What baked goods would you buy from a farmers market?

[momee]

I'm helping our family's income (dh lost his job) and am looking for things to make that won't break my grocery budget but that people coming to our little country farmer's market would buy. I figured I'd ask you all since you're so honest and people face to face are just so sweet and say whatever I make will be great.

 

Last week - black bean burgers and peanut butter cookies (first run so I didn't want to make alot and the bread didn't rise due to broken oven) - temp 41 and windy! We only lasted two hours, baby was freezing, crying and it started spitting rain. Not what I'd call a success. All told, I think I owe myself .50 an hour, not a profitable day.

 

This week - cinnamon rolls and whole wheat bread and peanut butter cookies (ala dd) Spent 2.37 on baking powder, had everything else and made $32. Was 52 and not so windy, still cold but a much better profit. It's the second market of the season and there were only a few people.

 

I'd like to have a good variety of things but need to keep my costs waaay down.

Thanks for any ideas you can throw my way. I figure whatever we don't sell, we'll eat anyway.

[Jennifer in MI]

Bread, bread, and more bread! Pies?

 

My dh just said maybe you could sell things that people would eat right there - the cinnamon rolls sound wonderful! Cookies. Maybe those chocolate lollipop things (on a stick) that a mom/dad could give to their kids when they get fussy.

 

Personally, I would be looking to buy things that I could take home and serve to my family - so pies, bread, etc. What about frozen homemade pizza?

 

 

Good luck!!! Good for you to do this for your family!

[Hoggirl]

Things like banana bread, blueberry muffins. Things that could be frozen if need be.

[JoyfulMama]

I'd rather you have a few items that are GREAT than a bunch of items that are good.

If I have gone early morning, I do sometimes buy the kids or myself a morning treat - a muffin or cinnamon bun would be great for that.

For something to bring home, I'd look to buy fresh bread, pies or other desserts for a special treat.

Also, if you have something someone likes, don't be afraid to take orders for the next week. Hold the items until a certain time, and then be free to sell them after that if they don't show up.

[Blueridge]

Our farmer's market has a local lady that sells all sorts of things. For baked goods, she sells loaves of regular bread and cinnamon raisin bread, cinnamon rolls, plain dinner rolls, and a few assorted cookies. Her top sellers are dinner rolls (in one of those round foil pans) and peanut butter cookies with a Hershey's kiss in the center. Just stay away from anything that *looks* like it might spoil, like a cream cake with icing. She also has small plastic tubs of various spices...she buys big containers of spices at Sams and then fills the little tubs up. In the spring she displays small things she has made like kitchen towels and small potted herbs, and in the summer she displays her husband's home grown fruits and veggies. I hope your venture is very successful!

Ginger

[melissel]

Things like banana bread, blueberry muffins. Things that could be frozen if need be.

 

ITA. I'd also buy good loaves of whole grain sandwich-type breads. I agree that you should sell a few small things, because by the time I get through a farmer's market with two littles, someone always needs a snack or bribe.

 

What about bottles of water? You could buy them cheaply at a warehouse club and resell them for $1. Much as I hate the plastic, I seem to always end up needing more water on outings like that.

 

I would NOT buy anything that would get squished or mushed or messy in the car, like cinnamon buns or frosted cakes. I might buy pie, but only if the price was low enough. I can't get over the prices I see on most homemade pies!

Edited April 14, 2009 by melissel

[E_Edgerton]

I go nuts for this english muffin bread that is sold at our farmers market. I pay $5 a loaf....but it is so amazing. I have even sent it across the country overnight to my MIL. You should look into a similar recipe...the lady can't bake it fast enough...in fact it is why I have to be at our farmers market as soon as it opens, instead of walking leisurely over whenever I roll out of bed...:glare: Now that I am thinking of it...some herb butters would be easy to sell as well. Just grow some herbs in your kitchen window and flavor some butter....Wrap in parchment and store it in a cooler. People would love that I think, it isn't a baked good...but would be just as easy. Good luck!

