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 faffle
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Registered: 04/06/08
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 Farmer's Market Report
#8474588 - 06/02/08 11:46 AM (2 months, 18 days ago) |
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Ive been working as an intern at my schools "student farm" growing vegetables for $10/hour. I worked my first ever farmers market this week, selling 3 types of lettuce and some spinach and it was AWESOME. The farmers and customers there were really excited to see some young people working at the market. Anyway, we sold out an hour early, and the coolest part was that NOBODY was selling mushrooms. Whenever I mentioned that I grow mushrooms people said I should definately bring some to sell. Everyone was really friendly and some of the other farmers were eager to share information with us younguns.
After market, I went to the store that bought 6 lbs of oysters from us this week, ($7/lb) and they were charging 14.99/lb! Apparently they got rid of the 4 lbs we sold them last time, which explains why the owner was really excited to buy more of them. So Im going to start selling them at market instead, maybe 6 oz packages for $4 each, then sell any leftovers to retailers/restaurants. If I can sell everything I harvest (10-15 lbs/week), I would make $106-160. If I sell out, I could raise the price to $5 per 6oz package and make $133-200! Ive also bought some heirloom tomato transplants to possibly sell later.
So everyone interested in making some extra money growing mushrooms, GO TO FARMERS MARKET. Its usually easy to get registered, just go there and ask the person in charge. Also, its not too late to buy some transplants (peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, squash, cucumbers etc) and grow them for market. People love spinach, heirloom tomatoes, and herbs.
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faffle
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 Re: Farmer's Market Report [Re: faffle]
#8487613 - 06/05/08 09:28 AM (2 months, 15 days ago) |
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I took some oyster mushrooms to market yesterday, it was a slow day, really hot outside. I sold 4 6oz boxes for $4 each, 3 of them to friends, and 1 to someone i didnt know. Also traded some to this guy for a lb of delicious ground buffalo meat. The good news is that i made more from the mushrooms than we made selling greens. Sometime I need to make a printout with some recipes and health benefits, and work on a good sales pitch. The general reaction I got from the mushrooms was 'wow those are beautiful' or 'oyster mushrooms..hmmm' then they walk away. I'll try again Saturday if I harvest any by then. I think if the market is as busy as it was last weekend, I'll do pretty well.
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Andrew47
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Re: Farmer's Market Report [Re: faffle]
#8488288 - 06/05/08 12:57 PM (2 months, 15 days ago) |
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good to hear and thanks for sharing, faffle 
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Mankey
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Re: Farmer's Market Report [Re: Andrew47]
#8488808 - 06/05/08 03:11 PM (2 months, 15 days ago) |
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Very cool. Farmers Markets are always fun!
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faffle
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Re: Farmer's Market Report [Re: faffle]
#8496281 - 06/07/08 01:21 PM (2 months, 13 days ago) |
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Market was good today. I sold 8 6oz clusters at $4 each in about 3 hours. so I made $32 plus $60 for working 6 hours today.  I kept the sign up after I sold out and a few people asked if I had any more, so I could have sold maybe 12. Oyster mushrooms draw lots of attention, especially here where almost nobody has ever seen them before. It was great watching people stop in their tracks when they saw them. So yeah, I'm makin that money, and its only gonna get better once i start growing other mushrooms.
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deucedbi9
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Re: Farmer's Market Report [Re: faffle]
#8499120 - 06/08/08 06:55 AM (2 months, 12 days ago) |
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>Oyster mushrooms draw lots of attention...
i'm sure they do, they're a beautiful mushroom.
have you considered taking some small fruiting bags to use as 'stall' decorations?
i can just imagine the kids faces...
if you could hang one from some battery operated device that slowly turns a fruiting bag so as to exhibit them in all their glory.
you may even be able to sell small colonized bags for the novelty / educational value,
you would need to print off some instructions of course.
you may get some interest from the "greener" parents if you explain that their growing from recycled paper / cardboard.
sounds like fun.
good luck
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faffle
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Re: Farmer's Market Report [Re: deucedbi9]
#8499744 - 06/08/08 11:52 AM (2 months, 12 days ago) |
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Yeah, I've thought about making some small bags to show off, but it would be hard to time it just right. Oysters go from 'not ready to harvest' to overly mature in a matter of hours. Maybe I will sell some kits, but i'd like to experiment first, do a couple bags with no added humidity, spray one several times and leave the other alone. I'd have to know just how much neglect the mushrooms can take.
