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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Vegetable Illiteracy

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  • From: "MARK A. ABNER" <wizard1 AT kih.net>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Vegetable Illiteracy
  • Date: Thu, 22 Dec 2005 11:18:49 -0500

Kelly
What I would sugest if you dont allready do this sort of thing is a
couple
times during the season hold an open house and lay on a big feed with
things like deep fried okra and other appitzeing dishes made with the
veggies that folks dont know what to deal with as well as the old standards
if you feed them and they like what they taste they are much more likely to
take out the recipe and try it them selves.

Mark Abner
BriarPatch Farms
Ritner KY zone 6b


> [Original Message]
> From: Kelly Saxer <kellysaxer AT hotmail.com>
> To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> Date: 12/22/2005 11:07:39 AM
> Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Vegetable Illiteracy
>
> Beth,
>
> I completely agree with you that folks are lacking the know-how to
> appreciate, prepare and eat fresh vegetables...especially anything that's
> not a "standard" veggie (as I've heard a few of my CSA members say). I
run
> a small CSA in Arizona and have found that to be the biggest obstacle I
face
> to increasing my member retention. I try to grow a wide variety of
> vegetables and always provide my members with recipes on their weekly
veggie
> shares that feature a vegetable in their bag that week. Additionally,
our
> farm web-site features hundreds of recipes that are organized by
vegetable.
> I'm now debating whether to streamline the variety of vegetables I grow
in
> an effort to appeal more to the masses. I'm contemplating the
elimination
> of okra, black-eyed peas and kohlrabi from my farm as these are the
veggies
> that I most often hear criticism about from my members. Living in a
nice,
> warm southern state I really hate the idea of eliminating okra,
especially,
> and may seek out a restaurant or specialty market that will buy from me
> during our long okra growing season. While I want to appeal to my market
> and keep my CSA members interested (I certainly don't want them to feed
like
> I'm forcing vegetables their not interested in down their throats), I
kinda
> feel like I'm contibuting to their vegetable illiteracy by eliminating
too
> much variety from my farm repetoir. Does anyone out there have any
unique
> educational tools (other than just providing recipes) that they've used
to
> get folks excited and eager to try new vegetables.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Kelly
> Desert Roots Farm
> Queen Creek, AZ
>
>
> >From: "Hook Family" <ghf AT townisp.com>
> >Reply-To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> >To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> >Subject: [Market-farming] Economic-sustain.ag
> >Date: Thu, 22 Dec 2005 09:01:10 -0500
> >
> >Mark said:
> >"Having said this, I've also noticed some social problems that absolutely
> >amaze me, and could be at the very root of our problems. Young people
> >don't
> >know what to do with what we produce! Hard to believe, but true."
> >
> >
> >Its not just the very young either but also some adults. I'd be
interested
> >to know if this lack of cooking knowledge and increase in take out
> >corresponds at all to most schools dropping Home Ec. Both Male and
Female
> >students can benefit from Home Ec and shop type courses.
> >
> >Many heads of household don't know how to cook well and therefore their
> >offspring do not as well. I joined cooking (and later sewing)4-h at 8,
buy
> >the time I got to HS home ec class I already knew the material :). My
> >mother also lets us cook. My specialty at that point was sweets :)
> >Favorites were a Chocolate Cake you mixed in the pan and Whoopie pies.
> >I could cook meal type food as an older teenager. Food in my household
is
> >home prepared most of the time, although we had great take out Chinese
last
> >night.
> >
> >My older son live about 4 years in an apartment dorm at college and
> >developed into a very good cook. He also views it as experimentation and
> >has cooked things I've never have like fried duck (very good). He had to
> >move out of state so I think the push to raise birds beyond chickens
won't
> >happen but humorously he told me he'd search various urban chicken sites
on
> >the web should he ever live somewhere where he could keep a small flock,
> >cracked me up. He also likes to raised plants in pots (apartment
living).
> >This is a kid when he lived here who sat in front of a computer screen.
> >Example sometimes oozes through.
> >Youngest son is living in off campus housing and I lived in fear he was
> >only
> >to cook tv dinners, but he basically cooks a meat, starch and veggie
every
> >night and just told me last night that they had pizza one evening and he
> >felt he didn't feel as well because he didn't get any veggies. He said
he
> >needs his veggies, where did this kid hatch from, guess all those farm
> >grown
> >foods oozed in. Both ds are big big fans of the free range eggs.
> >
> >That was a long way to say that I do think a big part of the prob is
lack
> >of
> >cooking knowledge. I write a weekly newsletter for my CSA and always
> >include recipes and often simple instructions for example how to cook
> >winter
> >squash. Beth
> >
> >_______________________________________________
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> >
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>
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