Courtesy of Wally S., Wally’s Urban Market Garden, Saskatoon, SK
It’s not that hard to grow food. It’s quite different to grow it at commercial grade. But there are different levels of commercial grade. Here’s how I have always thought about it. My competition is not other farmer’s at market. It’s Whole Foods. So my produce has to have eye appeal. Appearance and presentation are as important to quality as taste and freshness. That’s why practicing SPIN’s post-harvesting protocols are so important. For instance, the protocol for scallions is to remove the old set ” jacket.” Soak the onions in a bin of cold water, root side down, for a couple of hours, and then strip off the jacket. I also trim off the root end. It’s a little more work, but you’ll more than cover your time that by being able to charge, and get Whole Foods level prices.
