Market Farming

["marcy" <marcy AT aculink.net>]

Thanks for all the great tips Adriana! Do you transport in the cooler and
then repack into clamshells?

Leigh, I had one guy that saw all my little squashes and asked if I could
bring blossoms. While we were talking about how he was going to fix them
several others overheard and then the next week several others noticed the
blossoms waiting for this guy to pick them up. I wouldn't be surprised if
there was something on a cooking show though!

I cut the male blossoms to take, but Courtney's suggestion to leave the baby
squash attached to the blossom made me wonder which to harvest.

THANKS ALL!!
Marcy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Adriana" <gutierrez-lagatta AT charter.net>
To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 17, 2005 8:22 AM
Subject: [Market-farming] Squash blossoms


>
>
> Marcy,
> I'm doing squash blossoms for the first time this year.
>
> The best (biggest) flowers are from Costata Romanesco Zucchini - I'm
> charging $.75 apiece - this is in line with what wholesalers are charging
in
> my area.  A friend in Pennsylvania gets a lot less because Amish growers
are
> charging as low as $.25 each.  When I only have smaller sqaush blossoms
> available I'm charging $.50 apiece.
>
> Harvest flowers that are wide open first thing in the morning and put
> directly into a cooler with an ice pack in the bottom covered with a towel
> or cardboard to avoid chill injury - yes, they are delicate but you will
get
> used to it. It's a good idea to have a tray of some sort in the cooler so
> that you minimize individual handling after harvest.  Line up the flowers
so
> that the stems are all in the same direction  - tangled flowers equals
> tangled stems.  After a couple of hours the flowers get somewhat limp and
> you can pack them into clamshells.  I get 25 in a 9" x 9" clamshell.
>
> You will not get used to the scratching of the spikes on the stems.  Plan
on
> replacing the plants after about a month of production as they get
"spent".
> I did not realize that the Romanescos were more vining than bush type
> plants.  In the future I will trellis them.
>
> Adriana
> In hot, hot Alabama
>
> > A customer at the market asked if I could bring squash blossoms. I
haven't
> > checked any of the post-harvest charts yet, but I'm wondering if anyone
> > has
> > experience and what kind of treatment/handling you'd recommend. I tried
a
> > few and they seem pretty delicate and wilt easily. I'm thinking maybe
> > they'd
> > fit in egg cartons.
> > Other packaging ideas?
> > Should I keep them cool?
> > Pricing?
>
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