kayskats - Yes, the "police" do show up at farmer's markets and farm stands, the state Dept of Ag can show up anytime (and have for several other vendors) to do a "surprise" inspection at your home kitchen, and yes, I do have to show my certification before I can sell at my quite small market (less than 30 vendors on any Saturday). The state also shows up to ensure that weighing scales have been calibrated within the last year, but that is another story. If you are caught selling BWB canned acidified foods when you do not have the cert. or are selling other stuff you shouldn't be (low acid, pressure canned, refrigerated, etc.), the Dept of Ag and the FDA could inflict very severe penalties on you and your market. We homegrown sellers have to follow pretty much what the rules are for commercial operations. One size fits all, US wide, but some states have lesser rules for farm stands and farmer's markets than my state does. Best to check with your Cooperative Extension office in your county and if they don't know, go on to your State Dept. of Ag. One comment one of my co-student's made was that if he didn't know what the rules were he would be safe from penalties. I don't think I'd buy anything from him, would you? Yes, please ask the sellers HOW their stuff was processed and if their kitchen was inspected, etc. We are consumers and should protect ourselves from bad stuff we might ingest. I even walk out of restaurants with a food grade less than "A". ksrogers - I think dry cured meats are regulated by another mega agency, the USDA. One of the vendors at my market raises cattle and hogs for cuts of meat he sells. He threw up his hands at the regs for slaughtering, curing, and/or freezing and now has a co-packer do it for him and THEY have to handle the USDA inspections and process filings which are really intense. >>I wouldn't go so far as to say that cured meat has no safety issues, because they do!Yes, I know, I make regular strawberry jam that is heated, but sadly it is not nearly as tasty as freezer jam. Horseradish, a low acid food, is not exactly stable and the pH acidification cannot be measured outside a food science lab according to my instructor, and that is why I can't sell it. It is not heated or pasteurized to eliminate bacterias, molds, and toxins, and "sealing" only means screwing on the cap. Refrigeration and acidification keep it stable and unable to grow the bad stuff because of refrigeration. That is also why it is sold refrigerated and you are admonished on the label to keep it refrigerated after opening. Commercial processors ship in refrigerated trucks from refrigerated manufacturing and storage facilities, and they go directly to the refrigerated section of the grocery store. That is something that can't be duplicated in a home processing environment or at an open-air market. Also, adding more vinegar doesn't necessarily make it safer because we can't measure the pH of the horseradish's vegetable interior at home, and with pH meters and test strips all we are doing is measuring the vinegar's pH. BTW - shelf stable jams and jellies are exempt from these regs because they have low water activity and a low pH. Since they are also packed at high temperatures, they are not likely to harbor harmful food borne illness organisms. Molds are the most likely bad thing to form but that is usually from not having sterilized the jars or not heating the lids enough (or, dirty hands packing them, airborne dust in a room with a fan, using overly ripe or moldy fruit, etc. etc.). I can sell as many variations of jelly and jam as I want at market. Without a cert. but with a kitchen inspection. Nancy

The Condiment Shop in Highlands, NC is no longer in business, as you know. The granddaughter of the woman who owned it makes the onion relish and iced green tomatoes still. There is a beauty parlor in Cashiers called Shear Sensations where you can get these two items. Their phone # is 828-743-2900. Don't think they mail out. But they do know the girl - think her name was Chris - so maybe they can tell you how to get someone or another shop who has her products to mail them to you. Joined my first forum ever, just to tell you this. Good luck. I understand the nostalgia.

I only make burgers from locally-raised cattle (or lamb) -- I don't like the notion that there could be parts from hundreds of animals in my burger, especially since I prefer them rare to medium rare. I make them slider-sized these days, and serve them on a bed of lettuce, since I'm "low gluten" and I really don't like hamburger buns to begin with. Mother always added stuff into the burgers I grew up with, so I follow suit: I'll usually fry up some diced onions and brown them, let them cool a bit, and mix them in with the meat, along with a touch of: Worchester sauce, salt, pepper, Dijon or powedered mustard, a little ground garlic. On rare occasions, I'm in the mood for a little hot sauce. Don't over mix - the stuff becomes pasty. Fry up in a skillet or on the grill, add a slice of meltable cheese of whatever type suits your mood at the moment. Serve with slices of real tomatoes from the garden or a farmer's market, and some horseradish mustard (or other mustard), and enjoy! Maybe a half a sliced avocado. Or a passle of sautéed mushrooms. I'm someone who doesn't really like ketchup. Nancy's condiment topping described above sounds intriguing!!

@Sueb20 I wouldn’t say they are the best by any means but I feel if I’m not up for ordering my salmon or shrimp I’ll order the burger knowing what it will taste like. It’s all about location with the CGH! ^^ Reviewer on Open Table just wrote that “the angus burger was not the best for the price but overall we will return^^ SORRY TO VEER OFF TOPIC … Namaste 🙏🏻