Farmer's Market Report Week 2

14 years ago

It was cool and raining yesterday during our farmer's market. That didn't seem to deter the die hard shoppers though. We were very happy with sales.

This week I made Pretzel Sandwich Rolls (sold out), Cinnamon Rolls (sold out), Blueberry Lemon Bread and Zucchini Bread (3 loves left) Sugar Cookies (just a few left), No-Bake Cookies (sold a few) and my Jams. The Pretzel rolls were a clear winner and I'll have to make a lot more for next week. The sugar cookies and cinnamon rolls sold well, with most being bought for immediate consumption. :)

David sold out of his Living Butter Crunch lettuce and zucchini and sweet basil did well also. Next week he'll have more variety in the produce.

Here's a few pictures from this week...

view from street level

street level row

This is the bagel guy, he sells out every week @ $1.50 each. He's been doing the FM for several years.

Next week the annual Venetian Festival takes over our usual park, so we will be down the street a block in a smaller park. Should be interesting as it's the busiest week of the year in our town.

Nancy

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Comments (17)

annie1992
14 years ago
Nancy, I'd sure buy bagels from that bagel guy!

It sounds like you're doing pretty well. Not that I'm surprised, since I've eaten your baked goods and everything you've ever made is delicious.
doucanoe
14 years ago
Wow....I have serious Farmer's Market envy right now! The location next to the harbor, the sheer number of vendors, the variety of goods. I am speechless! (And those of you that know me know that doesn't happen very often! LOL)

So happy to hear that sales are going well for you Nancy. I would love to be one of your customers, as I too have been lucky enough to sample your creations!

Have fun and keep up with the reports!

