Posted in Hitting Paydirt

As you might know, this summer is the first experience my family has had in selling farm products at a farmer's market.  The Saturday mornings have been a great learning laboratory for my husband and me as we have experimented with growing vegetables we thought might sell well.  Being able to interact directly with the customers and getting their feedback on what they like to buy now, how they use it and what they would like to see in the future has been eye-opening from our grower's perspective.

One thing that has really encouraged me is the repeat customer suggestions.  The suggestions are nearly limitless:  they range from recipe ideas to preservation methods, ideas about growing different varieties to advice about what to add to our product offerings.  What has surprised me is that while I expected to be focused on fruits and vegetables, my customers would very readily buy other types of items from me, baked goods being the most often suggested.  I guess everyone buys into the stereotype that if you garden, you can bake bread! 

I am suggesting an Agrarian-related website for you to visit today to get the flavor of success in your mouth and mind.  Herrick Kimball is the Deliberate Agrarian.  He has written a neat book that my family enjoyed reading this summer and I plan to review it on my blog later this week.  Herrick was also the Homestead Blogger Featured Sponsor of the week in late July so he's no stranger to our blog community.  He took the month of July off from blogging himself and has returned with fresh insight and material to write about.  He has a great post from last week about his wife, Marlene, and son, James, and their homestead baking enterprise.  I read it yesterday and came away encouraged myself about what makes them sucessful.  I know you will want to read these latest posts, too, as you evaluate what might sell at your local market.

Don't overlook the opportunity to add value to someone else's business as a way to get yours off the ground.  If you are a regular market customer who buys repeatedly from a local grower or craftsman, build a relationship with them that allows for discussion of business opportunities.  Maybe you have a great banana bread recipe but you don't have the time to commit to put a booth together and sell it yourself.  Your favorite produce vendor might be open to selling it on your behalf, saving you the investment of portable tables, display wares and signage.  Starting small in a particular niche can help you work out the wrinkles in a business idea.

Keep your eyes and ears open as you find out what you're good at making or doing.  Even casual conversation can open doors!

Denise Burns is the wife of Mike and the mother of Cooper, William and Eston.  Her family farm website is Burns Best Farm and she blogs here at Homestead Blogger at a blog of the same name.  She is currently praying for rain on what remains of her sun-scorched garden.  There will be a memorial service for the Yellow Crookneck Squash plants later this week.