Advice Needed on Value Added Products

[FarmerChick]

I did do the salad green mixes in gallon bags and sold them for $4 each. Sold well....but the work was too much to get done. We harvest on Friday before the market on Saturday. We wash all produce we take. And bunch the onions and radishes and all that. So time was just not available to continue to do it. Trying to squeeze it all in on Friday from harvesting to prepare for market was just the LONGEST day in the world..LOL-LOL

Getting older I am crapping out faster...

 

[me&thegals]

Could you skip the thorough washing? Our markets sell with the understanding that things need to be washed before being eaten. Otherwise, it's a killer to get lettuce clean enough! I did that 2 summers ago for a restaurant in town and did NOT renew my relationship with them last summer--it takes SO MUCH time! Could you just do a nice rinse to remove anything really gross (like bird poop) and get it looking nice and crisp?

Just a thought...

 

[lupinfarm]

I don't have any farmers markets near me in the winter months, no indoor ones. There is one in every small town here during the spring and summer though.

 

[Dace]

I like the fresh herbs idea...not potted, but just cut fesh herbs...that way they have to keep coming back!
For value added feature combine them...Poultry blend of thyme, sage, tarragon & bay...Pork blend of rosemary & sage.. Beef marjoram, rosemary & garlic etc. Put together specific combos for people because they often do not know what to mix with what. I can help you with more info if you would like.

Even a little Bouguet Garni would be great...tie up a slice of carrot, celery, thyme, and a bay leaf...or little Sachets - cheese cloth with a few peppercorns, parsley stems, a clove of garlic, one clove and a bay leaf. Those might be more work that just bundles of herbs though.

I am sure you will come up with some great ideas...let us know what you end up doing!

 

[FarmerChick]

I know me&thegals

But it is Tony. He absolutely insists on selling clean produce. Alot of vendors do sell wtih the dirt right on the veggies but Tony's customers commented many times that they prefer the clean produce.....which I understand in a way cause they don't have to clean hardly at all when they use them and can put them up in the fridge all nice and perfect.

Since his loyal customers have commented on how they love the clean produce, he has become fanatical about cleaning before the market.

I know.....I wash all day long on Fridays in the summer....good thing it is hot enough under the carport to SPRAY him a million times with the hose..HA HA...gets some frustration out of me..HA HA

 

[enjoy the ride]

Well- the nice thing about dried herbs is that they hold for a long time- you can bring them to sell again and again.

 

[enjoy the ride]

I grew leaf lettuce for quite some time and I don't remember it ever being what I would call dirty. I grew through mulch and under row covers(reemay)- I watered with soaker hoses that ran under the mulch. I have tried different kinds of mulch but it all worked pretty much the same.
Once the slug issues were under control (copper barrier- we have bigggggg slugs,) the lettuce stayed clean and swish of in water was all I ever did. No bird poop. As lettuce grows so fast, there was no bug colonizing under the barriers before harvest.

I imagine that if you grew with dirt exposed, a rain would splash mud up on them. Or overhead watering.

Maybe the effort of mulching would minimize the washing time and make it worthwhile?

 

[FarmerChick]

that is so true ETR
anything perishable is rough to handle to and from the market...anything that can be brought back and sold with little care and attention is the way to go for value products.

 

[enjoy the ride]

Maybe your idea of dried chili peppers would do well then- I have no experience with them- peppers are a challenge to grow here.

Oh- I had another thought- sugar snaps. They grow very well here and are great sellers at the local markets. Pick and pack- no real cleaning needed and they hold well for a couple of days. Might be a good cool season crop for you.

Different world here- can grow peas and lettuce all year but the challenge is to get a ripe tomato or melon.

 

[poppycat]

I sell my sausage, pork chops, eggs, my goat milk soap, goat milk lotion, some wooden soap dishes that a man in Ohio hand makes, lip balms I make, and all of our produce come summer.

That sounds like quite a bit to me.

Mind you I know next to nothing about Farmers Markets specifically, but all of my other business experience tells me that it is better to do what you are good at, really well, and not spread yourself too thin trying to offer lots of products.

Is there any way to make some of the products you already produce into a premium product that costs more? Like some kind of "more special" sausage or soap made with something that would warrant a price increase?

Around these parts, cured meats like salami and proscuitto sell for big bucks. But I don't know if you are set up for curing meat or not. Same with goat cheese.

Just my two cents worth