[stripe]

Breads. Dinner rolls (I'd work on nice looking ones -- that makes a big difference to people). Small pies. Cookies, maybe. Mini muffins. Bar cookies with lots of chocolate and yummy stuff in them.

 

Small things are really appealing. :) And easy to eat in public (no need to look for a knife or drip all over yourself). The trouble with pies is that you have to buy the pans.

 

I have to say, I rarely buy other people's baked goods, but I love to look! :)

[Kathleen in VA]

How about some crackers? I was at a bridal shower a week or so ago and one of the ladies had brought homemade "wheat thin" type crackers. They were very thin and diamond shaped and tasted exactly like wheat thins. After the shower was over, they were giving all the food away to the ladies who attended and I got a bag of those crackers. I ate them all in one sitting:). I was thinking as I ate them that they would have tasted even better if they had been sprinkled with herbs/spices/parmesan cheese.

 

I found a recipe for them in my Make-a-Mix cookbook a couple of days later and it looked very cheap and easy to do. It's just flour, brown sugar, oil, water and salt. Let me know if you need the recipe and I will dig it out for you.

 

Anyway, I think those boxes of crackers are way overpriced at the grocery store and I'm always willing to pay more for homemade goodies.

 

ETA: Oh, I just remembered. They also had little gifts for all the ladies who attended. They had two pieces of homemade biscotti tucked in a little cellophane bag and had placed a small (3-4" diameter) paper doily over the top of the bag. Then they hole punched two holes through the doily/bag combination, threaded a piece of ribbon through the holes and attached a single tea bag (the kind that are individually wrapped in a foil-like wrapper) by threading the ribbon through a hole punched in the tea bag wrapper and tying the ribbon into a pretty little bow.

 

It's kind of hard to describe, but it really looked elegant and somewhat simple to make. I think it would make a nice little hostess gift or perhaps an inexpensive gift for a child to give for Mother's Day.

Edited April 15, 2009 by Kathleen in VA

[Carrie12345]

I can't tell you how many times I've missed our farmer's market because I've gotten caught up something or other. By the time I remember that I wanted to go, it's closed.

Know what would get my rear out there nice and early, before I get sidetracked? Homemade doughnuts! I'd head out, do my shopping, grab a bunch of donuts to bring home, and one or two to eat in the car. :D

 

I've always found them to be a pain to make, but I think they'd turn a nice profit.

[CactusPair]

Whole grain bread, sandwich rolls, muffins, quick breads, carrot cake, big yummy-but-slightly-nutritious cookies. Oatmeal cookies, muffins. Cinnamon-raisin anything.

 

good luck with your endeavor!

[elise1mds]

Breads - focaccia, whole wheat loaves, French bread - anything yeasty, really, and that does include cinnamon rolls. I've bought herb bread before... lemon-poppyseed bread... rolls... this weekend I'd have died happy for some hot cross buns... muffins... I love fresh-baked farmer's market stuff and can't wait till the weekday ones open around here!

 

GOOD LUCK!

[plansrme]

I'm a serious sucker for good packaging. Not necessarily expensive, but well thought out. A nice gold monogrammed sticker, a raffia bow, parchment paper, cellophane, etc.

I recently was at a morning swim meet where the concession stand sold individual slices of lemon pound cake and banana bread, and I appreciated it very, very much. Might be an easier alternative to muffins.

 

I would happily buy anything that has been suggested already.

 

Terri

[Jumping In Puddles]

Cider doughnuts?

 

You would have to invest in a fryer and get up really early though.

 

The problem with doughnuts, cinnamon buns, pies and bread is they HAVE TO BE MADE that morning. No exceptions. I would not buy ANY of those things if they were a day old. All the baker goods (bread, pies, etc) are usually all made the same morning.

 

So maybe you could do something that is inexpensive AND some can be done ahead of time.

