I think that you have come up with a great idea! The soup will absolutely compliment your breads.

Great idea Teresa. I'd freeze it first, that way you know it will stay cold after the customer buys it. Less danger if they make stops on the way home.

Good Luck!

Nancy

Yes...I Agree, Great Idea! I think you should sell it fresh, as it can always be frozen once someone gets it home. Chicken Noodle sounds perfect and I love the sound of the Amish Chicken Corn Soup. Or even a corn chowder for the vegetarians out there, would be lovely.

What beachlily said!

As for frozen or fresh.
Both ways have pros & cons.

Frozen might be easier for you,
providing you have the freezer space for it.
And I'm assuming you do,
or you wouldn't have come up with the idea.
And it might be a better way for your customers to get home with it.
Minimize spillage, etc.

But fresh would emphasize that it is fresh and home made.

There are no Farmer's Markets around here.
So I'm not real sure just exactly what is involved and/or allowed.
What are the chances of you having a small table and a couple of folding chairs?
Customers could sit down & enjoy their bread & soup right there?

Rusty

Selling homemade soups would not be allowed at the Farmer's Market here. Unless it's done in a commercial kitchen and the product is then frozen.

If it is allowed at your market - go for it! I'm sure many people would enjoy buying it over going to the work of making it. Especially on a cold day. Are you allowed to have a crock pot to give samples of the soup? The wafting smell will bring them over in droves.

Teresa

Soup sounds great. If you are selling to seniors you might want to make sure you cook it with no or very little salt and label it low sodium. Other people can always add salt. Sell it cold but not frozen in a container than can be popped into the freezer or microwave (styrofoam is not microwavable). Some ingredients, like noodles, do not fare well with freezing.

Offer little Dixie cups servings from a crock pot to sample.

Sounds great. I agree about the free samples too. Can you sell product to be eaten at the market? A cup of soup while strolling the farmers market sounds like a great idea. Vendors at our markets usually sell both a product to be eaten immediately and a packaged option for take-home.

Soup is popular at our "farm" market. They sell it hot, so a lot of people eat it at the market, but our market has a LOT of hot food stands. In fact, the delis and pre-prepared stuff is the best thing about the market, as the produce is no way from local farms nor is it priced like local stuff. I'd do one traditional, and one vegetarian, something more unusual. I don't know about samples. I'd be more likely to sell it hot if you could, cheaply and in small bowls. That's how they do it at our market. Maybe samples if it is an unusual type of soup, like "Curried squash" or something like that. Most folks can SEE if they are going to like your vegetable beef, lol! But what do I know. I do know that soup is popular and would be appreciated by many folks, especially folks who either don't have time to cook or seniors who don't always have the energy for something elaborate.

Definitely! It's a staple in the winter at our farmer's market too. Sold cold from a cooler, but sampled from the crockpot as suggested above. I'm sure it will be a hit!

A big yes from here! When I sold at the French Quarter Farmers Market, soup was one of my biggest sellers. I had one of those large coffee pots to keep it hot in. I made vegetable soup. People walking the market bought it but the other sellers were big customers and very appreciative. I sold it in 12 oz.styrofoam cups with spoons, easy to carry and eat or sip from. For your purposes I'd suggest selling some hot and then having the frozen soup available. I think you'd do very well and I like your choices of soups although also consider the universal appeal of veggie soup, smiles.

I agree with Teresa, check your local ordinances to see what's allowed so you don't get in trouble. Otherwise, it sounds like a great idea.

Steve

Great idea but I'd check regulations. Law just changed here so we can sell bread and jelly type stuff without a commercial kitchen. Perhaps Annie can chime in on what is allowed here?

I'd go with both ready to eat and frozen for take home... a cup of homemade tomato soup would drink very nice while browsing a farmer's market.

Often wondered about selling my soups. A commercial inspected kitchen I can use with a local business that would carry the product. People still begging for more of my squash bread... they never tasted cardamon before. I'm afraid what is now fun will become work.... very certain I can sell my cooking. If I do I'll stay cheap with each soup featuring a signature ingredient or spice. Local festival sells 250 gallons of "bean" soup that is nothing but beans and water boiled! Another festival sells 5000 pumpkin pies at $7 each! Nothing special about the pies other then being sold at a pumpkin festival... store bought canned pumpkin mixed with spices supplied by the Amish (they are the only ones with 50lb bags of pumpkin pie spice ready to go). That is $35K worth of pie sold in 2 days!... serious money to be made for a hard working person.

: )
lyra

lpink,

Is this your market? It looks fabulous.

