For those who sell at farmer's markets...

[Buster]

shows what price differences truly are

Yes, it really is a regional thing.

Ours is a very young market, only in its second year, so prices will likely change. Everyone is selling out by 9 AM and this is only the third week of the market, so that is likely to drive prices up soon. There is far more demand than there is supply, at least at the moment.

The reason for the minimum prices is because there are horror stories in this state of people buying on the cheap dumping on a market and driving the prices so low that the local growers who actually grow their food can't make a profit, thus killing the farmers market.

They also have very tight controls over what can be sold and who can sell it, which is why I had to apply. It must be Oklahoma produced, and 70% of what is sold must come from the seller. Turns off some of my friends, who refuse to sell there.

On the red taters, one lady has a surplus of over 500 pounds, so they lowered the price to a buck quarter so she can unload some of them.

 

[Buster]

For more pricing information, you might get a few ideas from the Oklahoma Food Cooperative.

http://www.oklahomafood.coop/

 

[Wifezilla]

Awesome resource Buster. And yeah, I also heard the horror stories about produce dumping. I only buy from a select few farmers where I have actually gone to the farm.

I have a chance to test my products tomorrow without hiring a sitter. Hubby knows the owner of a local farmer's market. He started talking to her and they some how ended up at a deal where she will sell my stuff for me. I am splitting 50/50, but this will show if my stuff will sell and if my prices are right.

I can always go myself if things fly off the table. I was planning on going in later in the season when I had more stuff, but this lets me feel things out.

Hubby is taking to her tomorrow...
quail eggs
greek oregano
sage
stevia
boxwood basil
thyme
rhubarb
red garnet sweet potato slips
pineapple mint
and chocolate mint

I tied things with some rafia in what looked like $1 bundles to me...possibly up to $2. We will let the director tell us what the market will bare. Some things only have 1 or 2 bundles, but I have a ton of greek oregano.

The eggs I have little clear cartons for. I am going to ask her to charge $3/10 pk (its what those cartons hold). It may be expensive but I don't care. Where else you gonna get quail eggs in this town? And if they don't sell I will be perfectly happy eating them myself

 

[Blackbird]

I can't believe you all have farmer's markets every week. In town they only have them in the fall, for one week only. To get to a market that takes place once a week we have to drive over an hour.

Good luck 'Zilla!

 

[FarmerChick]

yea we have the "local backyard" seller that plants 25 mater plants and comes to the market and sells them for like .25/lb lol and it kills us "real" farmers lol those people drive real sellers insane but it sure happens

I plant very little cucumbers, tomatoes, squash etc for the market. I do not do the "usual" varities. I plant what the backyard person will not.

I plant only white cucumbers (most backyard sellers do the big greens), I do only 8 ball squash etc.

I do swiss chard that no one grows around here.


when ya do markets everyone, see what your other vendors are selling, and plant way different. I do and make a killing lol people do want what they can't grow in their own backyards or don't have the time

 

[Wifezilla]

I planted melons nobody around here ever heard of (Collective Farm Woman and Charentais), but we are a long way off from harvest I also want to try and sell brussel sprout "logs". You NEVER see good sprouts around here let alone fresh ones still attached to the stalk. I have several dozen plants going very well.

I have 3 different variety of squash going to. Nobody sells warty pumpkins or sweet potato squash.

As for tomatoes, not sure how much surplus I will have (we LOVE tomatoes around here) but I planted a lot of purple stuff. Cherokee, Japanese black cherry, and black krim. This is not the kind of stuff you see at the farmer's markets around here.

Also the only fresh herb anyone ever offers for sale is basil so hopefully someone will appreciate my other herbs.

I love the 8 ball squash. I have to buy that at the farmer's market because the slugs got my plants

Blackbird, that is so weird. I figured in your area it would be a weekly thing. I am originally from Wisconsin and some of the farmers had weekend stands that we visited regularly. I smell a business opportunity for someone!

 

[bibliophile birds]

I do not do the "usual" varities. I plant what the backyard person will not.

that was my plan of attack this year. i went for weird heirloom varieties that i hope will sell because they are unusual. like purple carrots and potatoes, all manner of strange tomatoes, rainbow inca corn, white eggplant, spotted watermelons, blue squash, etc etc.

my garden is not fairing so well (it's my first real attempt at a decent garden all by myself) so i don't know if i'll even have anything to sell, but, if not, i'm going to have a ton of really yummy stuff to eat!

 

[bibliophile birds]

As for tomatoes, not sure how much surplus I will have (we LOVE tomatoes around here) but I planted a lot of purple stuff. Cherokee, Japanese black cherry, and black krim.

here too. we could go through a bushel of tomatoes in a few days. many many years ago, we planted like 20 cherry tomatoes. we would see all these lovely little green ones and couldn't wait to pick them. but we never got many ripe ones at all. we couldn't figure it out- there must have been some pest eating them before we could pick them. so we started watching very carefully and we caught our pest: it was my then 7 year old brother... he was going out and eating ALL the ripe cherry tomatoes without anyone noticing. sneaky little bugger.

purple seems to be my gardening color this year too. i planted the Cherokee purples also. i'm very jealous that you've got the black cherries... they were sold out when i ordered. they look sooooo yummy.

VERY VERY late start for my tomatoes. i didn't think any were growing at all (those beds are, um, quite weedy.... stupid rain) but i've found 16 plants this week as i tear apart weeds. i planted 6 each of 9 varieties, so 16 plants is not so great... but i've still got 4 more beds to go through.

 

[Wifezilla]

I started my tomatoes inside in late January. You heard me...JANUARY! I used compact CFL's for light and got them to about 4' tall.

I planted them outside and kept them in good shape with Wall-O-Waters in late March. I planted them so deep I had to use a post hole digger to put them in. They looked pretty small until about a week ago. Now they are going crazy.

If I can keep the blight from getting them I should be in good shape. Hopefully

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

I've never had good luck with planting tomatoes from seeds. I'm jealous.