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Author Topic: Selling home grown veggies  (Read 4789 times)

Offline Sean Kelly

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Selling home grown veggies
« on: April 14, 2008, 05:28:34 am »
Anyone know the laws on selling home grown veggies here in Washington State, like at a road side stand?  My field/garden had doubled and I just might plant a ton of corn if I can try and sell it at my bee stand this fall.  Not trying to earn a living, just a little added extra when selling my honey.

Sean Kelly
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Offline doak

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Re: Selling home grown veggies
« Reply #1 on: April 14, 2008, 12:39:55 pm »
Each State has its own laws.
Check with your Dept. of agriculture.
 ;)doak

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Selling home grown veggies
« Reply #2 on: April 17, 2008, 12:52:50 am »
Up here in Skagit County you can drive around and find small unattended stands with totes full of corn, pumpkins, etc, beside them with a lock box with a slot in it.  A sign will post the price like Corn 8 ears for a $1.00.  You pick out what you desire, drop the appropriate amount in the box and drive off.  Some stands (especially espresso stands) have attendants to take your money. 

The berries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries, on the other hand, are guarded like hawks but you can still find a stand or 2 on just about every road in the county.
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Offline Cindi

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Re: Selling home grown veggies
« Reply #3 on: April 17, 2008, 10:14:30 am »
Brian, hearing of that trust in humans is something wonderful, that the veggie stands can be left alone, people to take and pick their goods.  I think that most people are pretty honest and would obey the rules of honesty, but now and then you get those nasties too, but the good probably outweigh the nasties.  When I first began with my small nursery I had, I had an honour system for when I had to go out.  During those days I had a very tiny clientelle and now and then someone would come to the nursery, take some flowers and leave the money in the lock box.

I remember one man who was a regular at my nursery.  I didn't know it, but he was a writer for our local newspaper.  One day I read a tiny, little article in the paper about the lady with the small nursery who had the honour system.  He was speaking about me, the little tiny honour system nursery. 

The following years my size increased with the nursery, and I got so busy that I didn't leave the nursery alone, ever, except when it wasn't open.  I just had to spend too much time there, transplanting, selling, and so on.  But I will never forget how impressed this man was with my trust in the human folk.  Just a little part of my history, involving trust in life.  Beautiful and wonderful days.  Cindi
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Offline Beekissed

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Re: Selling home grown veggies
« Reply #4 on: April 20, 2008, 02:33:37 am »
I plan to start a vegetable stand and use the honor system also this year.  This is the dry run year, but next year I plan to have eggs, honey, flowers, apples and vegetables to sell.  I will have to use the honor system for most of the time but the stand will be right beside the house.  I can't imagine too much loss. 

Sean, what do you plan to sell the most of?  I checked out a wonderful book from the library on this but it dealt primarily with vegetable marketing at an established farmer's market stand...too large scale to give me an idea on pricing and the most popular veggies to sell.  I gathered that the staples are corn, tomatoes, beans, peppers, potatoes and apples.  Do you have pricing in mind?  Mine will be organically grown, and, as noone around here is doing that, its kind of hard to determine the right pricing by comparing with the other veggie stand in town.  Let me know?
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Offline Sean Kelly

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Re: Selling home grown veggies
« Reply #5 on: April 20, 2008, 07:53:46 pm »
Well, right now I was just thinking of corn since we had WAAAAAAY to much last season and most of it was just given away or just thrown into the compost.  Figured I could set boxes out at my honey stand this fall.  Not really trying to make a profit off of it.  Was most concerned about selling veggies and what laws were involved.  Like do I need a business license?  Do I need a permit?  Do I need a food handlers license?  Or anything like that.
I might sell cucumbers if we grow too many.  Last year we didn't grow enough after eating them like crazy and making pickles (we have an AWESOME spicy dill recepie).

Sean Kelly
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Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Selling home grown veggies
« Reply #6 on: April 21, 2008, 02:56:12 am »
Well, right now I was just thinking of corn since we had WAAAAAAY to much last season and most of it was just given away or just thrown into the compost.  Figured I could set boxes out at my honey stand this fall.  Not really trying to make a profit off of it.  Was most concerned about selling veggies and what laws were involved. 

Laws about farms selling their own produce can vary but it's usually permissible in Washington.

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Like do I need a business license?

Your farm is your business, in this case, and as far as I know farms are not required to have a business license.

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  Do I need a permit?

License and permit are synonomous here.

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  Do I need a food handlers license?  Or anything like that.

If you are selling your own produce in the raw, then no.  Corn with husks still on, cucumber that haven't been washed etc, all come under a farm exemption.  If you start to process it in any way, though, and the whole ball game changes.

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I might sell cucumbers if we grow too many.  Last year we didn't grow enough after eating them like crazy and making pickles (we have an AWESOME spicy dill recepie).

Sean Kelly
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Offline Sean Kelly

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Re: Selling home grown veggies
« Reply #7 on: April 21, 2008, 12:45:12 pm »
Brian, extracted honey falls under the "unprocessed" rule too right?  I had someone tell me this before but I wasn't exactly sure.

Thanks alot though, exactly what I was looking for.

Sean Kelly
"My son,  eat  thou honey,  because it is good;  and the honeycomb,  which is sweet  to thy taste"          - Proverbs 24:13

Offline thomashton

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Re: Selling home grown veggies
« Reply #8 on: April 21, 2008, 12:57:59 pm »
Not where I am in Utah. Extracted honey has to be processed in a "certified" kitchen. We have one close by that I can rent, but just haven't yet. I was told that to sell at the farmer's market I had to process my honey in this facility. Don't know how true it is ,but my wife did a lot of checking into it last year. She has this silly notion that all my hobbies should be self-sustaining financially  ;)
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Offline Bennettoid

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Re: Selling home grown veggies
« Reply #9 on: April 21, 2008, 04:53:57 pm »
Not where I am in Utah. Extracted honey has to be processed in a "certified" kitchen. We have one close by that I can rent, but just haven't yet. I was told that to sell at the farmer's market I had to process my honey in this facility. Don't know how true it is ,but my wife did a lot of checking into it last year. She has this silly notion that all my hobbies should be self-sustaining financially  ;)

My wife, too. I was told I need more hives so I can start selling to the produce stands around here. I didn't complain, just ordered more equipment.

Then she said "You spent HOW much!!??"