I was at a local farmer's market recently I figured I'd get me one of those beautiful looking early season zucchinis a vendor had on their table. I marched over with a dollar in my hands thinking that maybe the price for the smallish zucch would be maybe $0.75.... or maybe even $1... but that would be pushing it. I can get zucchinis from my Amish neighbor for $0.25 during the season. Heaven knows I am the only person in the mid-west who can't grow their own damn zucchinis.
"How much on the zucchini"" I asked already holding out my dollar.
"$1.50" She replied.
I stood there stupefied. One DOLLAR and fifty cents? For one small zucchini? I was so stunned I actually paid it and then skulked away.... ashamed at being hornswoggled. Usually I'm a pretty good negotiator but this caught me so off guard I couldn't even defend myself from such piracy.
I took it home and cooked it up for dinner. I have to admit that having the first real, fresh veg of the season was pretty good. But I was still mad. So I took action.
Later that week I went on down to local produce auction. I shoved other people out of the way so I could be in the front row. I stood defiantly near a peck box of zucchs. When the bidding started no one would match my aggressive buying.
"Sold!" Called the auctioneer. "What's your number honey?"
"298!" I said, "I'll take two boxes!" And then I marched off, victoriously, to the office to pay for my purchases.
This is what I got for $6. Six whole dollars - why it's more zucchini than any one person could eat...
Two glorious peck baskets of farm fresh zucchini. $6 total. Not each, total.
Based on the artisanal pricing at the market my $6 would have only gotten me four of these little beauties. Four.
Four. Ha!
Who is laughing now, Zucchini Pirate Lady? Who? ME! That's who.
So now we've been having zucchini, in many different iterations, every night for dinner. And lunch. And even breakfast also. All my friends are getting zucchinis just because... it's a thoughtful gift. Pretty sure we are set on zucchinis now for a while.
From now on I'm going to stick with farmstands and the produce auction.
Happy Tuesday, everyone! Did you ever revenge buy a bunch of zucchinis to get back at an unscrupulous produce purveyor?
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12 comments:
you should buy at the auction and then rent a booth and sell at the same place as pirate lady, sell yours for $1.25
May, i totally laughed. i would make a MINT! ha!
:-D
You showed her!
i know, Carol, right? ha!
I hear what you're saying! Sometimes it's just food....
I would have put it down!
LHinB... i just couldnt believe it. it's not like it was a fancy variety or something..
PP - i normally would have but i was so surprised i bought it! good thing she didnt say $5! ha!
I was selling at the local farmers' market, and figured for the heck of it I would bring, oh, maybe 8 or 9 dozen eggs since my chickens are pretty ramped up lately. What to charge? Hmmm... how about $3 a dozen? Well, I sold a bunch and everyone remarked at how beautiful they were (lots of colors) but I really rained on the egg man's parade (who was a few booths down). He was selling his for $5, and next to him, a woman was selling hers for $6. Oops. I don't want to be THAT WOMAN, so I didn't bring any more the next week.
Kinda funny though...
$5 and $6!?!?!? holy cow... i dunno, Carol, you sounded like the voice of reason with your pricing. i'm surprised the other vendors didnt come over and make you change your prices. wow!
I can see it both ways with the zucchini pricing. I had a booth at our local farmer's mkt a couple of summers ago selling garden extra, just a little bit every other week. Let me tell you I was one of the ONLY people selling what I grew. Even though we had to sign a paper stating we grew our own veg, everyone else just went to the auction and then resold. I have no problem handing over $ for something someone in my community grew themselves but if you're reselling? No thank you. It seems so dishonest because most people assume the booth owners grew it.
yep, CTF, that is a huge problem around here also. some of the markets inspect the vendors for actual fields of produce. at the auctions i can always tell the folks who have farm stands that buy and resell. however, i know that most of the auction stuff is actually grown by the amish folks nearby. but you need to be on the lookout for sure.
As a fellow Ohioan, I now wanna know which auction you go to! haha
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