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adrianag_gw

Top ten asian products to sell at a farmer's market

adrianag
20 years ago

Somebody on another list I'm on was inquiring about what products to grow for Asian customers at a farmer's market. Among my suggestionsm based on what I see at our local Asian grocers are:

-Thai Basil

-Cilantro

-Mint

-Oriental eggplant

-Oriental cukes

-Yard long beans

-Bitter melons

-Tilapia fish

What would be on your list of wants if you could get it very, very fresh? What products aren't typically available at Asian grocers that customers would jump at if they were available?

Comments (22)

  • Helen_vancouver
    20 years ago

    Hmmm.. very, very fresh huh? I'd say

    lychee
    dragon eye
    asian pear
    durian (okay.. I'm one of the few that loves durian)
    water chestnuts
    napa cabbage
    gai lan

  • exop
    20 years ago

    Don't forget bamboo shoots!

    Also, bird's eye chilies or any of the Thai chili varieties.

    Watercress!!!

    Possibly, water spinach / ong choy / kangkong / rau muong as well.

  • leafhopper
    20 years ago

    Kafeer lime leaves!! I'm about ready to grow a tree but if I don't have to....

  • Frieda__IL
    20 years ago

    I agree with the Kafeer lime leaves, water spinach, lychees, snow peas, sprouts...

  • Helen_vancouver
    20 years ago

    What do you do with kafeer lime leaves?

  • leafhopper
    20 years ago

    Hi Helen! If you like Thai food then get your hands on some Kafeer lime leaves! Add them to soup stock to make Tom Yung Gung...(Hot and sour prawn soup!)It just adds an incredible flavour. It's used in many Thai recipes, but that's where my knowledge of it's usage ends. I'm sure you could use it for whatever you want.

  • leggo_my_eggo
    20 years ago

    I got a tree and kaffir lime leaves goes great with most spicy stir fried dishes.

  • leafhopper
    20 years ago

    Thanks for the link Supannee. I used to have my own Kafeer lime tree when I lived in Los Angeles but couldn't bring it over the border when I moved to BC (darn!). I would like to grow one here if I could just find one!

    Another great item to offer is Lemon Grass, also used in Thai dishes. If I'm lucky I can sometimes find Baby Ginger which you can make japanese pickled ginger (Gari?). The skin has not yet toughened up and it's much more tender and less fiberous than the usual stuff you get at the market.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Ginger

  • Violet_Z6
    20 years ago

    Hi Adriana,

    Great question! I think it would have to be those which don't travel well from suppliers outside of town and are only good picked fresh that morning which is why they're not often seen even at farmer's markets.

    Tatsoi
    Yu Choy

    are a couple that come to mind at the moment...

  • angta6000
    20 years ago

    hello Yuki

    i am very intersted in edamame , and as you are a a japanese i assume you have more knowledge about edamame. I am very interested in planting them in here
    if possible, can you please tell me what kind of edamame sells best in Japan
    and do you also grow edamame?

  • Ludongwei
    19 years ago

    Galangal root Thai call Kha is used alot in Thai and Lao food

  • eileen_nv
    19 years ago

    Lotus root - fresh is best!

  • Shantihhh
    19 years ago

    Kaffir Lime/magroot is a wonderful fragrant leaf. It adds so much to all Thai dishes, but also a touch of fusion to such as crab cakes, hollandaise sauces, stocks (along with lemon grass), tomato sauces IE Green Zebra sauce/Green Mean Sauce that I make with kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass, Thai green chiles, and Thai lemon basil..

    I have 6 Kaffir Lime trees and one is VERY large. It wasn't watered and has lost so many leaves. What can I use a whole shopping bag full of leaves for? No I don't want to freeze them as I always have fresh.

    The kaffir lime fruit is nice as well, sometimes I just grate the peel, other times I cut the fruit in half and toss into a curry.

    Now as to Farmer's Markets: Here in the SF Bay Area we have many Hmong farmers who sell at the Farmer's Markets as well as to Asian Markets all over.

    Lemon Grass is very common, along with Thai chiles, Thai Basil, but Bird chiles and the Lemon Basil (Mangluk or Holy Basil Bai Krapoa) are difficult to find. Fresh galangal is easy to find, but fresh Kra chai? Never seen it.

    Another popular thing is the Curry Leaf IE Murieya Koenigii for South Indian cooking.

    There are so many Asian eggplants, but the little pea sized ones are extremely rare.

    Cha-am is another can't be found Thai ingredient.I could go on and on.

    Yuzu fruit is impossible to find here. I hear Four Winds Nursery has trees now, I must get one.

    Oh winged beans are actually around in some of the markets. One I love that is hard to find so I also grow them is the Purple Yardlong bean.
    I'd love to find the wonderful smoked chiles that the Northern Thai Hilltribes do. I can only find it in the back of the Warrarot Market in Chiang Mai!

    Mary-Anne

  • rookiefarmer
    19 years ago

    lemongrass
    baby kailan
    mint
    galanga (khaa, related to ginger)
    chili peppers
    kaffir limes (& leaves)

  • rookiefarmer
    19 years ago

    not sure how plentiful asian fruits are in your neighborhood, but try these:
    longan
    lychee
    mango
    rambutan
    tamarind
    durian
    jackfruit
    rose apples
    custard apples

  • adrianag
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    I'd say you would need a 3-5 year lead time for most of these, but what a great list!

  • everettFL
    19 years ago

    No one has mentioned shiitakes yet!

  • Violet_Z6
    18 years ago

    Another vote for water spinach.

  • jctsai8b
    10 years ago

    Has anyone mentioned Sweet potato leaves? Pickled Hsueh-Li-Hong

    This post was edited by JCTsai on Fri, Dec 6, 13 at 20:56

  • seysonn
    10 years ago

    I mostly shop Asian Markets for:

    -- Fruits an veggies: Things that I cannot find in reg. supermarket or they are too expensive . My regulars are :Chinese parsley, eggplants, and 90% of everything mentioned here. Where else can you buy Jack fruit, Durian,galangal, Jap/chin. eggplants, shiso ???
    However, I have never used Kafir lime leave. But I buy bay leaves.

    -- Fish and sea foods: Almost every time I buy fresh fish, shrimps.Anchovy, Oyster,
    -- Oriental spices:so many of them to mention: Soy sauce, Fish sauce,

  • yukkuri_kame
    10 years ago

    Assuming you are selling by the pound, some heavier items that will add up to $ are daikon radish, kabocha squash, and napa cabbage.

    Things like Niira (garlic chives), Shiso (perilla), Myoga, Mitsuba, will sell well to Japanese customers.

    Real wasabi is an expensive specialty item.

    Edamame æÂÂè± literally means 'branch beans', the whole plant is harvested and sold with the green pods still hanging on the branch. Evergreen Seeds will have good edamame varieties.

    Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.evergreenseeds.com

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