I'm thinking of dabbling in the farmers market next year.

[ninny]

So I have been going to the farmers market and well I think I want to try. Everyone has the same things except maybe a different kind of bean. I was thinking I want to go grow some wild looking tomatoes and zinnias for cutting flowers. Just have a little booth and what doesn't sell I'll donate to the food pantry and my grandmas nursing home. I was thinking of offering a tomato sampler. Do taste tests. Make my friends come and sit and do them so people stop to see what we are doing. I also want to set my booth up differently then everyone else. They just back the truck up and sell out of the back of it. Also getting more chicks this fall so they are laying come spring for market. I would be happy to just make enough to cover what I spent. I was thinking two maybe three spaced out plantings of Zinnias so I'll have some each week maybe 50 or 100 tomato plants? Any-hows thoughts?

 

[~gd]

So I have been going to the farmers market and well I think I want to try. Everyone has the same things except maybe a different kind of bean. I was thinking I want to go grow some wild looking tomatoes and zinnias for cutting flowers. Just have a little booth and what doesn't sell I'll donate to the food pantry and my grandmas nursing home. I was thinking of offering a tomato sampler. Do taste tests. Make my friends come and sit and do them so people stop to see what we are doing. I also want to set my booth up differently then everyone else. They just back the truck up and sell out of the back of it. Also getting more chicks this fall so they are laying come spring for market. I would be happy to just make enough to cover what I spent. I was thinking two maybe three spaced out plantings of Zinnias so I'll have some each week maybe 50 or 100 tomato plants? Any-hows thoughts?

Usually there is someone in charge of farmer's markets Find him/her and findout the rules of your market.

 

[Wannabefree]

Get some of those yard long beans. Sweet peppers get way more attention than I thought they would at our market, and green tomatoes...everyone brings ripe ones, but lots of folks here want green tomatoes to fry too. Some lady had some weird okra from a vine at our market...I don't think she did very well with it, but it was interesting, and it had people standing around her stand staring at her produce lol, so it was beneficial at least

 

[Britesea]

Unusual produce doesn't always do very well at farmer's markets... people aren't sure what to do with them. Sometimes having a sheet with a few recipes on it,and maybe some samples, can make all the difference.

 

[baymule]

Is there electricity available? Could you take an electric skillet and cook samples? The smell of food wafting over the crowd brings 'em in like reeling in a fish.

 

[Hinotori]

Or a small propane camp stove. I've seen those used at farmers markets here.

The guy who has a mini donut machine brings his own generator. The smell of those donuts draws everyone to the back of the market.

 

[so lucky]

I was at a farmers' market yesterday and made it a point to visit every stand. One large stand caught my eye with the variety of products: from fresh fruit and vegetables, to homemade bread, jellies and spice mixes. Unfortunately, the bad points outweighed the good upon closer inspection. All the people in charge were smoking. The pumpkin breads looked like they had been smashed and had smeared on the wrappers. Most importantly, to me, the labels on everything looked old and wrinkled, with some of the ink smeared. Honestly, the tags looked about 10 years old. Didn't seem to be an intentional "antique" look, just old. Some of the spice mix bottles seemed to have slightly rusty lids. Everything but the apples looked like it had been around the block a few times. Then the kicker, a disclaimer on each tag: "this product is from a kitchen not subject to inspection." My thought was "Well, Obviously!"
I did buy a few items from other cleaner stands, from peddlers who did NOT call me "sweetheart," by the way.

 

[Britesea]

Oh, absolutely! Everything needs to look fresh and appetizing.

The idea of cooking samples right there is great... but check out the local regs first. I nearly got kicked out of an art show once because I didn't have fireproof canopy and tablecloths-- and I didn't even have any fire in my booth, but the booth next to me did (candles). And the fines for improperly presented cooked foods can be high; I knew a woman that had bakery goods and she was cited because she was keeping the custard-filled cakes in an ice chest with no thermometer... it cost her over $100. You might not have an inspector show up right away, but you never know when one will come around.

 

[~gd]

Is there electricity available? Could you take an electric skillet and cook samples? The smell of food wafting over the crowd brings 'em in like reeling in a fish.

Yep it Does! Here we are not allowed to sell food unless the kitchen has been inspected and passed. 4 of us got together and beat that restriction. How? "free" samples! I was the egg man and would cook fresh eggs with yokes that were orange because of free ranging [I had duck eggs too for people that wanted a taste] the second week the sausage maker joined in and then the bakers with homemade bread and Bisquicks [sp?] once the coffee roaster joined we had the rep for the best breakfast in town {but you had to get there early because we would run out] We just left cups on our table and people left what they wanted to. Of course the Authorities had to stick their noses in and we claimed we were 'tailgating breakfast for our friends" Tailgateing is a old and strong tradition in the South and we were harmless. I don't know about the rest but I handed out more free" eggs than I sold at the market but I got so many orders that I was selling other's eggs for them.
Think 6AM on a cool day you climb out your warm bed and rush to the market to be hit with the smells. Coffee was 0.50 at the dinner [pre Starbucks] you are not to pit money in the cup and take the risk of someone seeing you freeloading. Good sausage a egg on Homemade bread That is the target for the fast food morning business.

 

[ninny]

I was planing on doing samples and setting up a table baited with some friends who are "trying" them. If people see people doing it they are more likely to sit down. I wonder about cooking the eggs though. I'll have to look into that. Getting chicks the fall so they are ready come spring.