 

Like the crackers, bread sticks, honey (if you could supply or buy from a local supplier), BISCOTTI, COOKIES, granola, spice rubs, herbed butters, pesto (frozen?) - ok, not baking but still...

 

How about some crackers?

...

 

I found a recipe for them in my Make-a-Mix cookbook a couple of days later and it looked very cheap and easy to do. It's just flour, brown sugar, oil, water and salt. Let me know if you need the recipe and I will dig it out for you.

 

 

I would love this recipe, if you wouldn't mind! :)

Edited April 15, 2009 by Jumping In Puddles

[Stephanie/MO]

Lowfat varieties.....even pancakes that could be frozen and zapped in the microwave for a quick breakfast.

Stephanie

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

If I could buy one, I would buy loaded choclate chip cookies with nuts, mmm, or chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. Large Homemade pretzels would be great too.

[Doran]

I managed and sold at a local farmers' market for almost 10 years. We have had a variety of baked goods available from different vendors over the years, and each has had varying degrees of success with their products. I would offer the following suggestions:

 

1. Make a few things very well (someone else said this above). It may take a few weeks, but you will, eventually, become known as "The Muffin Lady" or "The Bread Lady" and people will tell others about you. It takes time to build a reputation, and it's important to be consistent with what you offer in the beginning so that people know what to expect. One of our earliest bakers made cookies, sweet breads, and some loaf breads. If you wish, you can offer muffins or sweet breads, for example, and vary the ingredients with the seasons. Berries in spring and early summer. Peaches. Zucchini. Apples. So you always have some kind of muffin and people can look forward to seeing the ingredients change as the fruit at the stands changes. Or, you can be more exotic, and offer combos: corn-blueberry, fig-lavender, cranberry-walnut.

 

2. Doing the above will also help you streamline your home production. You will know to buy X amount of flour, X amount of muffin tins, etc, and won't have to second guess your prices so much.

 

3. Don't undercharge. Fifteen years ago, I worked at a natural foods store. A woman made muffins (the big ones) and we sold them for $1.50 each. They were always popular. Explain that you've used the freshest ingredients (use key words like local, organic, all natural -- whatever works), and charge according to what you'll need to make a profit (or, to at least, break even).

 

4. Take a poll. Draw up an informal poll for customers at market. Hand it out or ask people as they come to your table. Explain that you are new and you'd like to see what customers would most want. That might help you fine tune your selection.

 

 

 

We have a French baker at our market now who makes more than any other vendor in one Saturday. He's phenomenal (the real deal) and his products are not something that could be matched in a home kitchen. But, the deal is, people are willing to pay a bundle because his stuff is so good. You can build up a following, too - in time.

 

 

(Oh, another idea is pizza dough. Not baked. Keep it cool and sell it in Ziplocs for $3.50 each. NO baking for you, and a welcome product for customers! :D)

[Kathleen in VA]

Actually, because it is the Make a Mix cookbook it is two recipes. One is the mix (Hot Roll Mix) and the other is the actual cracker recipe. First:

 

Whole Wheat Hot Roll Mix

 

9 cups whole-wheat flour

8 cups all purpose flour

4 tsp. salt

1 cup nonfat milk powder

1 cup packed brown sugar or granulated white sugar

 

In a large bowl, combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, salt and milk powder. Stir with a wire whisk until evenly distributed. Press brown sugar through a coarse sieve. Stir brown sugar OR granulated sugar into flour mixture. Pour into an 18-cup container with a tight fitting lid. Label with date and contents. Store in refrigerator 10 to 12 weeks or in freezer up to 6 months.

 

Thin Wheat Crackers

 

Roll the dough very thin so the baked crackers will be crisp.

