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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Radishes out of season was Re: Meeting with Chefs

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  • From: Richard Stewart <rstewart AT zoomtown.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Radishes out of season was Re: Meeting with Chefs
  • Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 11:19:34 -0500

Allan

We are doing four right now.

Market favorite are the Johnny's Seeds Easter Egg Radishes. They are my
personal least favorite though because the bolt quickly sending down a tap
root and loose color. I call them "less stable" and are poor for off season
and have the least success germinating during the heat of summer so they tend
to be available during spring and early summer markets. THe produce a lot of
poundage per row foot.

The chef favorites are the D'Avignon and the Cherriette. Both do well in
season and out so long as they have plenty of water. The D'Avignon are my
favorite of all four. An awesome flavor and they hold their flavor well in
the heat. The Chefs like these the most, especially the more upscale ones.
Some of my chefs will take a mix of "what is available" others what these and
these only. Both hold colors well even if they go past their prime. Because
they get harvest earlier for tenderness and size these tend to produce the
least poundage per row foot. We also charge a little more per pound. We get
both of these through Johnny's as well.

Lastly is the White Icicle which we plant the most of. These we use for our
micro green mixes. I have one chef that orders 10 pounds a week just of
micro radish greens (19 to 22 days from planting). It is the base for our
angle hair salad mix which people are really starting to love. It is the
fastest growing of the four and when densely planted they grow REALLY tall
and perfect to cut and wash. In the fall we plant these specifically in our
more clay heavy soils after a compost amendment (planting in September). I
swear the have a little Daikon on them because we pull radishes that are
sometimes 2 to 3" in diameter. We get a good fall "end of season" crop where
we sell them individually in a market that that has a lot of growers drop out
as it goes into winter mode and we sell out the market before Thanksgiving
normally (I say normally but everything we are doing is no older than 2 years
in terms of markets and methods...been doing a lot of changes). They keep
their flavor but are sort of like the Easter Eggs and can go all tap root and
seedy if the temps get a little wonky. We get these seeds in 20 pound orders
from Seedway. This year we will probably be planting the better part of 200
pounds of just these seeds if the demand stays strong and I think it
will...across the board for chefs, retailers, and customers.

Richard Stewart
Carriage House Farm
North Bend, Ohio

An Ohio Century Farm Est. 1855

(513) 967-1106
http://www.carriagehousefarmllc.com
rstewart AT zoomtown.com





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