounding down that quarter pound for every customer.  And who needs to do 
math at market.  I also make all my market employees use $20. large button 
calculators with register tapes.   No one wanted to use them at first, but 
now everyone loves them.  And you can see if you've gotten all the items, or 
show a customer that you added correctly.   You can't sell tomatoes by the 
piece....  

On another note......

Who else hates August?

An ode to August:

Ahhh August august.....
I hate you so much.
I am so tired and cranky and 
it seems I have too much sweat
to be absorbed by my hanky.

The end is not yet in sight, 
being nice to my customers takes all my might.
"Your prices are outrageous, $2.00/lb for zucchini?"
(but I'll pay $100 bucks
 for that bikini).

Tomatoes, I have had enough of you,
especially rotten ones stuck to my shoe. 
Heirlooms, reds, you bring me money,
that I like, but you're very heavy. 

Flea beetles, groundhogs, deer and the rest
We've been at war for so long aren't
you ready for a rest? 

The workers all bicker,
we're tired and hot-
who knew how annoying
everyone got.

September, september!
Please hurry up!
Before hope is all lost; 
because at least in September,
we can think of the Frost.

(sorry I know it's pretty bad, feel free to add a verse)

Emily
Spring Hill Farm
New Jerzzzy