 

3 cups whole wheat hot roll mix (above)

5 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup water

salt

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine whole wheat hot roll mix, oil and water. Stir with a fork until blended. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough only until smooth, about 3 minutes. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Roll out dough 1 piece at a time to a 16" X 12" rectangle, 1/16 inch thick. Place dough on an ungreased baking sheet. Use a pastry cutter or tailor's tracing wheel to mark cutting lines on dough, drawing horizontal and diagonal lines at 2-inch intervals to make diamonds. Prick each cracker several times with tines of a fork. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake 10-20 minutes in preheated oven until golden brown. Cool on a rack. Break apart at perforated liens. Makes about 200 crackers.

 

There is a photograph showing how to mark the dough. The cook is using a 12" ruler as a guide, laying it directly onto the dough. First she marked all the parallel rows going one direction on a diagonal to the rectangle of dough and then turned the ruler to draw the lines that crossed the first lines in order to form the diamonds.

 

These recipes were taken from More Make-A-Mix Cookery by Karine Eliason, Navada Harward, and Madeline Westover.

[Jumping In Puddles]

Actually, because it is the Make a Mix cookbook it is two recipes. One is the mix (Hot Roll Mix) and the other is the actual cracker recipe. First:

 

...

 

 

Thank you! :cheers2:

[mom2jjka]

There is an Amish stand at our local farmer's market that sells baked goods.

They have lots of pies, cookies and 'friendship' breads.

(They also have homegrown popcorn - which is a big hit.)

[LibraryLover]

None here. It's all very $$ and nothing I can''t make for far less. A $17 apple pie? $15 for a dozen corn muffins? lol

 

But I *would* buy whole foods that were special. Good soups for under $5/pint. Crusty bread that was not $5. It would be things that were different, that I could not make easily on my own. Special ingredients. A good quiche with a whole grain crust. Organic muffins might find me paying $10/dozen. I don;t tend to buy anything with a lot of sugar or white flour as those things are not costly to make and make me feel guilty eating or feeding to my kids.

Edited April 15, 2009 by LibraryLover

[cjzimmer1]

I'd love it if someone would make homemade tortillas for me (we like wheat by the way not corn). After having fresh ones, I'll never buy another one in the store but we don't have them as often as we like because my crew goes through so many of them, I don't often have time to make them.

[Shelly in VA]

Well, much to my surprise, I realized after reading this post that I was one of the few people who attended your farmer's market this afternoon! I can't believe I met a fellow WTMBoarder without realizing it! (Btw, I have pm'd you.)

 

I bought a bag of the peanut butter cookies, which were excellent! I had no intention of buying anything sweet today, since we still have Easter candy in the house, but they just looked so good. So, obviously, I would buy cookies. I would also buy muffins or mini-loaves of breakfast type breads (pumpkin bread, banana bread, that sort of thing). Something that I have made that might sell well would be muffies, or muffin tops, which we discovered at Panera. They are simple to make - I just mix up muffin batter, then ladle it onto greased cookie sheets instead of baking it in muffin tins. I have seen special muffin top pans advertised, but they turn out fine for me on a cookie sheet. Sometimes I dust the tops with powdered sugar, which makes them look more bakery-like.

 

Also, for this farmer's market in particular, I don't have any idea what a 'normal' turnout is, since we are new to the area, but I think the fact that it is early in season combined with the ugly cold, wet day certainly had to deter a lot of people from coming out. Surely it will get better!

 

Good luck deciding what baked goods to pursue; I hope to see you in the future at the market, and to actually get a chance to talk with you in person! :D

 

Shelly

[ElizabethB]

The only baked goods I ever bought at our farmers market in VA were scones and muffins. The muffins weren't that great, and usually had nuts, which ruled them out for my son.

 

There was a French guy who sold scones, they were yummy. They were a bit expensive, but so yummy I usually bought one or two for us to share. They were also a bit less crumbly than muffins, so were a better small child snack.

 

I might have bought apple cider/hot cocoa on cold days and lemonade on warm days, especially if there was a cute kid hawking it.