Farmer's Markets

[Wannabefree]

My uncle got in some trouble using one of those food trailers, because he hadn't had it properly inspected All the rules suck, so I am hoping i can do this stuff. The Mennonites around here sale bread, and they don't deal with the govt. so maybe I can

 

[smackiesmommy]

I have found down here that with jellys and jams you need to offer a sugar free option...lots of little old ladies have told me they would but it if it were sugar free. I don't know about you but I can't seem to make a homemade sugar free jam to save my life but maybe you know some tricks. Good luck hun!

 

[Boogity]

I have found down here that with jellys and jams you need to offer a sugar free option...lots of little old ladies have told me they would but it if it were sugar free. I don't know about you but I can't seem to make a homemade sugar free jam to save my life but maybe you know some tricks. Good luck hun!

I wwonder if products sweetened with honey qualify as sugar-free?

 

[the funny farm6]

I did the farmers market here for several years till I burned out. I had to do @20 loves of white bread, 10wheat, and tons of what called flavor bread: bannana, bannana nut, pumpkin, pinnapple, apple, blueberry, strawberry, beer bread. Ect. I made reg white and wheat size loaves and small and reg flavor size. And if I had a new flavor or one that wasn't selling well that day I would slice one up for samples.

Cinnamon rolls are great in the early morning cause people are hungry and want something breakfasty to eat so I would make cinn rolls with frosting and sticky rolls. I just took a loaf of bread dough and let it rise and rolled it flat smothered it with butter sugar and cinnamon, rolled it up and sliced it. Bake 6 in a round cake pan and frost or put butter and brown sugar (and touch of cinn). In the bottom then add rolls and bake. Just be generous with the butter-if there isn't enuff the carmel will be hard like candy. And do some individual ones for the people who are looking around (all that food makes people hungry) and they like to buy. The single ones. I did these with and with out nuts also.
(Eta...I did some of the popular kinds in sugar free. (Bannana, bannana-nut, pupkin and blueberry) the older ladies and diabetics are always on the lookout for sugar free!

Cookies for the kids! People will buy cookies to shut the kids up! They are fairly cheap. I offered 12 and 6 to pack and I would make some slightly larger ones and sell individualy. .25 or .50 cents doesn't sound like much but it added up.

Pies did ok but they are priceyer and just didn't sell tons of them. People were after cheap.

Here ours says anything home grown or home made. I did see jellies off and on.

Can you go see what people sell there? See what they sell and what is not yet avalable yet. Then you willl have a better idea what to make.

The egg guy here would sell out in less than an hour.

 

[the funny farm6]

Also. Make sure your tables look nice. Put a table cloth or fabric over them. And I had a couple huge wicker baskets that I would put small loaves of bread in. I would put a peice of fabric in them and let it drape over the sides. (I bought country theme fabric after a few sales) I got the baskets at a yard sale for .25 each. I did notice after a while the nicer looking set ups had more people linger and look than those that didn't.

 

[Wannabefree]

I can make the sugar free jam, and have, for friends who are diabetic. I have a good bit of diabetic recipes that we use even though we aren't diabetic. That's a great idea! Lots of good ideas funny farm!! I do have some table cloths and baskets too to set up nice. I can't not decorate the place up a bit, that'd be no fun at all I can get labels pretty cheap and I can't stand messy looking labels/containers/products etc. when selling to the public. I want it to look nice as much as they do, because it reflects on me! I am fairly good at marketting and know how to make things appealing to the eye, and how to draw attention to my booth. If I can sell items that are homemade I should have no problem. If I could sell 20 loaves of bread I'd be ecstatic!

Boogity I think use of honey is considered "sugar free," but I would go full disclosure if using honey as a sweetener. It will affect blood sugar, just not like refined white sugar does. I have stevia too though. I've been growing a good bit of it this year, so that may be an option as well.

 

[moolie]

We have two year-round markets (Thurs thru Sunday) and another year-round one that is part of a flea-market (weekends), plus a few that only run on weekends or specific days (one is Wednesdays, one is Saturdays) during the summer/fall. All of them have a little bit of everything, these vendor lists may inspire you

http://kfmcalgary.com/year-round-vendors/
http://www.calgaryfarmersmarket.ca/vendors/riverbend_colony/#vendor
http://crossroadsmarket.ca/farmers_market
http://blackfootmarket.ca/2012-market-vendors/
http://www.millarvilleracetrack.com/market-information

 

[Wannabefree]

Thanks moolie! I'm ging to browse

 

[moolie]

We have lots more, most meet up in community center parking lots, but they don't have websites--they are just listed on one site that lists all the markets and the days/times they run.

But there should be lots of ideas in there.

 

[Wannabefree]

Already got a few ideas from them Those are awesome sites! Thanks a bunch! Our Farmer's Market is 5 days a week, which is fine with me, because I can use the off time to mae more products that sell well