Crops for trade ideas

Food, Nutrition and Agriculture
Vega-J
Posts: 31
Joined: Sun May 22, 2022 7:05 pm

Crops for trade ideas

Post by Vega-J »

Hello. In a situation of food scarcity what crops do you all think would have the best trading value? I'm guessing it would be high calorie foods that people recognise but I can't think of anything other than spuds... which I don't grow :lol:
jennyjj01
Posts: 3429
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2017 11:09 pm

Re: Crops for trade ideas

Post by jennyjj01 »

Vega-J wrote: Tue May 24, 2022 9:14 pm Hello. In a situation of food scarcity what crops do you all think would have the best trading value? I'm guessing it would be high calorie foods that people recognise but I can't think of anything other than spuds... which I don't grow :lol:
Not currently much value in spuds or other root veg. Folks expect spuds and carrots for a few pennies a bag, so will never want to trade for much.
Lettuce & other salad crops might be good for profit, because of its speed to harvest.
Tomatoes might be good for decent cropping and value, but we can get messed up by blight.
Fruit has got to have decent value, especially if you can get big crops like from an apple tree.
Maybe look at what we import for luxury and might miss first..... Mange Tout? Baby sweetcorns? peppers?
Grapes. Set up as a vineyard :)

Extending crops with poetic license.... Get some chickens and trade eggs or breed rabbits ( if your conscience will let you )
Graceful Degradation! Prepping's objective summed up in two words. Turning Disaster into Mild Inconvenience by the power of fore-thought

Not Feeling Optimistic. Let me be wrong
Vega-J
Posts: 31
Joined: Sun May 22, 2022 7:05 pm

Re: Crops for trade ideas

Post by Vega-J »

[quote=jennyjj01 post_id=213721 time=1653428669 user
[/quote]Not currently much value in spuds or other root veg. Folks expect spuds and carrots for a few pennies a bag, so will never want to trade for much.
Lettuce & other salad crops might be good for profit, because of its speed to harvest.
Tomatoes might be good for decent cropping and value, but we can get messed up by blight.
Fruit has got to have decent value, especially if you can get big crops like from an apple tree.
Maybe look at what we import for luxury and might miss first..... Mange Tout? Baby sweetcorns? peppers?
Grapes. Set up as a vineyard :)

Extending crops with poetic license.... Get some chickens and trade eggs or breed rabbits ( if your conscience will let you )
[/quote]

If only I could start a vineyard! I didn't think about alcohol as what I brew is used very quickly by me!
I did think of my fruit trees as I get way more than I can eat/process.
My partner's rabbit have both been "fixed" so no breeding :lol: and being an ethical vegan means chickens are off the cards as well.
Arzosah
Posts: 6323
Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2012 4:20 pm

Re: Crops for trade ideas

Post by Arzosah »

Strong spices might have a high trading value - tea and coffee too, maybe. All of them were on a par with the cost of gold in the past.

https://www.mccormickscienceinstitute.c ... -of-spices
https://agronomag.com/11-most-expensive ... the-world/
GillyBee
Posts: 1047
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2020 6:46 am

Re: Crops for trade ideas

Post by GillyBee »

Arzosah wrote: Tue May 24, 2022 10:11 pm Strong spices might have a high trading value - tea and coffee too, maybe. All of them were on a par with the cost of gold in the past.
That might be a goer, especially if you have a greenhouse. The demand for spiced food has never been higher and fresh chillies, ginger, turmeric, lemon grass, coriander could be worth a lot to spice up a dish of UK grown veg. Woolton pie anyone or Thai Red veg curry?

Standard herbs might also be useful. I am always amazed at the ones sold for a quid a time that I just walk in the garden for.
grenfell
Posts: 3951
Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 7:55 pm

Re: Crops for trade ideas

Post by grenfell »

I read that the farming sector that is going to be in more trouble is anything that is labour intensive and hand picked. Grain , potatoes and the like can be mechanically harvested with far less human input. Salads , soft fruits and anything hand picked is thus forecast to be either in shorter supply or more expensive or both so that may be an avenue for trade but volume might be a problem for most.
Tobacco might be a better option. It can be grown in this country and the finished product is already quite expensive so that might be a better option and that's without mentioning other illegal crops that get smoked. I believe some have tried growing tea in the UK with some success , we do love our tea so maybe worth a look. Also anything that can be dried or preserved for trading in the winter months might be a consideration.
However , having said all that unless you have a small holding at least you might just be better off looking at trying to grow as much of your own needs as possible . Only really trade what is in effect a surplus.
jennyjj01
Posts: 3429
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2017 11:09 pm

Re: Crops for trade ideas

Post by jennyjj01 »

grenfell wrote: Wed May 25, 2022 7:43 am However , having said all that unless you have a small holding at least you might just be better off looking at trying to grow as much of your own needs as possible . Only really trade what is in effect a surplus.
Yes. It would be hard for the average home-owner to grow enough food to feed a family year round. With such a short growing season, there will be lean times and with a fruit tree or similar there will be massive gluts. Trouble is that your glut will coincide with your competitors glut and your hungry time will coincide with theirs.
You need to trade with somebody in New Zealand to even things out :)
Or really master food preservation. A useful skill to trade.

Chuckle at the growing weeds suggestion.
Graceful Degradation! Prepping's objective summed up in two words. Turning Disaster into Mild Inconvenience by the power of fore-thought

Not Feeling Optimistic. Let me be wrong
grenfell
Posts: 3951
Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 7:55 pm

Re: Crops for trade ideas

Post by grenfell »

jennyjj01 wrote: Wed May 25, 2022 8:28 am
Chuckle at the growing weeds suggestion.
Illegal or immoral is certainly going to be more profitable than trying to trade lettuce not that it would work for most and not an avenue I'd suggest here.
jansman
Posts: 13622
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:16 pm

Re: Crops for trade ideas

Post by jansman »

grenfell wrote: Wed May 25, 2022 11:23 am
jennyjj01 wrote: Wed May 25, 2022 8:28 am
Chuckle at the growing weeds suggestion.
Illegal or immoral is certainly going to be more profitable than trying to trade lettuce not that it would work for most and not an avenue I'd suggest here.
My brother grows tobacco , very successfully too. Many years ago, my oldest friend told me his wife had Multiple Sclerosis. She had just given birth to twins. He wanted advice about growing’herbal’ remedies for her. As a gardener I gave him a hand. :lol: Ultimately it helped with pain and mobility, but sadly she passed.
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