# What sells best at Farmers Market?



## NeHomesteader

Last year I did Farmers Market for the first time doing mainly baked goods and some vegetables. I spent the whole day before baking and the market was 2 days a week. I would make pies,breads,bars ,etc. Everything went very well and I did good but I got so behind. Any ideas for baking or other things you do. I am going to sell soap for sure this year. Thanks,Dawn


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## ronbre

people going there are likley more looking for foods..I wouldn't want to buy soap and have it in a bag with foods..myself


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## NeHomesteader

I would package everything separately. I would definately not put it with the food.


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## ai731

What sells best at our Farmer's Market is eggs. The egg lady always runs out within half-an-hour of the market opening on Saturday morning!

Jan


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## NeHomesteader

You are so right about the eggs. I sell them also and they are sold out quickly. How much do they sell for there?


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## DQ

sorry I don't know the answer but I have a question?  do you have to have a commercial kitchen to sell baked goods at a farmers market? baked goodies were going like crazy at our local market when I visited for the first time and I was considering jumping in for a piece of the pie.


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## Ross

Well we just had the health unit go through our market (I am the V Chair of the market association) and according to the inspector she wasn't interested in nor does the unit inspect home baking. Now I understand the USA is much free-er than "socialist" Canada so maybe things are even easier there?


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## Ross

Oh yeah what sells best. Eggs certainly, veggies, baking, quality crafts (like good pottery sewing, and wood working. Soap didn't sell well at our mkt but I've heard better things in other markets for it.


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## wyld thang

Wow, I'd love to sell baked goods/bread at mine, I know if you have great stuff people will scarf that down hand over fist! I thought you had to have an inspected kitchen etc?


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## wyld thang

PS, I love real nice handmade sopa in UNUSUAL flavors. I used to get this Morroccan-spice soap, with cinnamon and other morrocco-ey spices with almond, it was AWESOME stuff! I wanted to EAT it!


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## naturelover

Around here the biggest sellers at farm markets are live potted plants, plants and more plants. Any kind of plants, especially herbs. Everyone here on the west coast are crazy about plants for their houses and gardens. 

Next is organically raised fruits/veggies/herbs ready for the kitchen. Also different kinds of honeys, jams and jellies, chutneys, fruit preserves, fresh free-range farm eggs, any goat milk products, all sorts of cheeses, fresh seafood, fudge, candy, home made jewellery, woven or knitted items, fancy scented soaps and body care products, candles, any kind of wood crafting, crafts for placing outdoors and in gardens, i.e. bentwood furniture, wind chimes, wind harps, etc. Native crafts are a big seller too.

Baked goods don't generally seem to go over too well. Not too sure why that is - maybe people prefer their own home baked goods or are paranoid about eating other people's home baking. I won't buy home baked goods at farm markets for those 2 reasons - also there are already hundreds of great ethnic bakeries around here anyway.

.


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## paintlady

Check with your state farmers market association to see if you need a commercial kitchen or not. Some states let you sell a certain dollar amount of some baked goods without one. 
At our market fresh veggies sell the best, followed by jams, baked goods, eggs etc.
The key is to have something that no one else does so you have to be creative.


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## NeHomesteader

Here in Nebraska you don't have to have a commercial kitchen. There is a little sign that you hang on your table that says you're things are not made in a state inspected kitchen. Nobody at our market is inspected. I'm super careful about cleanliness. Baked goods go over very well at our market. Thanks so much to everyone for all the great advice.


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## cjg24

I have checked in Iowa and Missouri. You can sell home baked goods from your house (and a Farmers Market is considered an extension of your house - I know because I asked) as long as the products are NOT sold for re-sale (can't sell to a store to sell again). And they can not be "soft" baked goods. That is anything that spoils like cream filled pies, cheese cakes.


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## ronbre

yeah i bought an amish made cream pie one time...big mistake..sick


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## Cara

Its definitely eggs here, too. People beg for them at our veggie/plant booth. I could make a killing if I had room for 50 hens.


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## Tracy Rimmer

We aren't allowed to sell meat or fresh eggs at our market, but you also don't need to bake or process in a commercially-inspected kitchen to sell bread and canned goods. You must, however, use commercial sealers, not re-used jam and mayo jars, for obvious reasons. We have one lady at our market who absolutely refuses to do as she's told on this one, and the health inspector just about has a fit every time he inspects. We try and tell her that she could shut us ALL down if she doesn't stop it, and she's good for a while, then gets back to doing it again. 

