Organic Zucchini Prices

Farmers Markets

“To market, to market, to buy a fat pig. Home again, home again, jiggety-jig,” goes the old nursery rhyme. Such a nice nostalgic phrase – going to market. Very picturesque and quaint, with overtones of a world that has vanished with the hustle and bustle of modern life. A phrase from a bygone era when life was simpler and people lived closer to the land.

Well, not quite. Farmers’ markets are thriving in the UK, as well as many other places around the world. Their popularity in the Western world is on the increase, particularly among those who are environmentally aware and like to know exactly where their food has come from. But in other parts of the world, markets never died out and continue to be the mainstream way of buying your fruit and vegetables (and more).

Farmers’ markets are not flea markets. Flea markets tend to be a lot more informal, and often you have no guarantee where the items for sale came from. In farmers’ markets, however, things are more regulated. In the UK, the organisation FARMA exists to help with tracing food from field to plate, and to provide guidelines on such things as the maximum distance a grower or seller can travel to sell in a farmer’s market. At farmers’ markets, you are sure to be buying locally grown produce, probably directly from the grower him/herself (or at least someone closely associated with the grower).

What are the advantages of farmers’ markets? First of all, you will be buying local produce. This ensures that your food will be fresh, in season and will not have been carted on a ship or truck for hundreds of miles before being sold (the food miles argument has some flaws, but they will not be discussed here). Buying local produce means that you are supporting the economy of your local community. By eating seasonal vegetables, you will be making sure that you get a lot of variety in your diet.

Shopping at farmers’ markets is a lot more fun than visiting your local supermarket. If you visit the same farmers’ market on a regular basis, you will begin to build up a relationship with your favourite sellers. Selecting, weighing and paying for your produce takes time, and you will be able to talk with the seller much more easily than you can with a bored checkout attendant – even the old standby of small talk, the weather, becomes relevant if you’re discussing it with someone who relies on the weather for their business. You can find out more about the produce you’re buying (you certainly won’t have the experience I once had at a supermarket, where the girl at the till held up one vegetable and said “Um… this is a zucchini, isn’t it?”). And you can even ask growing advice if you’re a home gardener London. Farmers’ markets also have real atmosphere and a buzz about them that is often lacking in the sterile supermarket environment.

Farmers’ markets are also popular with organic grower and growers of specialist vegetables that mainstream supermarkets won’t take on. You can come across some excellent finds, especially when it comes to herbs or out-of-the way vegetables. Small-scale producers of things such as free-range eggs and home-made cheeses can also make good sales in farmers’ markets – you can support the “little people” instead of the big corporates.

Farmers’ markets are also good for the sellers, as growers and producers are able to get a much fairer price for their produce. Supermarkets can use “bully boy” tactics to buy produce from growers at very low prices (sometimes even below the cost of production in some cases) and then sell the produce on to the general public at a huge mark-up (in Ireland, potatoes were being sold at around 200% profit). From the buyer’s point of view, you will be buying cheaper from a farmers’ market, but from the seller’s point of view, they’re getting more in the hand.

From an environmental point of view, farmers’ markets have some bonuses. Produce is less likely to be packaged in plastic, so less waste is generated. Some produce may be put into plastic bags so you can carry it easily. But you can always bring your own bags, and you won’t look odd or feel out of place doing this. As farmers’ markets are usually out-of-doors, electricity and fuel is not burnt on lights, heating, refrigerators, etc.

And fresh vegetables aren’t the only things that make farmers’ markets healthy for you. You will burn quite a few calories carrying your goodies around the market and back to your car (or straight to your home). In some developing countries, the problem of carrying heavy loads can be avoided because you can often encounter unemployed people offering to carry your bags (and they don’t steal them) for a small fee. This hasn’t quite caught on in the West – yet. But if farmers’ markets continue to grow in popularity the way they have, it might!

What should I charge for my creations?

I am trying to start off a little baking business and I was wondering what fair prices would be for the following:

You need to do a lot more research than just asking this question. To understand your pricing, revenue, and business success you need to understand the basics of your business.
What are others charging for similar products?
What is the cost of your products?

Your material cost plus your labor to make the products should be no more than 25 to 30% of your price so that the price covers all your business costs (gross margin) and provides some profit.

You said that you make from scratch. When the business grows will you be ready to make the products at a larger scale? Do you have a plan for the purchase of large batch equipment and the recipes to make in larger batch?

Good luck!

GMO FOOD. Animals wont eat it. WHY ARE YOU? (Part 1of 4)

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