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

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  • From: "Christine & Marlin" <glenecofarm AT planetcomm.net>
  • To: "'Market Farming'" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Vegetable Illiteracy
  • Date: Thu, 22 Dec 2005 15:40:43 -0500

Mike,
I agree with what you have written; as I have made similar conclusions.
Besides trying to grow what the consumer wants; is trying to grow and market
crops which are very perishable and need to be eaten "fresh". For example
we can sell fresh Heritage raspberries for a much higher price than the
return price I make for selling them in jam. Folks who eat them raw and
unprocessed also get better nutrition for their dollar and WalMart can not
compete with selling produce "fresh".
One of the beauties of marketing through a CSA is that more folks can eat
fresh foods and a variety of those foods. I have come to the conclusion
that the best simple guide for a healthy diet is to eat a large variety of
foods as fresh as possible.
Christine Burkholder
VA

-----Original Message-----
From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Mike Emers
Sent: Thursday, December 22, 2005 1:48 PM
To: 'Market Farming'
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Vegetable Illiteracy

Hi

We run into this dilemma all the time for both our CSA and at farmers
market. We have taken great pride in providing our customers a wide
selection of produce. But after some reflection at the end of the
season and looking at ways to make our farm more profitable I have to
agree with Alison who said "You can't go wrong giving the customer what
he/she wants". We put out a questionnaire every year for our CSA
members and tallying the results is revealing. We have 4 choices: My
favorites, liked, so-so, and didn't like. Out of 45 surveys returned
(we had 68 members last year), the basics (lettuce, tomatoes, carrots,
potatoes, onions, broccoli, etc.) always received votes in the "my
favorite or likes categories. The "fringe" veggies - kohlrabi, fennel,
rutabagas, salad turnips) received votes from either extreme. Now
sometimes people say they don't like something because they really don't
like it or sometimes it's because they don't know what to do with it.
In either case, we have to give the majority of the people what they
want, which are the basics. This is increasingly true since we are
trying to branch out to other communities outside of our educated and
sophisticated base for our CSA. We will continue to grow stuff that are
new to people (we will not cut out kohlrabi just because a couple of
people don't like it) and provide recipes, but we'll have enough of the
basics so that we make the masses happy.

Mike Emers
Rosie Creek Farm
Ester, Alaska


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