Jim

Here is a link that might be useful: Allentown Fairgrounds Farmer's Market

If they allow you to sell breads and cookies I will bet for sure you can sell frozen soups.....and offer free samples of hot soup.
Around here it's selling that brings the regulations. When RAGBRAI came through my town a couple of years back you should have seen the food police salivating! LOL! They did close down one church selling food because the lasagna wasn't hot enough!
Frozen soup sounds like a great idea....and charge enough. figure out what is in a restaurant soup bowl and then charge $1.50 for that amount of soup.
I would sample one soup a week....and sell 2 frozen varieties...one the one you are sapmling and one different.
Then next week sample something new and sell what you sampled last week and this week's sample.
Bean soup, split pea soup, lentil soup, tomato basil, chicken noodle, winter vegetable (squash, potatoes carrots onions and celery in a chicken broth base.)
And emphasize low salt....and provide a shaker at your table for those who like it saltier.
Great idea!
Linda C

Thank you everyone - especially you, lindac! I really had not considered having hot samples from a crock pot, but that might be the ticket to selling out! I do want to emphasize low fat and low sodium in at least one offering. Around here I think something homestyle and recognizable would be best. I can at least try it one or two market days before we close for the season. I'm thinking beef barley, vegetable burger, Italian Wedding Soup (w/ turkey meatballs), ham and bean, and maybe, butternut squash, mushroom barley, and potato - offering two selections each Saturday.

Our markets here state that if you grow it or make it yourself, you can sell it at a farmers' market, labeled with your name and phone number. If the vendors I mentioned can sell chicken salad, quiches, and Brunswick Stew, then I think I can sell soup - offer free small samples and sell frozen or chilled out of a cooler.

I'll report back if I try this! Thanks for your support!
Teresa

Locally we have the Soup Peddler (started off selling his soup in his neighborhood and offered free delivery by bicycle - hence the name). Now he has expanded to include some entrees and sides. If you google soup peddler you can find his website. The soup is sold by the quart in heavy-duty plastic bags. The varieties run the gamut from comfort soups such as split pea and ham to the more exotic lemongrass miso. Customers place their order in advance and leave a cooler on their porch for the soup. He has a very regular and loyal following.

I'd sell it fresh not frozen. That gives customers the option to freeze if they wish. Besides, what's better after a morning of shopping than some soup and some fresh bread?!?

I'd also offer one vegetarian option. All of the ones you mention above sound good. Some fit the bill for both options - homestyle, comfort food and vegetarian and would appeal across the board.

My 86 yr. old mother's church offers a food sale once a month and the soup in quart containers is a hit with the seniors. They seem to particularly like the vegetable barley, minestrone and ham & bean.

I think it's a great idea Teresa and have considering selling at the farmer's market myself. You have lots of good suggestions here. Be sure to charge enough for it.

One hint I haven't seen is that I would label it with a "use by" date. Also, if it freezes well, I would state that it does. I know that soups with potatoes or noodles do not freeze well. If one of your soups has something that people might be allergic to in it such as peanut oil I would also put that on the label. I doubt you could put too much info on the label.

I would definitely sell your soups fresh, with a label indicating how to freeze as stated above. Your bread is fresh - what a great home cooked dinner!

Absolutely charge enough!!! Figure in the cost of the containers, all ingredients, and the power (gas, electric) to cook the soup. People want value, but if you charge too little they consider the product not worthy of the expense. Be fair, but make sure you make a profit. People are willing to pay for convenience and you are selling convenience in a home cooked, delicious meal.

That sounds great. If it was fresh I would buy it. For me I would be making that purchase to take home and feed my husband for dinner so I would not want it frozen. Good luck with that.

Kate

I agree with Kate, try to sell it fresh if possible, since most people buy things at the market to take home and eat, at least that has been my experience. That's the only downside for you, would be hard to make a lot of soups in advance, but two a week seems reasonable. One traditional to appeal to folks who want the convenience, and one a little more adventurous for folks who might buy something at the market they would not make at home. But you're right, nothing too "out there" for a small local market. Something like butternut squash or tomato bisque would be "exotic" enough, or wild rice with mushrooms, something like that. I'm a huge fan of all the italian minestras, so easy to make in a crockpot! And you could make it ethnic by calling it "Dutch split pea soup" or "Hungarian stuffed cabbage soup" instead of plain old split pea and cabbage.

I know this is already known by everyone, but I've run into the problem with well-meaning family members who try to accommodate my vegetarian lifestyle. They often incorporate little non-vegetarian things without even thinking about it, like chicken stock, a little bacon or even utensil cross-contamination.

Just be sure not to use any sort of animal stock/broth, or at least label it really well as there are different degrees of vegetarians.

Most people will probably never know the difference but I've been a vegetarian for 12 years now and if I accidentally ingest meat or broth, I get pretty sick. In restaurants I always ask about broth and preparation to make sure but sometimes accidents happen and I can always tell afterward. :)

Good luck in your venture! I would love to find a really good, true vegetarian soup near me!

I just wanted to weigh in on the frozen or not debate. I don't think it's a problem to have the soup frozen. This is a morning market, if people want it for supper that night it will thaw in time, not to mention microwave defrost.

I still think it's a good idea to sell the hot soup to eat there, not only as samples, but that is easily checked out.

Soup at the Farmers Market? Absolutely...to go with your homemade bread! Excellent idea.

Have a question. Do you ever use frozen whole kernel corn when fresh is not in season?

Thanks, jude