|
|
Post by Kathy on Jan 31, 2006 14:27:24 GMT -5
Does anyone grow 'baby' vegetables?? I recently read an article that they're the hottest new craze in the gourmet world. I was thinking some here might be interested if they're near a metro area farmers mkt. If you have a clientele of professional career type gourmets willing to buy expensive specialty varieties; it might be an untapped market.  . I have used baby carrots and baby corn(canned) but I've never tried the tiny zucchini or other miniature veggies. These apparently aren't immature full size varieties but true miniatures; I'm assuming some form of hybrid.  |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2006 17:42:46 GMT -5
I've only ever heard that they're just immature. If you left them to grow they would get to normal size. But I could be wrong. I've often thought of harvesting some of my veggies when they were little, but I'm SO CHEAP I can't bring myself to do it! LOL! The bigger they get, the more food I get from one seed, you know what I mean? If I had somebody to pay good money for tiny veggies, maybe I could do it, but for myself, I leave them to get mature (and sometimes I wait too long!). It's just my frugal nature... ~Lannie |
|
|
|
Post by Kathy on Jan 31, 2006 17:45:41 GMT -5
I know Lannie, that's like the recipes for stuffed squash blossoms. They look good but I'm wasting a whole squash with each blossom. Gad, we're pitiful aren't we?? ;D  |
|
|
|
Post by Kathy on Jan 31, 2006 17:53:45 GMT -5
I've only ever heard that they're just immature. If you left them to grow they would get to normal size. But I could be wrong. Some seem to be immature but others are actually miniatures of their bigger cousins. Here's an interesting site for seeds. www.seedman.com/baby.htmI'd love to try the mini eggplant! 
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2006 19:04:51 GMT -5
Yeah, cool, some of those said they wouldn't get big. I think I'd like some of those cucumbers. It said they wouldn't get too big before you pick them. I'd frequently go out to get another batch of cukes from the garden and find a big yellow schoolbus in the patch! LOL! Guess I missed one before! I'm so frugal, I pickled 'em anyway! The skins were tough, but the inside was still perfectly good!
And I had that same dilemma with the squash blossoms, although God knows I needn't have scrimped! I had so many squash I couldn't give them away! We were jokingly thinking of using them for target practice or amusing ourselves by throwing them at passing cars on the highway... (I ended up just composting all of them.) Next time, I'm gonna batter the blossoms!
~Lannie
|
|
|
|
Post by dlangland on Jan 31, 2006 19:21:26 GMT -5
A large part of that, I believe, depends on ones locale. I did market gardening, sold to restaurants, and did weekly subscription veggie sales for probably 10-12 yrs. back in South Dakota before I moved, and that is what I am intending to get back into in my new locale this season. I have read a lot of that same type thing, Kathy, yet I never grew any specific miniatures. I did find it was true, though, the smaller the better...I always marveled that there was more demand for very small baby beets, very petite summer squash, etc., etc., then the same as a full-size product. It always seemed to me, though, that in the midwest, the heart of meat and potatoes country, , people are just not very adventurous. They just prefer fresh, no chemicals, maybe multi-colored or new varieties of the regular old veggies. My main trick was striving each yr. to have the earliest and/or off-season veggies. Deb ;D |
|
|
|
Post by Kathy on Jan 31, 2006 19:21:28 GMT -5
When I was a kid, towards the end of the season my folks just plain got tired of zucchini so then my brother and I got to have some fun. ;D We'd let them get small canoe size! They worked great hollowed out with little army men in them floating down our creek! We also built a catapult for squash flinging!  |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2006 19:29:15 GMT -5
OMG! A catapult! You have NO IDEA what you've just done, Kathy! LOL! (Remember the Beltane Hat idea you gave me? Now picture me in my hat catapulting squash across the highway! ) ~Lannie |
|
|
|
Post by dlangland on Jan 31, 2006 19:41:00 GMT -5
My mom and dad are famous for growing what I call zucchini-clubs. Use as a weapon-strength.. Deb  |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2006 22:34:09 GMT -5
I'd frequently go out to get another batch of cukes from the garden and find a big yellow schoolbus in the patch! What a great description! I guess minis would be targeted for the niche buyer (gourmet restaurant, etc.) rather than the home gardener. I do use baby carrots and spinach. I love baby spinach. I splurge and buy it by the bag - I've started using that instead of the pale, watery iceburg lettuce found in the stores this time of year. /VM |
|
