321008 Sat Aug 26 22:09:10 -0700 2006 5 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 1835405 Wallace Condon of Small Potatoes Farm posted a sign at today's Ferry Plaza market announcing that he's retiring from farming and won't be back. Gracious as ever, he paused in the middle of a chess game with another customer to explain that the drive over Altamont Pass in the pre-dawn hours, and the sheer physical labor of farming, are getting to be more than he wants to put up with. I bought a few cloves of Lorz garlic--no vampires around HERE, I can tell you--thanked him for his fine produce through these past years and wished him a happy retirement. His email is heirloompotatoes@yahoo.com if anyone else wants to send good wishes. Sat Aug 26 22:09:10 -0700 2006 17327 rootlesscosmo 1 1835411 Thanks so much for the notice. I will really miss Small Potatoes. They are one of the few vendors I make (made) a special trip to Ferry Plaza. The year before he was seriously into the heirloom garlic and was in the process of testing it out, I was one of his "unofficial" garlic tasters ... the regular customers he would give a clove of each variety and ask to tell him next week what we thought. Sat Aug 26 22:11:38 -0700 2006 1835405 10264 rworange 2 1835929 He is still into heirloom garlic. I believe he is just tired of the trip, not tired of growing. He is willing to ship to customers. He was trying to set up a mailing list. I too, was one of his tasters. Sun Aug 27 06:01:24 -0700 2006 1835411 10133 wally 3 1836311 When we talked, he indicated he was retiring from farming too, though he probably still has some garlic available. I emailed him with thanks and good wishes; his answer confirmed he's packing it in completely. Sun Aug 27 16:09:31 -0700 2006 1835929 17327 rootlesscosmo 4 1836957 This is his second retirement, then. This is what he decided to do when he retired from teaching. Mon Aug 28 00:43:29 -0700 2006 1836311 10133 wally 1 1869987 REPLY FROM SMALL POTATOES I am amazed at Chow Hounds coverage of my retirement. I plan to offer Heirloom Garlics and Grey Shallots by email next year. I will send out details of varieties and prices as the crop nears maturity in May. Thanks for your kind words, Wallace Condon heirloompotatoes@yahoo.com Tue Sep 12 01:42:04 -0700 2006 1835405 39860 Small Potatoes