Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Managing lettuce (and veggie) glut

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Liz" <liz AT horseshoegardens.com>
  • To: "'Market Farming'" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Managing lettuce (and veggie) glut
  • Date: Sun, 17 May 2009 14:14:45 -0400

After playing around with several different packaging/pricing options & learning what our market expects/wants/will pay for, we've settled on these options which have led to us selling out or only bringing home enough leftovers that we ourselves will eat during the week:
 
1-Our best seller, after spinach, is a mesclun salad mix which we note on the label as made up of 12-14 varieties (this alone distinguishes ours at the market because no one else labels theirs). Even with other vendors selling the same varieties, same quality, same price, we're selling out.  I package more and more each week, but we've yet to reach the saturation point.  With our climate we will be able to supply lettuce the full season, except for a couple of weeks in August, so we want to get & KEEP customers now to take advantage of the rest of the market preparing to drop out of lettuce production in a couple of weeks.  We'll be the only ones with soil-grown lettuce (1 hydroponics producer at market) during the tomato season ; )).
 
2-Second best seller is a mix of heads, 1 plain romaine, 1 speckled Romaine, 1 frilly red head, and if we have enough, 1 frilly green.  We label this as a "lettuce mix" to distinguish it from the salad mix of looseleaf varieties.
 
3-Third best seller is a full bag, 3-4 heads of just the frilly red leaf lettuce which draws attention.  We also have a frilly green variety but it doesn't sell on it's own.
 
4-And lastly, we do up a bag of 4 Tom Thumbs, labeled as baby butterhead.
 
Ours are packaged in open topped plastic bags, 8 ozs, for $3.00.  Our labels only show the variety/name and price, not weight.  This price is the going rate at market and customers balk at anything priced more, though we just learned this week that other producers are selling spinach in 6 oz bags vs our 8oz.  Not sure if we're gonna downsize our bags or not-we're developing a steady following, including some vendors who's spinach has already bolted on them.   
 
This week I played around with those frozen gel sheets I posted about earlier this week.  Laid directly on the metal-topped market tables, they worked great at keeping the lettuce, scallions and cut herbs fresh & cool, which set our stuff apart even more from the other vendors too. 
 
I also had a few baby carrots and radishes from the greenhouse which I packaged into 8oz bags along with 4-6 scallions and called the bag "Baby Roots"...who'da thunk we'd get $8/lb for carrots, radishes or green onions but customers bought 'em cuz they looked so dern cute!!
 
You could approach some local restaurants & caterers to see if they want your overflow.  May & June are extra busy months for caterers between graduations, recitals and weddings so they can use the glut!  I sold my leftovers from Wed market to our neighbor who's a caterer too, and she may do the same this week. 
 
Liz
Horseshoe Gardens
who sooo wants to take today off, but must seed some plug trays...
 
 


From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Richard Moyer
Sent: Sunday, May 17, 2009 10:13 AM
To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [Market-farming] Managing lettuce (and veggie) glut

All kinds of lettuce at market yesterday, in quality, quantity and price.  Sold what I took, but the last of it late.  We have a few hundred butterhead and looseleaf coming on, ready in 1-4 weeks.
For a new market grower, any strategies you all can share on selling during abundance?  What distinguishes your product?
What about producing early and/or late (hence avoiding the glut)?
 
Thanks,
Richard Moyer
Castlewood, VA
Wishing I had more young spinach now.


 

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 8.5.329 / Virus Database: 270.12.32/2118 - Release Date: 05/16/09 17:05:00




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page