My breads do very well, but so do my jams and jellies, quickbreads, focaccia, granola, homemade bran cereal, etc. The beauty of the jams, jellies, and cereals is that they can be made well ahead, unlike the baked goods.

I've also found that "snack-y treats" sell very well individually. Cinnamon buns are especially popular, especially if you bake them just before leaving for the market, and they're still a bit warm


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## Patt

I sell breads and scones and shortbread through our Farmer's Market and an online Farmer's Market. All of my ingredients are organic and I do not have a certified kitchen. I have been selling for 7 years now with no problems.  

Every market is different and you'll have to see what your local one needs or is lacking. Ours can always use another egg seller. Veggies do fine but to make any real money you need value added products. Jams and jellies, goat's milk soap, salsa's and baked goods make way more than just vegetables. 

Your Market manager should be able to let you know what your state rules are as far as canned or baked goods. If not check your extension office.


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## Patt

Tracy Rimmer said:


> We aren't allowed to sell meat or fresh eggs at our market, but you also don't need to bake or process in a commercially-inspected kitchen to sell bread and canned goods. You must, however, use commercial sealers, not re-used jam and mayo jars, for obvious reasons. We have one lady at our market who absolutely refuses to do as she's told on this one, and the health inspector just about has a fit every time he inspects. We try and tell her that she could shut us ALL down if she doesn't stop it, and she's good for a while, then gets back to doing it again.


Your Market manager needs to drop her membership if she refuses to follow the rules. It isn't fair to the rest of you.


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## mammabooh

I was involved in a very small first-year farmer's market last year. What sold the best for me was jams and jellies, relishes, canned beets, and muffins. I baked lots of cookies too, but the muffins sold much better than the cookies did. An Amish lady brought bread every week, so I didn't bother trying to compete with her.

I sold lots of fresh produce too. I'm hoping to be the first to have sweet corn ready this year.

I also took my handmade jewelry, lipgloss, bookthongs, and soaps along and sold a good bit of those.


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## Qvrfullmidwife

Whether a commercial kitchen will be required is dependent upon the laws in your area. COntact the county health dept to ask them. the farmer market manager should know this info.

At the markets we sell at milk anc cheese do well as do eggs and veggies. potted veggies with fruit already setting does well. baked stuff is iffy. some does very well and has a loyal following some, so-so. chicken, grass fed beef, spice mixes do less well.


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## hotzcatz

Last weekend I sold a whole bunch of baby chicks at the local farmer's market. They hatched two/three days before the market and I wasn't sure if they would sell or not, but they all did. Mostly in small batches of two to six, though. Next time I'll hatch them out a few extra days before the market so they are sturdier. Just basic backyard chickens, nothing fancy and they all sold for $4 each. There was always someone in front of the table, too, looking at the cute little chicks. Another fellow had cattle there and there were three horses at the Country Market, too, so these weren't the only animals.


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## NeHomesteader

I hadn't even thought of anyone selling baby chicks but that is a good idea. I appreciate all the replies and great ideas. We can sell eggs at our market but they have to be kept at a certain degree. We can't sell any type of cream pies or pecan of coarse so that limits it to mostly fruit pies. I tried herbs last year but they didn't go well. We live in an area where people don't want to try new things. I grow them and love them. I know breads are a huge hit,Tracy is helping me out with some ideas on that,thanks. So this year I will be making more kinds. A friend of mine sold honey and that went well. A lady from previous years had sold gluten free products and I guess people just loved them. So maybe it is the area you are in that depends alot on what people buy.


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## TurnerHill

Raspberries. And reefer.