linda
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I love this thread! Mostly because when we started selling at Farmers' Markets we couldn't find anything and felt like we searched everywhere for supplies, techniques, etc. We ended up starting our own little e-commerce site that caters to small-scale vendor selling at Farmers' Markets (link in my signature). A few techniques that worked best for us was: Cleanliness! We always have a clean table and tablecloth. Clear and professional signing! (I've seen people that just write onto a square of brown cardboard) Don't forget to label your products too! Not everyone can tell the difference between straight neck squash and crook neck squash... Keep your pricing simple! I have an article here about pricing. BE FRIENDLY!! (someone already mentioned it but it is worth mentioning again!!). Be proud of your farm, and your produce, and your wares ( or whatever it is your selling) and don't be shy about talking about it, how its grown/made, where you farm/shop is, etc. People are generally curious. And....if they are shipping at a Farmers Market they probably deep down want to break away from their own lives to start their own little farm... Hope this help and happy farming, Jeremy www.elwellsupplies.com A Farmers' Market Supply Store
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A little late, but how about this recipe: Apple Cookies 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. ground cloves 1/2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg 2 c. flour 1/2 c. butter 1 1/3 c. brown sugar 1 egg 1 c. chopped nuts 1 c. chopped apples 1/4 c. milk or apple juice Glaze: 1 1/2 c. confectioners sugar, 1 T. soft butter, 2 1/2 T. cream or milk, 1/4 tsp. vanilla In large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar and egg. Mix flour, spices salt and soda and add alternately with juice or milk to creamed mixture. Fold in nuts and chopped apple. Drop by teaspoonful on greased baking sheet. Bake 400 degrees 11 min. or at 375 14 min. Cool and apply glaze. It was posted by dottieq on a cookie thread some time ago. I'm thinking about making some for my church's Applefest and making the glaze a maple or caramel glaze.
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Comments (17)
Nancy, the peach pies look beautiful, but I'll bet they are labor intensive? Could you make a large cobbler with a top crust and maybe some struesel crumbs on top then portion out two servings in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap? Have you considered tea breads - mini loaves of lemon bread, banana bread, applesauce walnut bread, etc. could be made mid-week and would hold well in the fridge until market day. This type of bread is usually very moist and will hold longer than yeast breads. Last year my friendship starter breads sold well. The starter keeps the loaf very moist - you don't have to call the breads "friendship" or Amish Friendship as people who don't bake have probably not heard of them and might not understand the concept. And have you tried mixing up your pretzel roll dough a day or two ahead and keeping it chilled until ready to bake? Are the three large loaves the asiago bread? Does one recipe produce 3 loaves that size? I'd try making four slightly smaller loaves and price them a little less. Also, I would try making a recipe of the sugar cookies mid-week, then wrap them well with plastic wrap, put them in a zip bag or container with a lid and store them in a cool place until market day. You could make a test batch and see how they taste to you several days later. The cookies could also be frozen on the day they are made and pulled out the day before market day. Or, make the cookie dough ahead and freeze then bake the day before market day? You are getting a feel now for what sells well for you and what your customers repeatedly buy - that's good. But think about how you can begin your baking earlier in the week and try new items that can be made ahead. Do you have a flyer on the table offering to make special orders? When I did this I sold by the recipe - i.e. an entire recipe of yeast rolls or 4 loaves of my Amish bread recipe. I would offer the customer a slight discount for ordering the entire recipe and I would tell them how to freeze the breads. This way they could order ahead to be sure what they wanted was held (out of sight) for them. I have some great recipes if you want those. Teresa
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Comments (13)
The blueberry dessert is Blueberry Betty. Linda guessed right! I'm always happy to share recipes, it's a good thing to do! I have many from this site that have become favorites over the years. The rolls are really tasty, try them, they are easy. Here's a couple of things I've learned. Be sure you grease your baking sheet, they will stick to parchment paper. I like a nice deep color and find this is one thing to bake using a convection setting, if you have that option. Watch that 30 min rise that is just before the boiling water step. I had some get over proofed and they turned out flat. Boil no longer than 15 seconds per side. Set your timer! Morton course Kosher salt is probably the best to use if you can't get pretzel salt. I ordered my pretzel salt online. KA hasn't had it recently so I had to look elsewhere. I'll leave a linky. Here are the recipes: This is the original recipe LindaC linked to. Bretzel Rolls (Bavarian Pretzel Sandwich Rolls) By NcMysteryShopper on May 25, 2006 Prep Time: 35 mins Total Time: 1 hrs 54 mins Serves: 12, Yield: 1 dozen bretzel rolls Ingredients Dough 1 1/3 cups warm water------- my tweak--- 1 cup milk and 1/2 cup water 2 tablespoons warm milk 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast 1/3 cup light brown sugar 2 tablespoons butter, melted 4 cups all-purpose flour--- I use 3 cups unbleaced AP flour and 1 cup unbleached bread flour kosher salt or pretzel salt Parboiling Liquid 2 quarts cold water baking soda ( 1/2 cup)---add the soda gradually so it up and over the side of your pan Directions In a small bowl if using a bread machine, or in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix a 1/3 cup of the warm water (105-115 degrees) with the yeast and let stand until foamy. Add the remaining cup of warm water along with milk, sugar & melted butter and swirl to dissolve the sugar. (If using a bread machine add mixture to bread machine at this point and continue). Add flour and mix on dough cycle or med-low speed. Remove dough from bread machine once it forms a nice a firm, pliable dough ball. Add more flour if necessary. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured table and knead for 2 minutes. Roll into a 2 foot long log and cut into 12 even pieces. Cover dough with plastic and a damp cloth and let sit for 10 minutes. Pat dough into rolls or form knots and arrange on a lightly floured surface about an inch apart and cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Let the pretzels rest for an additional 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly oil 2 baking sheets. In a large stockpot, bring the cold water to a rolling boil and add baking soda. Drop two rolls into the boiling water and boil for no more then 30 seconds, turning once. Carefully remove with tongs or slotted spoon and hold above pot and let drain. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Repeat with the remaining rolls. Arrange rolls on the oiled baking sheets and bake on the upper and middle racks of the oven for about 8-10 minutes, or until browned all over; shift pans from top to bottom and back to front halfway through, for even baking. Let rolls cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. BLUEBERRY BETTY 4 C bread cubes (1/2") 3/4 C melted butter 1/4 C sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon 2 C fresh or frozen blueberries 2 tbsp lemon juice 1/2 C brown sugar Toss bread cubes with butter, sugar and cinnamon Sprinkle berries with lemon juice and brown sugar. Alternate layers of bread cubes with fruit mixture, spreading evenly in a 7" X 12" baking dish. Bake in at 350F 20 to 30 min. until bubbly. Makes 6 servings. Nancy
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Olychick
14 years ago
Where is your farmer's market?
mustangs81
14 years ago
Can you say road trip? I could hit Teresa's FM, meander up north for the week then hit Nancy's FM! And the neat thing is I have tasted both of these ladies' creations.

So, what's going on with the guy lying down on the street?
mitchdesj
14 years ago
It's such a nice location ! I enjoy your reports !
caliloo
14 years ago
So glad to hear things are going well! And I am going to haved to try the Pretzel Rolls this weekend. It is cool and rainy (finally!) and perfect for an inside cooking project.

