@Jon,
Yeah, if the fees for setting up a space in the park where the market is held
is ridiculous, I might have to call that idea off. Another thing I'm worried
about is the licensing from the health department to sell cooked food. I have
nightmares of it costing like five hundred dollars and that's just something I
can't do at present.
My dream back yard will have a big commercial style smoker, a brick pizza oven
and maybe a back yard deep fryer surrounded by bricks to keep hot grease from
hitting the grass. I want to be able to cure my own hams and sausages, so I
will need a chamber for that too.
I found out I could get a pig for 225 dollars and have him processed, but that
if you wanted to have your hams cured it would be 50 bucks to do at the butcher
shop. I'll have to come up with a way to cure a ham here, maybe in an old
refrigerator or something.
@Jacob: The problem with that idea is that if I wanted to sell food in someone
else's space, they might view it as competition. Not many restaurant/shop
owners would go for that idea.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jonathan Rawlings" <twosocks76@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <blindcooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 18 Feb 2017 04:45:47 -0800
Subject: [blindcooks] Re: Selling Food at Farmers Market
Rob:
I have no practical advice for you. I looked into what it would take
to sell my bread at a farmers' market a few years ago. The requirements
weren't worth it. I would have to have sold, I think, 40 loaves just to
meet the up front expenses. And sadly, growing food out here is difficult,
so farmers' markets, while there are a few around the valley, are not much
of a thing, and the only two we found that were worth going to are far from
where we live. I also looked into renting commercial space to make and sell
bread, but that, too, was a joke. The space we looked at only had a few
steel tables on which to work, and maybe a half dozen small ovens that
couldn't even accomodate a full-sized sheet pan. There were no large mixers
available. Any equipment or tools used had to be provided by me, and would
all have to fit on two small shelves on wire racks. The entire concept was
absurd! This is what I found just where I live, so maybe, hopefully, things
are easier for this sort of thing where you live. I can't tell you what I'd
give to have a chance to taste your barbecue. And I'm glad to hear you're
mastering the art, as I haven't yet managed to do it myself. Sure, I have a
smoker, but I have a freaking sand pit for a back yard, and where as we rent
and don't own, I can't do anything to spruce it up, which I won't just walk
away from when we eventually move from this house one day. I have dreams of
not only a better kitchen, but a back yard kitchen of sorts as well. This
latter would include a hybrid grill, as well as a large, long table as work
space, a couple of burners, and maybe even an oven for baking outside. I've
even thought how much fun it would be to do deep frying outside as well.
Ah...one day.
Jon