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## The Paw

Tracy Rimmer said:


> We aren't allowed to sell meat or fresh eggs at our market, but you also don't need to bake or process in a commercially-inspected kitchen to sell bread and canned goods. You must, however, use commercial sealers, not re-used jam and mayo jars, for obvious reasons. We have one lady at our market who absolutely refuses to do as she's told on this one, and the health inspector just about has a fit every time he inspects. We try and tell her that she could shut us ALL down if she doesn't stop it, and she's good for a while, then gets back to doing it again.
> 
> My breads do very well, but so do my jams and jellies, quickbreads, focaccia, granola, homemade bran cereal, etc. The beauty of the jams, jellies, and cereals is that they can be made well ahead, unlike the baked goods.
> 
> I've also found that "snack-y treats" sell very well individually. Cinnamon buns are especially popular, especially if you bake them just before leaving for the market, and they're still a bit warm


Tracy, you can sell meat at a Manitoba Farmers Market, but it has to be slaughtered at a provincially licensed abattoir and packed at a butcher's facility. (no do it yourself on farm). You also need to have it either refrigerated or frozen, and the freezer or fridge has to have a power source at the market (frozen meat in picnic coolers with ice won't make it). 

You can probably get more detailed info from FMAM, the Farmers Market Association of Manitoba.


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## Freya

Soaps, baked goods and unusual/heirloom veggies sell well here.


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## Tracy Rimmer

The Paw said:


> Tracy, you can sell meat at a Manitoba Farmers Market, but it has to be slaughtered at a provincially licensed abattoir and packed at a butcher's facility. (no do it yourself on farm). You also need to have it either refrigerated or frozen, and the freezer or fridge has to have a power source at the market (frozen meat in picnic coolers with ice won't make it).
> 
> You can probably get more detailed info from FMAM, the Farmers Market Association of Manitoba.


Thanks for the info, Paw.


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## jbaskc

How much do farm fresh eggs go for? I have a few dozen to take to ours tomorrow & have no idea what to charge for them. I have brown & green. I'd appreciate any advice! & Also what about cucumbers? We have extra of those, as well. TIA!


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## Patt

At ours they are $2 a dozen, in Little Rock they are $3.50 a dozen. Just depends on where you are at.


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## JJ Grandits

We always sold out of sunflowers every week.


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## pheasantplucker

One of my friends does well with honey and one of his friends does great with maple syrup...but MS is pretty labor intensive.


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## ovsfarm

For those of you who sell baked goods, how do you deal with the issue of condensation inside the bag? I always have had problems when it is cool in the early morning at home and on the way to the market, but then heats up during the day. My packaging will get significant condensation inside if I'm not extremely careful. Any suggestions on how to avoid this? I do let the baked goods cool completely before packaging, but this seems to be more of a result of the temperature of the outside air, not due to steam from the food.


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## pheasantplucker

ovsfarm said:


> For those of you who sell baked goods, how do you deal with the issue of condensation inside the bag? I always have had problems when it is cool in the early morning at home and on the way to the market, but then heats up during the day. My packaging will get significant condensation inside if I'm not extremely careful. Any suggestions on how to avoid this? I do let the baked goods cool completely before packaging, but this seems to be more of a result of the temperature of the outside air, not due to steam from the food.


I would put the items in paper bags, vs. plastic


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## Ross

It needs to cool down enough to go into bags left open and tied ASAP after that


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## Ross

> You must, however, use commercial sealers, not re-used jam and mayo jars, for obvious reasons. We have one lady at our market who absolutely refuses to do as she's told on this one, and the health inspector just about has a fit every time he inspects. We try and tell her that she could shut us ALL down if she doesn't stop it, and she's good for a while, then gets back to doing it again.


 Geez Tracy!! If she tried that in our market she'd only get one chance to reform and then she would be gone.


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## Patt

ovsfarm said:


> For those of you who sell baked goods, how do you deal with the issue of condensation inside the bag? I always have had problems when it is cool in the early morning at home and on the way to the market, but then heats up during the day. My packaging will get significant condensation inside if I'm not extremely careful. Any suggestions on how to avoid this? I do let the baked goods cool completely before packaging, but this seems to be more of a result of the temperature of the outside air, not due to steam from the food.



I have that problem too because our temperature gets pretty high by the end of the Market. I usually just take a roll of clean paper towels and open the bags and wipe the condensation out during slow sales times.


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## Paumon

ovsfarm said:


> For those of you who sell baked goods, how do you deal with the issue of condensation inside the bag?


Put a sheet of waxed paper or paper towelling inside the plastic bag then place the baked goods in on top of it.


