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Markets can increase patrons by selling ethnic produce
By Bobbie Whitehead
For growers looking for additional ways to increase their customer base, they may want to try raising vegetables popular in ethnic markets.
Though not all areas have a large ethnic population, markets located near or in metropolitan areas and smaller cities tend to have a more diverse customer base that can support selling a wider variety of vegetables.
For growers looking for additional ways to increase their customer base, they may want to try raising vegetables popular in ethnic markets.
Though not all areas have a large ethnic population, markets located near or in metropolitan areas and smaller cities tend to have a more diverse customer base that can support selling a wider variety of vegetables.
Tomatillos are popular and used in salsas in Mexican and some American cuisines.
In Virginia, for example, some Asian vegetables that grow well in the climate include bitter melon, Chinese winter melon, Chinese squash, bottle gourd or calabash gourds. Also, jalapeno peppers and tomatillos grow well in the state and sell well in all markets since many ethnic foods are popular throughout the country.
“Some farmers in the area already grow endamame and jalapeno peppers,” said Glenn Slade, Surry County agricultural extension agent. “Selling these types of fruits and vegetables around larger areas would probably do better than in rural areas.”
For those unfamiliar with some of the ethnic fruits and vegetables, the bitter melon, for example, is also call foo guas and has a tapered shape similar to a cucumber with a bumpy, green appearance.
The Virginia Cooperative Extension suggests growing this vegetable in “well-drained soils.” The bitter melon also needs moisture and requires bee pollination.
When bitter melon is fully ripened, the Extension notes that it is orange. However, bitter melon must be harvested daily and when it’s green.
For Chinese winter melons, also called the wax melon or ton kwa, growers will want to plant these about the same time they would winter squash, and the wax melon requires similar growing conditions as American winter squash. The Chinese winter melon has a white waxy color at maturity, according to the Cooperative Extension.
This winter melon is harvested when it’s six inches long and is prepared like the summer squash.
Other ethnic produce items that grow well include chili peppers, tomatillos, which look like green cherry tomatoes with an onion skin, Amarinth greens, which are grown in West Africa, daikons, also known as giant white radishes used in Indian and Japanese dishes, cilantro, and lemongrass, an herb used in Asian cuisine.
The daikon, for example, is a cool weather crop. Thai basil can be grown in containers indoors and is an annual. Cilantro, too, is an annual that can be grown in containers or outside and sells well in markets for customers wanting to make salsas or other Mexican dishes and Asian dishes.
To have success in growing and selling these, growers should determine if the market where they sell has a need for a diverse product line. For more information on types of ethnic fruits and vegetables to grow, growers can find books that explain how to grow some of these items. Here are some books that may help:
1. The Edible Mexican Garden and The Edible Asian Garden, both by Rosalind Creasey, available at Amazon.com
2. Native American Gardening: Buffalobird-Woman’s Guide to Traditional Methods by Gilbert L. Wilson, also available at Amazon.com.
“Some farmers in the area already grow endamame and jalapeno peppers,” said Glenn Slade, Surry County agricultural extension agent. “Selling these types of fruits and vegetables around larger areas would probably do better than in rural areas.”
For those unfamiliar with some of the ethnic fruits and vegetables, the bitter melon, for example, is also call foo guas and has a tapered shape similar to a cucumber with a bumpy, green appearance.
The Virginia Cooperative Extension suggests growing this vegetable in “well-drained soils.” The bitter melon also needs moisture and requires bee pollination.
When bitter melon is fully ripened, the Extension notes that it is orange. However, bitter melon must be harvested daily and when it’s green.
For Chinese winter melons, also called the wax melon or ton kwa, growers will want to plant these about the same time they would winter squash, and the wax melon requires similar growing conditions as American winter squash. The Chinese winter melon has a white waxy color at maturity, according to the Cooperative Extension.
This winter melon is harvested when it’s six inches long and is prepared like the summer squash.
Other ethnic produce items that grow well include chili peppers, tomatillos, which look like green cherry tomatoes with an onion skin, Amarinth greens, which are grown in West Africa, daikons, also known as giant white radishes used in Indian and Japanese dishes, cilantro, and lemongrass, an herb used in Asian cuisine.
The daikon, for example, is a cool weather crop. Thai basil can be grown in containers indoors and is an annual. Cilantro, too, is an annual that can be grown in containers or outside and sells well in markets for customers wanting to make salsas or other Mexican dishes and Asian dishes.
To have success in growing and selling these, growers should determine if the market where they sell has a need for a diverse product line. For more information on types of ethnic fruits and vegetables to grow, growers can find books that explain how to grow some of these items. Here are some books that may help:
1. The Edible Mexican Garden and The Edible Asian Garden, both by Rosalind Creasey, available at Amazon.com
2. Native American Gardening: Buffalobird-Woman’s Guide to Traditional Methods by Gilbert L. Wilson, also available at Amazon.com.
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