{"id":49885,"date":"2018-01-11T08:00:06","date_gmt":"2018-01-11T13:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hobbyfarms.com\/?p=49885"},"modified":"2020-11-03T03:28:25","modified_gmt":"2020-11-03T08:28:25","slug":"basil-fresh-market-farm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hobbyfarms.com\/basil-fresh-market-farm\/","title":{"rendered":"The Many Ways to Market Fresh Basil"},"content":{"rendered":"

Basil is among the most popular and widely used herbs in the world, and for good reason. Fresh basil brings a bright burst of floral anise to any dish and has an uncanny ability to make almost any pizza or pasta taste like a four-star meal. Basil is also a fairly reliable crop to grow, which makes it worth considering the many ways to sell it.<\/p>\n

Today I\u2019ll give you some ideas on marketing basil, but crops always sell better when the farmer knows how they are used. Basil is the base ingredient in pesto. It is most often used fresh, but it is not uncommon to see it used dry in Italian seasonings (see the \u201cvalue-added products\u201d section below). It is arguably used more in Italian cooking than anywhere else, though you also see it rolled into spring rolls, tossed in many Thai dishes or steeped in cream sauces. But it doesn\u2019t have to be savory. Basil is also good with strawberries and blueberries. In summary, read up a bit and get to know your product. Here are some of the ways you can market it.<\/p>\n

Sell It Fresh<\/h2>\n

Among the bigger challenges of selling fresh basil is keeping it looking fresh on a warm, breezy market day. I highly recommend finding a package that keeps basil out of the wind to prevent it from wilting\u2014wilted basil is not a big seller in my experience. Basil leaves should not get wet, as they will blacken, so I don\u2019t recommend keeping it in water. When you harvest it, get it in your cooler as fast as possible to increase longevity. Also keep a cooler nearby at market to refresh your display regularly. Choose a package<\/a>\u2014a clamshell or bag\u2014that you find appealing and sell it that way. A box will always hold up to the elements better than a naked bunch, and things in boxes also tend to sell better.<\/p>\n

Sell It With a Recipe<\/h2>\n

Some of the best success I\u2019ve ever had selling basil was when we put it on the table in bulk with a pesto recipe attached and a big sign that read \u201cBasil for Pesto.” The idea is to pick a recipe you like, gather some or all of the raw ingredients, then sell it all as a package. (Pesto is nice because it uses such a bulk amount of basil).<\/p>\n

Maybe you have a great pizza or tomato sauce recipe\u2014you could provide all of the tomatoes, onions, garlic and basil and do a recipe card and package for that, too. A basket with everything you need to make a margherita pizza from scratch could be an easy seller. You do not have to get too detailed, just make sure the recipe works and make it easy on your customer by having it all ready to put together.<\/p>\n

Use It in Value-Added Products<\/h2>\n

Of course, you can simply make the pizza or pesto and sell it that way\u2014ready to go or to pop in the oven.<\/p>\n

You can also dry the basil and sell it simply like that, or you can mix it with some oregano and sell it as an Italian seasoning. Got a favorite basil-hinted pizza or pasta sauce? Preserve a bunch and sell it that way.<\/p>\n

Note that to process food in any way is a form of food processing and is subject to local laws. Some regions are more lax than others, but learn and follow all of your local and state laws for home processing or using a commercial kitchen. That said, don\u2019t let that little hurdle slow you down\u2014home processing can be a great way to add value to excess or less-marketable produce.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Basil is a fairly reliable crop, and it figures into a lot of different recipes. Here are several ways you can make basil more attractive to customers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":102,"featured_media":49909,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[58,427],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crops-gardening","category-farm-management"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Many Ways to Market Fresh Basil - Hobby Farms<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Basil is a fairly reliable crop, and it figures into a lot of different recipes. 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