Farmer's Market Question

[OrganicAnn]

Poll regarding Farmer's Markets. Please check all that apply. Also if you want to elaborate on what you buy in a post that would be helpful. My DH has an idea of selling at Farmer's Markets. I'm just curious what people buy there. (I know what I buy).

 

Thank!

Edited September 20, 2010 by OrganicAnn

[Audrey]

I vend at a couple of farmer's markets. The biggest sellers are veggies and baked goods. In the brief windows that anyone has any extra to sell, fruit sells extremely well.

[Parrothead]

I went with fruit, but that is not exactly true. I mainly end up buying jams and jellies. Our farmer's market is not grand. Very little produce is sold there. I was disappointed last time I went.

 

I'm going to try to go one more time before it ends at the end of September. Hopefully there will be produce there since our harvesting is happening fairly soon.

[Caitilin]

I buy some plants in the spring; I buy things like tomatoes, peppers, onions, apples, jams, potatoes, herbs, winter squashes; there is a stall which sells organic veggies/fruit and also does a thriving business in beautiful cut flowers.

ETA: I also buy all my chicken from there in the summer and freeze it through the winter. :)

[OrganicAnn]

I'll respond to my own poll. I usually buy vegetables. But my DH buys more fruit and baked goods. But it changes based on what's for sale.

 

I bought 11 pablano peppers yesterday and spend this weekend skinning, deseeding, mincing and freezing them. What a pain, but I'll be eating well for a long time.

[LauraGB]

I get fruits and vegetables while I am there, but that's not why I go. I get our maple syrup and honey from there. Right about now I finish stocking for winter and spring so I will have enough of these two things to get me through to next year's farmer's mkt. I also get organic eggs and meats (when the family requests it). This year I ordered the Thanksgiving turkey from one of the organic vendors - they are much closer than where I had been getting it these past several years.

 

I probably would buy flowers if I didn't have them myself to cut from the back yard; their arrangements are so lovely!

[Farrar]

Ours is too expensive to buy much, but I do get veges sometimes and baked goods very occasionally since $6 is a heck of a lot for a small loaf of bread. We also get a box from a semi-local produce service relatively often. Not a CSA exactly.

[Food4Thought]

I usually buy vegetables and fruit (apples in season, mostly). When I lived in a different area, I used to buy all my honey from one of the farmer's market vendors.

[DaffodilDreams]

I also buy homemade jam and local honey.

 

ETA: Oh, and homemade italian ice to eat while shopping. Yum!

[Laurie4b]

I'm wary of buying baked goods, but I buy veges, fruit, and sometimes if the price is right, flowers.

[Tutor]

We buy all of the above at our farmers' market plus milk, eggs, butter, cheese, honey, meat, soap, and art. We also sit and listen to music. We just received our email from a local farmer reminding us to sign up for our Thanksgiving turkey on our next visit to the market.

 

Next season, I plan on selling vanilla extract, surplus produce, fabric shopping bags, and photography, and my dd13 (who will be 14 then) is planning on selling baked goods.

Edited September 20, 2010 by Tutor

[Slartibartfast]

I buy fruit, veggies, baked goods, jelly/preserves, eggs, honey, meat, flowers, fudge :lol:, there is a gelato place, goat cheese and herbs

[myfunnybunch]

I checked all but "Don't go" because I purchase all of those items and belong to a CSA.

 

We mostly buy veggies in the spring before our CSA starts, usually things we didn't plant in our garden, and plants, vegetable starts for the garden.

 

We buy fresh fruit for a snack while we're at the market or if we want berries for breakfast; if we want more than a small snack, we drive to the berry field or orchard and pick them ourselves.

 

If I happen to be at the Farmer's Market, I will walk clear to the end to buy a loaf of bread from the local baker because it is so good, but I don't go to the market for that purpose.

 

Cut flowers are a once a season luxury, but there's usually one day when they are so lovely it's worth the splurge.

 

I also buy honey at the Farmer's Market if my friend doesn't have any to sell.

 

Cat

[Tap]

I buy it all. At ours there are

 

fruit/melons

veggies

plants

cut flowers

honey- honey sweetened items

meats-organic beef/chx, buffalo, speciality smoked

seafood-fresh and cured

Cheeses-many varieties esp goat

baked goods-dessert and/or breads

jams/jellies/compotes/preserves/savory bread toppings

chocolatiers

woven items with homespun yarns

home bottled sodas

 

there are also 10 or so prepared food booths

[dripdripsplat]

We buy all of our produce at the local Farmer's Market. They have the best tasting, freshest produce in town. It's also, amazingly, the cheapest produce in town.

 

Used to buy bakery items there too, but went anti-soy, so most of the stuff there we can't eat.

 

They also have the best sushi in town. And the freshest meat.

[Mrs Mungo]

Fruit, veggies, flowers, local honey (supposed to be good for people with allergies), jam. I miss the ones in Germany where I could buy loads of delicious cheeses, fish, eggs and such.

[Melissa in Australia]

I don't go to one, as we grow nearly all our own food.

