Trendy, Exotic Groceries : ‘Gourmet’ Crops Help Bolster Farm Income With Small Harvests

More than one farmer having trouble keeping ahead of his bills has turned to amaranth, arrowroot, cipolines, daikon and manzano.

They’re not bankruptcy lawyers. They’re exotic vegetables, fruits and seeds.

These and others, from fava beans to purple potatoes, are being grown on “gourmet farms” to meet increasing demand for specialty foods. In some cases, they are more profitable than conventional crops.

Frieda Caplan, owner of Frieda’s Finest Produce Specialties Inc., a Los Angeles-based company that markets unusual fruits and vegetables to stores nationwide, said her sales increased nearly 20% a year over the last four years, to $15 million annually.

“There has been an explosion in unusual foods,” she said. “One reason is the increased interest in health. Markets are allocating more space to fresh produce. Smart retailers are putting in a great deal of variety. They want the consumer to know they have everything they want.”

Low Crop Prices

Some farmers, she said, are getting into specialty crops because they are not making a living on the conventional field crops such as wheat, alfalfa and cotton.

“They’re looking to find more profitable items,” she said. “They’re beginning to learn that bigness does not necessarily mean profitability. Sometimes you make more by growing less.”

George B. Holcomb of the U.S. Department of Agriculture said people today have higher living standards and want more variety in their food.

He said there is growing demand for ethnic vegetables in most of the larger cities. Exotic foods are being brought to this country by immigrants from Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe.

This is not to say that Kansas won’t be corny in August anymore.

Few Heard of Endive

After Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis suggested crop diversification and mentioned potentially lucrative Belgian endive, a farmers’ group, the American Agriculture Movement, surveyed 800 people around the country and found that two-thirds of them had never heard of it.

Some definitions:

Amaranth is a seed with a mild, nutty flavor that can be ground into flour, popped like popcorn or sprinkled on cereals and ice cream.

Arrowroot is a Chinese potato.

Cipolines are small, round onions.

Daikon is a giant white radish from the Orient.

A manzano is a small banana.

Fava beans grow in large pods and are tastier than lima beans.

And purple potatoes? Cook them, and they just get purpler.