Farmer's Market/Three R's

Most of my favorite small farm books were written late 1800's and early 1900's.  This was a time when small farms were normal and they were able to make a profit if run efficiently.  Diversity was key.  One of my favorite small farm books was Ten Acres Enough by Edmund Morris. 

Running a farm efficiently means using items until you can use them no more, especially using the winter down time when you are not as busy.  This year we have used that time to finish the greenhouse, work on fencing around the garden area, apply for farmer's market, and get ready to open up our first farmer's market stand.

Farmer's Market

I asked for advice about the farmer's market from my favorite list serve:  growingsmallfarms@lists.ncsu.edu  as to what I needed to be successful at the Farmer's Market.  Here is some of the advice I got (from Sheila Menendez of Hope Farms http://www.hopefarms.co and http://facebook.com/HopeFarms.Co ):

1. a thick skin
2. knowledge and personal examples of being able to relate to your produce (produce, meat, etc...) folks aren't there JUST for the food, they are there for the "experience" and they love it when we farmers/growers/artisans know our stuff and can pass that on to them
3. a really great sense of humor
4. a back that can take a lot of weight yet simultaneously repel water (b.s.) like a duck
5. a true zest for relationships with your customers
6. a way to accept that someone saying "no" does not mean they are saying "no" to you, personally
7. a propensity to be early, not just on time - there is not many more aggravating things than to be setting up for market and having folks circling you, looking in you car/truck/van and distracting you with a million questions
8. stubborn-ness, because there are going to be times when you will ask yourself, "is this even worth it?" Just keep going - this season will be your greatest opportunity for learning and change within yourself that you might ever have 

  I also got advice from others such as:

•  good signage with prices - an easel is an easy way to do it or you can put a price next to each item.
• Make your display attractive using different heights, do not display anything too low where people have to bend down to get it. 
• You want to show bounty, so bring different size bowls/baskets, smaller ones to fill as you begin to sell out. 
• Bring paper and pen for mailing list, biz cards if you have them. Bring a spray bottle with water to freshen up produce. 
• Bring a couple of chairs.
• A scale for weighing produce
• White EZ up with weights for the legs
• shoe box or something to keep your money on you (see money belts below)

Thanks to Carol Kroll of Forever Green Garden (you can see her garden inspired artwork at www.carolkrollart.com) and Kevin Meehan of Turtle Run Farm (www.useyerfoot.com).


The Three R's - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Speaking of being resourceful, when several people mentioned having something to put your money in, and maybe keeping it on you, it made me think of the pair of pants my husband had just tried on that morning.  I thought it would make two money aprons with very little work on my part, and should be a style he would not object to wearing.  See the picture below:

I still have one leg of the pants left that will become the lettering for the tablecloth for the Farmer's Market display.


The last pair of pants I repurposed ended up being four items:  A pocket on a lunch bag, a new knife holder, a new shoulder sling pocketbook, and a wrist bag: 

Projects made from some free rough cut oak given to us by a friend that he cut from his trees. These include the egg-mobile frame, the framing of the greenhouse floor, and a greenhouse vent window that we made by framing an old clear acrylic door from a media stand: