Farmers Market Sales - Aquaponic Gardening2024-03-28T10:30:18Zhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/forum/topics/farmers-market-sales?groupUrl=coastview&commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A93225&groupId=4778851%3AGroup%3A21833&feed=yes&xn_auth=no Thank you for this detail! …tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-04-30:4778851:Comment:3280142012-04-30T21:35:55.058ZConversehttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/Converse
<p> Thank you for this detail! ANd thank you for putting that PDF that had originally been posted in the "Aquaponics, Fish and E. coli" thread in perspective. YOu are brave to drink the water....Being a person who has sensitive intestines, I don't think I'd ever try a drink from mine, no matter how confident I was in any test results. Spent a life time of misery with other intestinal issues and just now feeling good - too good to risk. Congratulations to you though.</p>
<p> I think I…</p>
<p> Thank you for this detail! ANd thank you for putting that PDF that had originally been posted in the "Aquaponics, Fish and E. coli" thread in perspective. YOu are brave to drink the water....Being a person who has sensitive intestines, I don't think I'd ever try a drink from mine, no matter how confident I was in any test results. Spent a life time of misery with other intestinal issues and just now feeling good - too good to risk. Congratulations to you though.</p>
<p> I think I could duplicate the technique you spelled out. Well written! Thanks for the help there. And thanks for the info. on live plants vs. 'food'. I'll check the reg.s here. I really appreciate your willingness to help out, and share details that may seem obvious to you ( and maybe others). I'm excited about being able to harvest live lettuce!</p>
<p> </p> That report is a recommended…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-04-30:4778851:Comment:3278092012-04-30T16:03:19.946ZChris Smithhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/ChrisSmith
<p>That report is a recommended set of guidelines. I have been drinking my system water for several years and have NEVER had any problems with getting sick. In fact I believe the system water to be the best pro-biotic tea EVER!!!! I believe my health has improved since I began drinking system water. Having said that I am not too worried if a drop or two of water gets on the produce. I always put a sticker that said"wash before eating" and told every customer verbally to wash…</p>
<p>That report is a recommended set of guidelines. I have been drinking my system water for several years and have NEVER had any problems with getting sick. In fact I believe the system water to be the best pro-biotic tea EVER!!!! I believe my health has improved since I began drinking system water. Having said that I am not too worried if a drop or two of water gets on the produce. I always put a sticker that said"wash before eating" and told every customer verbally to wash everything.</p>
<p>To follow the guidelines you have to use techniques that will eliminate any chance of system water getting on the produce. This can easily be done as a 2 man job. I did it solo. I would remove a raft from a trough and then remove all roots below the net pots. After placing the de-rooted raft in my processing trough, I wash hands. Then I would put my right hand inside a plastic bag and grab a head of lettuce with my left. Using the bag covered hand I would remove the net pot. I would then use the bagged hand to grab the root-ball and hold the plant upside down. Using the left hand I pull the rest of the bag over the head. The final step is to put a rubber band around the stem to prevent media getting on the produce.</p>
<p>Some places have strict health department regulations dealing with bagged produce. A proper processing facility may be required to cut and bag produce so check with your local agencies. Usually a farmer is allowed one cut in the field without a proper processing facility. Selling a live plant is a loophole in the regulations. If the plant is alive and has never been cut then we should be able to bag without violation but check with your local agencies!!</p> Once again, Hi Guys,
Had a…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-04-30:4778851:Comment:3276422012-04-30T11:32:23.280ZConversehttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/Converse
<p>Once again, Hi Guys,</p>
<p> Had another questions about details. SInce you guys have done this, I am sure you have the technique down...and hopefully are willing to pass along the wisdom required for us to duplicate...</p>
<p> In doing some research about avoiding pathogenic contamination of produce going to market, I came up with a question I cannot find an answer for, simply because I am sure it is a 'technique" question...This is in regard to getting live lettuce, the stuff with root…</p>
<p>Once again, Hi Guys,</p>
<p> Had another questions about details. SInce you guys have done this, I am sure you have the technique down...and hopefully are willing to pass along the wisdom required for us to duplicate...</p>
<p> In doing some research about avoiding pathogenic contamination of produce going to market, I came up with a question I cannot find an answer for, simply because I am sure it is a 'technique" question...This is in regard to getting live lettuce, the stuff with root balls still attached, bagged for market:</p>
<p> In light of the publication "On-Farm Food Safety: Aquaponics" found at <a href="http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/FST-38.pdf">http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/FST-38.pdf...looking</a> at page three of the document and the picture of what not to do when harvesting the lettuce...how do you get the lettuce and root pot out of the raft without contaminating the head being removed and all the others with the AP water source? I realize that the goal is not to have any bad contaminants in the AP water... but the publication is pretty clear that this water should not be touched or come into contact with stuff headed for the market. (maybe I am mis-reading). Is is truly possible to remove the lettuce and pots with roots still attached, trim them as you suggested, remove the pot and bag the root ball, and not commit any of the "sins" indicated in this publication? Just want a reality check from some people in-the-know...and possibly some hints on how to do this properly. </p>
<p> Harvest day approaches....</p>
<p align="left"></p>
<p></p> I had a 55 gallon drum in the…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-04-15:4778851:Comment:3210042012-04-15T04:52:28.131ZChris Smithhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/ChrisSmith
<p>I had a 55 gallon drum in the truck for filling the portable system at the market. I would place the empty portable troughs in the back of the truck and sit the rafts for display on 2x4's to prevent root damage during transport. Once at the market I would set up the display and fill it up from the drum in the truck. I would take system water but no fish. Tilapia do not like road trips! The roots of the plants are fine without water for a short time. The trick is to NOT let the roots dry at…</p>
<p>I had a 55 gallon drum in the truck for filling the portable system at the market. I would place the empty portable troughs in the back of the truck and sit the rafts for display on 2x4's to prevent root damage during transport. Once at the market I would set up the display and fill it up from the drum in the truck. I would take system water but no fish. Tilapia do not like road trips! The roots of the plants are fine without water for a short time. The trick is to NOT let the roots dry at all. I left 1/2 inch of water in the portable trough so the roots had a little bit of water.</p> I am very interested in the F…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-04-14:4778851:Comment:3201842012-04-14T00:58:59.202ZBill Bradleyhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/BillBradley
I am very interested in the Farmers Market display you setup and have had the same idea. But I was wondering how you transported the live plants. In water or not? Would you please explain.<br />
<br />
Thanks
I am very interested in the Farmers Market display you setup and have had the same idea. But I was wondering how you transported the live plants. In water or not? Would you please explain.<br />
<br />
Thanks We would remove all roots bel…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-04-11:4778851:Comment:3193172012-04-11T18:04:38.274ZChris Smithhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/ChrisSmith
<p>We would remove all roots below the net pot, remove the pot and bag the remaining root-ball and coir. The plants do not do very well when replaced into the system after removal of the lower roots. The coir acts as a asponge and if kept moist can keep heads in near perfect condition with a littile cooling. We used to sell live lettuce at the health food store. When the produce guy was on top of things and kept the coir moist they could keep the lettuce alive for more than a week in their…</p>
<p>We would remove all roots below the net pot, remove the pot and bag the remaining root-ball and coir. The plants do not do very well when replaced into the system after removal of the lower roots. The coir acts as a asponge and if kept moist can keep heads in near perfect condition with a littile cooling. We used to sell live lettuce at the health food store. When the produce guy was on top of things and kept the coir moist they could keep the lettuce alive for more than a week in their cooled produce display. We have kept live lettuce in the back of our fridge for more than 3 weeks in near perfect condition.</p>
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<p>Once bagged I think it is best to sell it instead of trying to restock it. If things are not selling well at the market we would to 2 for 1 specials toward the end so we wouldn't be taking much back home. We also traded with other vendors using our leftovers.</p>
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<p>One great trick is using the drug dealer approach. Give away the first bag for free and get them hooked. When at the market I would get people who were super interested in the concept but wouldn't for over a few bucks to try it. For these people I gave away a bag of my best leafy greens. Quite often they would return and purchase. Some of them are still regular customers using our fridge. I also went around my neighborhood and gave away a head to everybody in a 1 block radius. That got the word of mouth going which is the best kind of advertising.</p> Thank you for this detaile…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-04-11:4778851:Comment:3194082012-04-11T17:00:01.101ZConversehttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/Converse
<p> Thank you for this detailed explanation. It is much clearer to me now....</p>
<p> One more question:</p>
<p> I realize the goal is to sell-out at a market...but in regard to the live bagged lettuce that you put into bags the night before the market: Can those be successfully replaced into the AP system if they do not sell? As in, do they stay alive and in vibrant health to be able to be presented for sales at another time? I realize the lettuce you kept in your display rafts can…</p>
<p> Thank you for this detailed explanation. It is much clearer to me now....</p>
<p> One more question:</p>
<p> I realize the goal is to sell-out at a market...but in regard to the live bagged lettuce that you put into bags the night before the market: Can those be successfully replaced into the AP system if they do not sell? As in, do they stay alive and in vibrant health to be able to be presented for sales at another time? I realize the lettuce you kept in your display rafts can be replaced in your AP system...but I was not sure about the bagged live ones. I figured you'd know...</p>
<p> By the way...this is very encouraging!</p>
<p> </p> When we sold at farmers marke…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-04-11:4778851:Comment:3189802012-04-11T16:42:31.857ZChris Smithhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/ChrisSmith
<p>When we sold at farmers markets we would take coolers of live bagged lettuce heads that were prepped the evening before the market. To bag live lettuce we put the head and root-ball into an appropriate sized bag and rubber band outside the bag just above the root-ball.We would also take a few rafts of lettuce for our display. The display of live lettuce gets the attention of customers from across the market and motivates them to come to our booth. We would sell the pre-bagged lettuce first…</p>
<p>When we sold at farmers markets we would take coolers of live bagged lettuce heads that were prepped the evening before the market. To bag live lettuce we put the head and root-ball into an appropriate sized bag and rubber band outside the bag just above the root-ball.We would also take a few rafts of lettuce for our display. The display of live lettuce gets the attention of customers from across the market and motivates them to come to our booth. We would sell the pre-bagged lettuce first and once the coolers were empty we would sell the display.</p>
<p>We no longer do the farmers markets. A 4 hour market takes about 10 hours of work + gas and there is no guarantee that you will sell all the produce. Produce had to be prepped, the truck loaded, drive to market, set up display, sell during market hours, break down display, drive home, unload truck, and clean up. The market proved to be more work than it was worth. Our Saturday mornings are now spent providing farm tours and educating our neighbors how much better our produce is than certified "o".</p>
<p>We now sell all our produce directly off our farm through a small honor farm refrigerator that we stock several times a day(or as needed). Our neighborhood can come and purchase produce at their conveyance and we do not have to transport anything anymore. The fridge is open for business every day during daylight hours. Allowing our customers the flexibility of purchasing produce at their convenience has increased our customer base substantially. We get new customers primarily through word of mouth.</p>
<p>We also stopped selling at the local health food store since we could grow the lettuce faster than it took to get payed from them!! Cutting out the middle man we can give our customers a better deal while getting a better price than what the health food store was willing to pay.</p> A question about details:
…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-04-11:4778851:Comment:3191782012-04-11T13:56:17.741ZConversehttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/Converse
<p> A question about details:</p>
<p> I am not sure I understand your description of your sales completely. Sorry if this is obvious to everyone else...</p>
<p> So what I think you said was that you have a display of live lettuce, but you sell out of a cooler. YOu mentioned that the lettuce in the cooler is pre-bagged...so is it live or is it cut? SO really, if it is cut, what you are selling is no different than the stuff the other farmers are selling (except that it is grown in an AP…</p>
<p> A question about details:</p>
<p> I am not sure I understand your description of your sales completely. Sorry if this is obvious to everyone else...</p>
<p> So what I think you said was that you have a display of live lettuce, but you sell out of a cooler. YOu mentioned that the lettuce in the cooler is pre-bagged...so is it live or is it cut? SO really, if it is cut, what you are selling is no different than the stuff the other farmers are selling (except that it is grown in an AP system)? Your sign on your booth table says Live lettuce...but what your customers buy is NOT live? Please clarify. Just trying to figure out how best to do this at market myself.</p> Thank you again Chris for the…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2011-04-18:4778851:Comment:937222011-04-18T22:32:31.041ZIzzyhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/aquaponics
Thank you again Chris for the detailed and practical information! I think I have learned more from these few posts than entire blogs and forums! Thanks again! :-)
Thank you again Chris for the detailed and practical information! I think I have learned more from these few posts than entire blogs and forums! Thanks again! :-)