A new handbook for farmers interested in capitalizing on a trend in America toward a diet that features an array of exotic and specialty produce is now available from the University of California Small Farm Program.

The 184-page publication Specialty and Minor Crops Handbook, Second Edition provides guidance to farmers who would like to consider growing any of 63 uncommon fruits, vegetables and herbs ranging from Adzuki beans to wax gourds.

"Anyone who wants to turn a small plot of land into a profit will find this handbook an invaluable resource," said the director of the Small Farm Program, Desmond Jolly. "It's nearly impossible to compete with large-scale agriculture on common crops, but farmers can carve a niche for themselves by catering to immigrants, health food stores, adventurous consumers and gourmet restaurants using this guide."

Specialty crops can be categorized in five groups:

• Foreign crops new to the United States. Examples are Belgian endive, bitter melon, radicchio, cilantro, daikon and tomatillo.
• Unusual varieties of common crops, including melons, tomatoes, peppers and lettuce. For example, lettuces in numerous shapes, colors and sizes with names like Red Oakleaf, Brune d'Hiver and Black-seeded Simpson.
• Miniature or baby vegetables, including those that are fully ripe, miniature varieties and others that are picked before fully grown.
• High-quality produce, a specialty area based on extraordinary freshness, flavor and appearance.

Each crop profile includes color photographs, basic varietal, marketing, cultural and harvesting information, plus seed sources and references for further study. An annotated bibliography provides research references for more than 200 individual minor crops and family names. A glossary of Asian vegetables gives common names, scientific species and family names for a variety of crops in English, Hmong, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese and Tagalog.

Praising the new publication for its value to California agriculture, Frieda Caplan, founder of Frieda's Inc., a leading specialty crops marketing firm in Los Alamitos, Calif., said the handbook will "encourage farmers to make intelligent decisions about crops than can be grown profitably."

Specialty and Minor Crops Handbook, Second Edition is available for $35 plus tax and shipping. To order, send a check payable to "UC Regents" for $42.89 to UC DANR Communication Services, 6701 San Pablo Ave., Oakland, CA 94608. Request publication No. 3346. The handbook is also available for sale and for reference at county UC Cooperative Extension offices and directly from the Small Farm Center, University of California, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616-8699.

For more information call the Small Farm Program at (530) 752-8136.

Journalists: For a complimentary review copy of Specialty and Minor Crops
Handbook contact Wendy Divita at (530) 754-5065, wldivita@ucdavis.edu.

Jeannette Warnert
Public Information Representative
UC Regional Office
550 E. Shaw Avenue
Fresno, CA 93710