[creekland]

I voted that we don't go to one as we rarely go. Prices are much higher there than I can get elsewhere and I once worked as a cashier in our local grocery. Some vendors at the Farmer's Market would buy some produce from us if they thought they were understocked. Pies too. That did it for me.

 

Plus, we grow a lot of our own veggies.

 

Growing up we sold things at Farmer's Markets, but back then it was our goal to be less expensive than the local grocery. Times have changed I suppose.

[Carrie12345]

I don't go often anymore due to budget AND finding a local organic farm that is open on-site 6 days/wk (as opposed to the 2 days for the farmer's market).

 

I voted fruits and vegetables, but I also buy eggs, cheeses, and meats. When I bring the kids, they sometimes buy their own small pkgs of cookies.

[amy g.]

I also voted "Don't Go" because we raise most of our own food.

 

Miss Bossy and I worked 10 hours in the fall garden yesterday. Now I need to get out to the barn and milk. It would be easier if my muscles weren't so sore.

[MotherGoose]

I get meat, poultry, eggs, milk, and cheese too. Actually since I have a garden I get more of that stuff than vegetables.

[Punchie]

Vegetables, fruit, raw honey,various pork products, and baklava. I will miss the pork and baklava when we move b/c they are the absolutely heavenly.

[zaichiki]

Our Farmer's Markets also sell a lot of eggs and locally-raised grass-fed beef and/or naturally-raised chicken, turkey, and pork. This year there's more goat cheese and honey. Oh, and local wools & yarns.

 

We'll probably be selling at the markets within the next 3 years, ourselves.

[4kiddies]

I get fruit,vegtables, syrup, baked goods, cider, lunch for the day, chicken, pork and a science/health/whatever else lesson for the kids. :001_smile:

[meet me in paris]

We just moved, and our farmer's market here stinks. It's so expensive and so much smaller than I'm used to. I did find a local farm store that I like better, so I think we'll start going there on a regular basis.

 

That said, we went to Boston this weekend and OH MY. That's the biggest farmer's market I have ever seen. Blocks and blocks of fruits and veggies... I got quarts of strawberries for $1, pints of raspberries and blueberries for $1... I bought all we could carry. If I hadn't just bought a half peck of apples I would have loaded up on that, too. No animal products that I saw, but fruits and veggies galore.

[My3Boys]

I answered the poll, but to be honest I don't get a lot at the farmer's market because I find them to be too expensive in general. I frequent our many family produce stands that sell all the vegetables, fruits, plants, preserves and honey I need. It's usually fresher too because they sell what they harvested that day, while the farmer's markets are mostly only open a few days at the end of the week and some of the produce has been sitting for a while before it goes to market. It's also fun being right there at the farm.

 

I generally pay $1 for a huge head of lettuce, or a head of broccoli or cauliflower, $2.50 for a basket of 5 or 6 tomatoes (depending on size), $3.50 for a dozen ears of corn, green peppers are .50 apiece. This past weekend I bought a huge butternut squash (about 8lbs) for $3.75.

 

This time of year there is an abundance of pumpkins, ornamental squash, and mums as well as many different kinds of edible squash I can't get in the grocery store.

 

I love this time of year!

[lailasmum]

Our farmers markets are not regular enough to be our main source of food. But when they are on I buy baked goods, meat, fish, veg and seasonal fruit. I tend to make more effort to buy from there around christmas and important family meals.

 

We also buy a lot of plants and herbs from there through out the year.

 

I don't tend to buy jam as we don't eat much of it though I have plans to start making it again as I have found a great low sugar jam cook book. I really should buy local honey as the kids eat a lot of it (I hate it).

 

We are lucky to live in a town with a local craft & food ethic so a lot of our local shops used to be small market stalls that have grown enough to be shops. They can be expensive though. There are soapmakers and delis and cheese mongers etc...

[LauraGB]

Blocks and blocks of fruits and veggies... I got quarts of strawberries for $1, pints of raspberries and blueberries for $1... I bought all we could carry.

 

:eek: Jealous! Blueberries here were $4/qt and not even local! It was cheaper to buy organic ones at the grocery store around the same time!

[Annie G]

I'm so fortunate that I live close enough to shop at the Dane County Farmer's Market in Madison, Wisconsin. It's the largest producer-only farmer's market in the entire country. The prices are excellent, the selection is fabulous, and it's so nice to buy from the people who grow and produce the products.

 

http://www.dcfm.org -The website is a good place to go and see what products are sold and see how uber organized this market is.

 

We regularly buy fruits, veggies, honey, maple syrup, herbs, cheese, and baked goods. We occasionally buy meats, flowers, and prepared products like salsas and jellies/jams. I have friends who raise chickens so eggs are readily available w/o buying from the market.

 

Across the square, outside the 'official' market, there are food vendors, artists selling their wares, and tons of street performers.

 

Hope your product sells well for you- will you reveal what you're considering?

[Tammyla]

I always look and ask for organic grown / locally grown.

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

The key is that locally grown has to be the real deal and not taste like the mass produced stuff. Also, the markup has to be reasonable.

[emubird]

I get mostly vegetables, with a few fruits when they're not expensive.