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## heather

to market on Sat. am

I will be the only one selling eggs - woo hoo!
I sell them from home at $3/doz
had to buy new cartons to sell at market, so they will be $3.50/doz
re-use your container next week & they're back down to $3 

Zucchini will be 50 cents ea

I would love to do baked goods, but here in PA we need an inspected kitchen & since we have a dog, we won't pass for our home kitchen -
when we build our garage, I plan to add on a kitchen


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## Ken Scharabok

To illustrate how rules/regulations vary by state, within TN: Vendors selling value-added food products must show verification of a domestic kitchen food certification course and permits issued by the TN Dept. of Ag and UT Dept. of Food Science and Technology or the TN Dept. of Health.

Essentially value-added means you can sell apples but not apple pies or apple jam. You probably can't sell flour stone milled from grains.


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## heather

the rules & regs are weird

I can cut my lettuce/spinach/chard to sell
but I can't cut my basil/thyme/parsley to sell because then it's "processed"

this is all new to me, so I'm learning as I go
thankfully, we have a local Dept. of Ag guy who's pretty helpful


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## Ken Scharabok

Some half-hearted attempts have been made locally for a farmers' market. Typically just on open lot. Predominately resellers. Occasionally Mennonites set up in a parking lot.

The local ag agent has arranged for a weekly Saturday farmers' market at the county fairgrounds. First one tomorrow. No reselling. Intend to drop by.

One question I want to ask him is on state sales tax. We have it on groceries. Wondering if the vendors need to collect and turn it over to the state.

UPDATE: Sponsors were very pleased with potential customers for what little advertising they did. There were three produce vendors and one egg seller. Someone had set up on the road outside selling rabbits. They are considering having live animal sales in a separate area and possibly expanding into arts & crafts.

On state sales tax. Said you didn't have to charge it unless more than 50% of what you were selling had been bought for resale. It was up to each vendor to collect and remit it when charged. (However, bear in mind this is TN. May not apply elsewhere.)


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## Pelenaka

I won't get into all the regs since it does vary so much in each state but
here's some tips that I have used in the past when it comes to marketing -
have a clipboard or pad of paper with a label @ the top that asks," What items are you interested in"? Ask for their contact info so you can call them when you do get in those stripped purple peppers.
On your posted price signs also include the date/time picked. That is the primary reason why people shop farmers markets the freshness factor.
Have a flyer to hand out with recipes & your logo/contact info proudly displayed. 
Consider comming up with your own bake good product that has a local theme - in our area tourists generally don't leave until they have had Buffalo wings in Buffalo, New York.
Check with your local historical society. Could be something from way back when that is poised for a come back just waiting for you. 
Consider offering a selection of low sugar baked goods too.

Here's a tip about pie making that my MIL (owned a successful resturant for years),gave me when my Deacon's group was looking into doing a pie sale - she suggested rolling out the bottom shells, layering with wax paper between, then stacking in the freezer to be filled @ a later date. Her second suggestion was to do a crumb topping instead of crust. Quicker & less cost.
We decided against a pie sale after we factored in the cost of baking not to mention the stress about the health certs.

~~pelenaka ~~
http://thirtyfivebyninety.blogspot.com/


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## PJJIN

My daughter is going to our farmer's marker today for the first time. We were wondering what is a good price for cookies, cupcakes and zuc bread? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks,

Penny


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## Ken Scharabok

Price it out to where it returns your input costs (and zucs aren't free even if from your garden) and your labor cost. Then find out the market level. If you sell out quickly, raise prices. If they don't sell, lower prices.


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## Patt

PJJIN said:


> My daughter is going to our farmer's marker today for the first time. We were wondering what is a good price for cookies, cupcakes and zuc bread? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Penny


Prices vary quite a lot from Market to Market.  If you are going to a big city and using organic ingredients you can charge quite a lot say $5-$6 a loaf for your bread. If you are in a small more rural area you will probably only get $3 a loaf.


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## NeHomesteader

We had our first market here in Nebraska on Tuesday. It is a small market but it went really well. I baked pies,banana bread,cookies and had soaps,eggs and jelly. This area is not much into trying new things but i actually sold 6 bars of soap.Not bad for the first time trying. I'm wondering if pies are worth it with the cost of fruit. I charged 8 dollars and 3.50 for the banana bread. It was fun and it went well. I will be going again on Friday. thanks for all the great ideas and replies. Dawn


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## jbaskc

What kind of price do you get for jams/jellies & canned goods, like say pickles? What size jars go best? Thanks so much!


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