We're going to give the farmers market a try this year. How do you prepare baby leaf lettuce for sale. Do you bag it, keep it in a cooler or what. Should I sell it by the pound?

-- sherry in Arkansas (chickadee259@yahoo.com), February 11, 2002

Answers

Response to Lettuce at Farmers market

I think I'd sell it by the unit because it sounds too expensive by the pound, I suspect. Or sell it by the ounce. It's a psychological thing, you know. I found this to be true when I was selling herbs. Good luck!

-- Georg Kotarski (dgkotarski@bledsoe.net), February 11, 2002.

Response to Lettuce at Farmers market

I participated in the local Farmers Market last year for the first time. I sold leaf lettuce successfully. I cut the lettuce just before driving away to the market. I bundled the leaves together,gently with string and kept it on ice in a cooler. It stayed lovely and fresh for as long as it lasted, which wasn't very long. I always sold whatever I took. I bundled enough for a salad for approximately two people, by the eyeball not by weight. I didn't have any complaints about this method as I did try to keep all bundles alike in size. I priced each bundle at $2.00. Lettuce in your area at any give time may be more expensive so adjust accordingly. I also advertised as "grown chemical free".

-- Carmen Black (carmenblack@vol.com), February 11, 2002.

Thanks for the help; thinking about roadside produce sales also

-- Hank (hsnrs@att.net), February 11, 2002.

I can only answer as a consumer-my friend offered to give me a job Saturdays working the market but I wimped out! Loading a truck at 4:30am is not my cup of tea! Anyway, price is a biggie with some people, and I see you've got help with that but I want fresh, fresh, fresh! Even if it means paying alittle more. My friend picks and packs as much as she can Fri. eve., Lettuce, escarole, chard and some herbs have to been done in the wee hours before the market. She also sells organic free range chickens, lamb, pork and a type of Guinea (spelling?) pig that is a favorite with the large South American community her in NY (35m N of NYC). Believe it or not, the Guinea pig is the salvation of her 150 yr. old family owned farm (was her grandparents farm) she was in danger of losing the place a few years ago when an employee asked if he could use one of the buildings to raise the G.P.'s, the rest as they say is history. P.S. as a bonus the employee was given a house on the property and ended up marrying one of the 5 sisters! Job security!

-- Kathy (catfish201@hotmail.com), February 11, 2002.

I worked a greenmarket in NYC for a CSA farmer. He had very good success by picking the young lettuce and leaving the roots ON. The lettuce was banded together and roots were stuck into a shallow basin filled with cold water. The dense green display stayed fresh all morning. By the way, he made the most money with big bouquets of fresh cut flowers, fancy garlic braids and willow baskets- he used to say the veggies "were charity work". Good Luck.

-- diane greene (greenwitch@catskillnativenursery.com), February 13, 2002.

We sold leaf lettuce one spring at the farmers market. What we done was pulled up the lettuce, roots and all the night before. Washed the roots in clean water and then packed the lettuce with the roots in one quart baggies and then placed them in the fridge. Storing them overnight so we wouldn't have to get up so early. We would take several baggies and usually be sold out by noon. $1.00 per bag. People would ask why we left the roots on? We told them so they would still be fresh when they got ready to use them. With that mention they would usually buy and extra bag or two knowing they would stay fresh for a long while.

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), February 13, 2002.