Settting up at the farmers’ market is definitely fun, although I tend to be in a mild daze with an average of literally three hours sleep before getting up at 5:30 (that’s just how it always works out for me :). Today, I planned to take pics of the whole routine, but forgot to start snapping from the beginning. At this point, the truck is unloaded, the canopy’s up, and we’re setting up the tables and trays, and starting to load up the veggies! Unfolding the sawhorses and placing the boards and trays takes maybe 10 minutes tops. Then, it’s on to placing the produce, after that, the price cards and signage. Stay tuned for more complete coverage…maybe next week!
I love the look of the wooden boxes. Gives it a nice rustic appearance.
I’m a big fan of the blog and what you’re doing. I’d love to hear your thoughts on my rather rambling post talking about our farm here in Wales. My excuse for not selling in the same way you are is that our population density is even lower here and there are no established farm markets nearby. Pathetic I know!
Gwion.
Nice set up! I just finally got together a tilting display like yours — and some of the produce still sits on the table in baskets, too, on card tables at either end. I’ve noticed that stuff in the tilting wooden boxes tends to sell faster than stuff in the baskets — just goes to show, aesthetics matter.
Question: is it against health code to have produce on the ground in Canada? It is here in California, but we still store our produce in bins on the floor (for re-filling the display). I always thought it was the silliest rule — there’s still plastic inbetween the produce and asphalt — and we haven’t ever gotten in trouble for it… but technically produce is supposed to be 2 feet off the ground at minimum. (I have NO idea why!)
–Lynda at http://farming101.wordpress.com
Gwion: I read your piece. I’m formulating a comment! ;)
Lynda: We have a similar regulation here. All containers have to be raised I think it’s 15″, but it may be 15cm, and that would be 6″. I should look it up again. I do raise most bins and baskets, using the empty bins, and the eventual plan is to have low tables for the bushel baskets, because they’re easier to reach that way. We don’t have intense health inspectors cruising our market every week (I don’t know what it may be like in the cities). I try to keep things clean and simple, and follow regulations as I discover ’em. Thankfully, for unprocessed food (fresh veg!), the regulations here seem to be practical and minimal. A health inspector came by this spring, mentioned the height thing (I was still unpacking, so it wasn’t clear what was display yet), and gave me an all-clear inspection report. That’s the only time the stand has been formally inspected since I’ve been at the market…
One thought about displays with loose produce: I think people like to be able to see the exact amount they’re getting. I usually have the veg loose in the bins, with a few ready-to-go plastic bags at the top. But sometimes I only make up bags as I go, and people ask, “How much do I get for… (whatever is on the price card)?” The common approach of putting things like beans in those square quart baskets, and then pouring them into a bag on purchase seems to be a good compromise, where the veggies are open for display, and the sales unit is clear as well. I’ve seldom done that, but maybe combining baskets with tilted trays would work well!