Farmer’s Market Midsummer Update!

Well, we are about two months in on our family adventure of being a vendor at our local farmer’s market! And it has definitely been a worthwhile and rewarding adventure. 🙂

In the spring, I spent hour after hour setting up a mock booth, arranging sample flower bouquets and tweaking recipes. I loved every second, and could not WAIT for the first market night.

 

 

I’m really excited about this week’s farmer’s market table… we’ll have a little bit more produce than last week — thanks, Midwest sunshine! — a few new baked goods, and an old product packaged in a new way.

Through the spring and summer, it’s been a pretty fun adventure figuring out this farmer’s market stuff. I have LOVED decorating our chalkboard each week, arranging flowers, and creating new recipes.

Last night we ran out of regular semi-sweet chocolate chips, so Hubby used up the bag we did have and then used white chocolate chips along with them. The result? “Tuxedo” scones!

This morning I got up earlier to make one last batch of granola, two dozen gluten free chocolate doughnuts, and several mason jars of peanut butter whole wheat dog treats.

Hopefully, later this morning, we can pick a few more Roma and cherry tomatoes, and several green onions, too.

I love that with this market each week is a new start in terms of sales, marketing, and products!

So in the last month, I’ve learned that being a vendor at a small rural farmer’s market means…

• listening to customers is everything. I don’t necessarily mean changing prices and products to their liking…I mean asking about their day, their children and grandkids, their summer vacations, their work. 🙂 To me, this has been the most rewarding part of participating in the farmer’s market yet! Getting to know our community!
• being flexible can save your sanity. Some weeks we can put out a ton of baked goods and produce. Some weeks we can’t. And it’s okay. Like I said before, every week is a fresh start.

  This adorable little rosemary planter hasn’t sold all summer long, and I’m a little bit glad. He looks so happy in my kitchen. 🙂

• creating a Facebook page is a good idea for this particular area. Our community is small, so online orders carry us a long way some weeks. It has also been a great way to communicate what we’ll be selling from week to week and connect with new friends and community members.
• having fun creating a business that reflects us! Seriously, the chalkboard art has been an amazing, albeit small, creative outlet for me. Hubby has full control of the scone making – and he’s AWESOME at it. This market also gives Bundle enormous learning opportunities, from math and economics to people skills.

Tonight is another market night, and I’m excited to see friends and welcome market newcomers.

Even more exciting is the fact that our pumpkins, butternut squash and green beans are yet to come, making the prospects of the fall market even more fun. I can’t wait!

 

 

❤

 

 

 

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