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  • From: Nan Hildreth <NanHildreth AT riseup.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Too many farmer's markets?
  • Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2011 04:54:42 -0500

At 08:02 AM 8/24/2011, Road's End Farm wrote:
The question is, can we increase the size of the pie they say we're
slicing too thin?

I think we're in a paradigm shift in food driven by our desire for health.

The Farmer's market is providing folks
information on food and health. Why eat your veggies?
a personal connection with your food supplier.
an adventure in strange new food.

At our market customers could be divided into groups:
Sick people looking for a cure.
Newbies, tourists
Foodies, committed health food fans.

Foodies have a big bag of greens and then buy more greens from us.
Tourists are wary of taking a free sample. We give them an adventure in strange foods.
The health Patients want information about how your food is more nutritious than donuts.

We are an information service. Customers ask "What is this?" I say "Sunflower shoot, baby sunflower." "Can you just eat it raw?" Yes, but also very good if just barely cooked. "Stem and all?" Yes. "Is it good for me?" Yes, most baby plants have maybe 50 times more nutrition than big leaves. And all leaves are nutrient dense.

Hmmm. I could make signs about health benefits of eating greens. Slogans. Quotes from Michael Pollan's Omnivore;s Dilemma. I could get display holders for my flyers from office supply. Clear, concise, coherent. Not preachy.

For us, the journey from burger-gobbler to salad lover is long. Lots to learn. New habits. I can relate to the patients and tourists as I'm only a little bit ahead of them in that journey.

<snip>


Nan Hildreth NanHildreth AT riseup.net
Houston 713-842-6643

"An authentic movement is not a play for power - it is teaching and learning writ large." "Now the world becomes our classroom, and the potential to teach and learn is found everywhere. We need only be in the world as our true selves, with open hearts and minds."

"the simple choice to live with integrity can have far-reaching effects."

Palker Palmer in Yes! Magazine
http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=796



  • Re: [Market-farming] Too many farmer's markets?, Nan Hildreth, 09/25/2011

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