 

Eggs, meat, butter etc I get from the co-op because the price at the farmer's market (from the same farm) is more expensive than the co-op. I don't generally buy baked goods because we tend to like the ones we make ourselves a lot better.

 

I'm picky about who I buy from because some of the vendors seem to be buying stuff from the local grocery store, marking it up, and selling it at the farmer's market. So I generally just buy from folks I've dealt with before as I've already gone to the trouble of figuring out if they're being underhanded. I try to get chemical free produce (no one there has an organic label, it's too expensive to get). I'd never buy crafts. We've got way too many crafters at home here.

[EJCMom]

I buy fruits, veggies, baked goods, and some all-natural, homemade cosmetics that I have become addicted to. :lol: I love our farmer's market!!

[cjzimmer1]

I'm so fortunate that I live close enough to shop at the Dane County Farmer's Market in Madison, Wisconsin. It's the largest producer-only farmer's market in the entire country. The prices are excellent, the selection is fabulous, and it's so nice to buy from the people who grow and produce the products.

 

www.dcfm.org -The website is a good place to go and see what products are sold and see how uber organized this market is.

 

We regularly buy fruits, veggies, honey, maple syrup, herbs, cheese, and baked goods. We occasionally buy meats, flowers, and prepared products like salsas and jellies/jams. I have friends who raise chickens so eggs are readily available w/o buying from the market.

 

Across the square, outside the 'official' market, there are food vendors, artists selling their wares, and tons of street performers.

 

Hope your product sells well for you- will you reveal what you're considering?

 

Well I guess I should hi because I think you are my closest neighbor (I live in Madison).

 

You are right about the organization. My parents sell bedding plants in the spring and the rule book is 40-50 pages long. The wait list for a permanent spot (as opposed to daily) is between 15-20 YEARS. And even for daily vendors if there seniority number isn't low enough they aren't even allowed to come and try to set up in certain months.

 

It's a great market but if I'm not there helping sell, I seldom go shopping. I grow most of my own veggies and get my fruit in bulk from the Amish. I have a hard time shopping because there are so many people there just to wander around and when I go, I'm there for a purpose and want to get in and out. I usually have my husband drive me around the square and I hop out at the vendor I want and then he drives me to the next stand. I usually only shop from 3-4 places so this is much faster for me.

 

So for things I buy: a few veggies I don't grow myself or don't want a lot of. Fresh apple juice in the fall, fresh squeeky cheese curds, sausage sticks for snacking, and some different kinds of apples for fresh eating.

[Annie G]

Hi Stephanie! I might actually not be your closest WTM neighbor, though. We drive an hour to shop the market. It's worth it for us because we can also shop Penzey's, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's while we're in Madison. And I can't grow a thing. I bake, quilt, etc., but growing anything is just something I can't seem to do.

[phathui5]

We mostly buy organic meat. Sometimes we buy fruit too.

[cjzimmer1]

Hi Stephanie! I might actually not be your closest WTM neighbor, though. We drive an hour to shop the market. It's worth it for us because we can also shop Penzey's, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's while we're in Madison. And I can't grow a thing. I bake, quilt, etc., but growing anything is just something I can't seem to do.

 

Well you are the closet one that I know about. There are lots of people here that I have no idea where they are from.

 

I take it for granted that I can go to all those places on a regular basis. I've forgotten what it like to live in smaller towns. I can see where it's would be quite fun to make of day of it with the market and all those stores.

[Daisy]

Veggies

Fruit

Eggs

Baked items

Canned items like jams, jellies, relish, etc.

Herbs

Handmade soaps

Honey

[Mejane]

Our market sells herbs, plants and flowers, handmade garden ornaments, meat and eggs, syrup and honey, cider, goat cheeses, and baked goods in addition to fruits and vegs. We buy it all. :001_smile:

[Nicole M]

One item I don't see listed here among the replies is my favorite purchase from our local market: rain barrels. There's a local fella (I call him Shy Dan) who collects plastic barrels from, I think, the pickling plant nearby, and converts them to awesome rain barrels, with a special overflow gadget thingy. I have two and plan to buy more for the other corners of the house.

[Liz CA]

I usually buy vegetables and fruit (apples in season, mostly). When I lived in a different area, I used to buy all my honey from one of the farmer's market vendors.

 

I only buy the things I cannot grow, i.e. some fruits & veggies. I bake a lot so I don't need to buy that and I don't spend any money on flowers. While my chickens were chicks I also bought eggs.

[OrganicAnn]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

My DH's idea is to sell plants, cut flower and/or fruit. We have 2 acres so we have the room to do something. Right now we grow vegetables, fruit and flowers for ourselves.

[KS_]

I didn't vote - we get our fruits/veggies from a coop, but I do buy grass fed beef and chickens at 2 different Farmer's Markets here.

[Laura Corin]

Veg, fruit, bread, cheese, meat, smoked fish....

 

Laura

[6packofun]

Yes, I buy jars of preserves and honey and all sorts of things, too.

[HSDCY]

I buy vegetables and fruit every week, but when the price is right, I also buy baked goods and nuts.