|
| Hey
For my assignment i have to find the Basil Market Opporutnity and the requirements for that market, also how the grower manipulates his production practises to acheive these requirements. Im doing the fresh market, so if any growers want to share there advice with me, it would be greatley appreciated. Thanks Warren |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by jayreynolds (My Page) on Sun, Aug 22, 04 at 23:40
| I have planted this year about thirty basil plants. Most were "large leaf", but I tried some 'lettuce leaf', which did make leaves about 50% larger. Normally I can sell between 5-10 bunches/week, most to retail customers at the market, and to one restaurant I deliver to, along with other herbs. I allow the plants to grow about 12-18", and just at flower bud formation, I cut back the entire plant to about 4-6" high. I sell a 'bunch' which is about 12" in diameter, and usually one plant makes 1-2 bunches. I see some people selling leaves or top-clippings of the uppermost 3-4 inches, but have found that a hard cutting back stimulates quick regrowth of healthier leaves, and a large bouquet-like form which is attractive to the customer and sells well for me. Some of my customers promptly de-stem a portion for pesto-making, dry some out for later, and the rest they are able to maintain fresh for 2 weeks in a vase as you would cut flowers. Do not refrigerate basil, it tends to be damaged by cold and gets brown. I have sold larger quantities in the past for $6/lb, and have heard of prices up to $18(CDN)/lb for winter greenhouse grown basil. I have had some succcess in the past selling the different scented basils- Holy basil, cinnamon basil, lemon basil, etc., but not recently. There coud be a market for prepared pesto sauce. For my own use I package it in the smallest 2x2" ziplock bags and freeze them. They thaw in 10 seconds in a microwave. Hope this helps, I'd like to hear what others do, and read your paper. When you complete it, please return to post it! |
|
| I'm a commercial basil grower selling 80-110# of basil a week. E-mail me at adriana@chefsgreens.com and I'll hel p you out. |
|
| Jay how do you get the pesto into those tiny bags? |
|
- Posted by jayreynolds (My Page) on Fri, Aug 27, 04 at 7:40
| I use a table spoon, but understand your question because you must be careful to keep things neat and the oily pesto can make a mess. If I were to do more, a pastry bag or similar squirter would be good. if you want to go big-time, consider heat sealed bags. |
|
- Posted by EarthlyDelights 6 (My Page) on Wed, Sep 22, 04 at 16:16
| Jay and Adriana I always found that the easiest way to freeze pesto was to drop it into ice cube trays, allow it to freeze, and then pop out the cubes and place into a plastic bag for further storage. My two cents :) |
|
| I'm still looking for a good way to keep pesto from going black . Coering the surface with oil helps a little bit until you disturb it. I have tried citric acid, ascorbic acid (vitamin c) and lemon juice, with no luck. |
|
- Posted by billtex 8atx (bil13oct@yahoo.com) on Mon, Jan 23, 06 at 6:07
| Anyone up to date on Texas licenses for selling herbs and tomatoes, I would appreciate your experiences. thanks bill |
|
| Billtex, I sent an email to the Texas Department of Agriculture to try and clarify that same thing. See my post in the Vegetable Growers Handbook thread. Fees sound a little high to me. I hope I'm misunderstanding the fee structure. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Licence fees Texas
|
- Posted by mbravebird VA zone 7 (My Page) on Mon, Jan 23, 06 at 22:36
| You can help keep pesto looking green by adding a few tablespoons of parsley to the recipe. It won't affect the taste, but it will add a permanent green tinge, which sort of covers up the browning basil. It works for me on a small scale -- I can't see why it would be any different in larger batches. |
|
- Posted by billtex 8atx (bil13oct@yahoo.com) on Thu, Jan 26, 06 at 8:12
| Snappybob tks. their site is confusing, to me. tks. billtex |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Market Gardener Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.