And I have Farmers Market Envy too... we have 2 nearby, one is called the Amish Farmers Market and though there are Amish people that bring in baked goods, meats, chickens, bbq, canned goods, etc there is also a good Middle eastern booth, a great sushi place and a fishmonger (to name a few) and the only guy who sells produce seems to be importing everything from China. It is almost like a mini version of the Reading Terminal Market for those who have been to Philly.

We also have a weekly farmers market that is a little closer to what you are doing. I wish we had more vendors though. There are a couple of people selling produce and cut flowers, a honey vendor a soap vendor and a pottery guy. That is pretty much it.

Best of luck and I am so glad you are seeing success early on!

Alexa
User
14 years ago
I sure wish you were closer Nancy.I'd love to visit that market. I really miss not having a decent farmers market close by. The nearest one worth going to is an hour's drive. I go but it's a mission rather than a hop around the corner.

Got to make those pretzel rolls soon....
wizardnm
Original Author
14 years ago
olychick, here is a link to info about Charlevoix.

Cathy, you know you are welcome any time, so come on up!
The guy laying in the street was trying to fix something on his truck. I wondered who would notice that.

Lake Charlevoix is currently in a USA Today travel poll as one of the most beautiful lakes in the USA.

Nancy

Here is a link that might be useful: Charlevoix MI
lindac
14 years ago
We have the world's stupidest excuse for a farmers' market I have ever seen....
It's held on Tuesday from 4 PM to 6 PM....in a baked or wind swept parking lot next to a couple plot of land where a building was torn down.....and they charge the participants a yearly fee for participating.

4 or 5 years ago it was held around the square and it was so easy to just walk around and pick up stuff while you were going to the bank or drug store or whatever. And there was a n unofficial Saturday morning market in the parking lot of a car dealership....under some big trees planted at the edge....no fees paid to the city.....somehow that was shut down.
I envy you all your lovely farmers' markets....you might think that in the middle of the "bread basket" there would be a decent farmers market....I know several "farmers" who take their produce to other towns for their markets.
lbpod
14 years ago
Caliloo, I'm glad you mentioned the Amish.
They always have a baked goods table at our paultry farmer's market. Their pies, cookies and breads
always look so good . . . but, having tried them
all, I have to say that they are seriously lacking
in flavor. Maybe it's salt, or maybe sugar, but
everything is just 'meh'. Is it just me?
bcskye
14 years ago
Here's another who would love to be able to go to your farmers' market. I'd load up on David's lettuce and some of your goodies. Salad and bread with a bit of cheese.
triciae
14 years ago
Nancy, even in the rain your FM looks like fun. I'm pleased you are doing so well. Are you enjoying it?

lbpod,

No, it's not just you. I also feel PA Dutch baked goods are lacking something. I doubt it's salt because I eat a low sodium diet, do all of our baking, and my baked stuff tastes good. I'm more inclined to think it's the quality of the ingredients - fat (margarine/Crisco vs good quality butter, quality of add-ins like chocolate, even the flour can add (or detract) from the finished product. Shortly after moving to New England, we made a special trip to Lancaster County because we'd heard so much about the great food. The baked goods were a real disappointment. In sharp contrast, the meats available were very good.

/tricia
compumom
14 years ago
Tricia & lbpod, your sentiment resonates with me too. When DH and I tried a number of Amish goodies at noted spots during our trip to PA, I was underwhelmed. I liked a couple of things, but in general, I wasn't impressed. Meh is a good description.
Rusty
14 years ago
How fortunate you are that your state
Lets you bake at home for public sale!

That is not allowed here.
All foods must be prepared
In a certified kitchen,
And there is no way they will
Even consider inspecting and certifying
a home kitchen.

Yet there are absolutely NO laws about labeling.
Makes no sense to me at all!

I, too, am thoroughly enjoying your "Market Reports"
And the pictures, too!
It looks so peaceful, pleasant and fun.

Please keep them coming,
And best of luck for a continuing successful
Farmers' Market season!

Rusty
User
14 years ago
Nancy, it really is a beautiful setting for a farmer's market. Glad you and David are successful. Look forward to next weeks photos.

~Ann
Olychick
14 years ago
Thank you for the info about your city. It looks beautiful. What a setting for a market, too.
nancylouise5me
14 years ago
I too was wondering what the guy was doing laying on the street. lol More great pictures, Nancy. Keep them coming! NancyLouise

Farmer's Market Report Week 2

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