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BanjoMojo
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Re: Farmer's Market Report [Re: faffle]
#8499964 - 06/08/08 01:02 PM (2 months, 12 days ago) |
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Congrats on your success!
I really wanted to get involved with the local farmer's market this year, but I've just had so many other things on my plate.
I definitely hope to have a good edible grow system going by next spring so I can take full advantage of the market.
Keep sharing your successes in the mean time!
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 zee_werp
a fractalcreature
Registered: 03/24/03
Posts: 1,023
Loc: Aotearoa
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Re: Farmer's Market Report [Re: faffle]
#8502461 - 06/09/08 03:57 AM (2 months, 11 days ago) |
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Quote:
faffle said:
Market was good today. I sold 8 6oz clusters at $4 each in about 3 hours. so I made $32 plus $60 for working 6 hours today.
What about materials, time, electricity, resources etc. that you put into growing the mushrooms? Or do you get paid to do that at your job as well?
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faffle
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Re: Farmer's Market Report [Re: zee_werp]
#8502607 - 06/09/08 05:37 AM (2 months, 11 days ago) |
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Quote:
zee_werp said:
What about materials, time, electricity, resources etc. that you put into growing the mushrooms? Or do you get paid to do that at your job as well?
No, as far as materials, it costs me about $2.00 per log, each log produces about 4.5 lbs of mushrooms in 2 flushes. Selling at $7-10/lb thats $31.50-$45. Overhead costs are very low, I didn't notice much change in our water or electric bill. Time spent making the logs is hard to calculate because a lot of it is just me watching tv or running around town while the straw soaks. I would say it takes no more than 2-3 hours of actual work per log, and that's only because I don't have access to proper equipment. I use a cooler to pasteurize, and GRASS SHEARS to shred straw. Still, I make a good profit, and there are way more benefits to doing this than just money.
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faffle
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Re: Farmer's Market Report [Re: faffle]
#8523792 - 06/14/08 02:45 PM (2 months, 6 days ago) |
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Sold 10 6 oz bags of oysters today, for 3.75 each=$37.50 minus taxes=$34.75. I ran out well before market was over, left the sign up again and was asked for some a few times after, but those were all I had. Half the buyers were return customers.
So far, total expenses for the project are $506.39, and total revenue is 267.75. Startup cost was $394 (which makes up most of the total expenses), and a lot after that was cost of expanding (buying more jars, silicone, exhaust system, etc.) so now the main expenses are WBS, straw, overhead, and depreciation of my cheap humidity/FAE equipment.
this is going to be a profitable project. I'm selling almost everything I grow, which is 10-15 lbs per week (i've lost track). I am mostly focusing on the accounting aspect rather than lbs harvested. I basically inoculate a few bags whenever I have the time, harvest many lbs at once, and sell it when/where I can. Also, many of the mushrooms are 2nd flush. I don't run 3rd flushes.
I've enjoyed shopping and checking to see if the retailers have sold all my mushrooms, and at what price. I will grow some other species, but haven't decided which one would be the most profitable in this small town.(suggestions welcome) I may also invest in a HPS light and draw up plans to have the first home grown tomatoes at market next year. I just need to determine how much space I will have and budget. 
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Edited by faffle (06/14/08 03:12 PM)
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faffle
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Re: Farmer's Market Report [Re: faffle]
#8523828 - 06/14/08 02:53 PM (2 months, 6 days ago) |
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also forgot to add, i had 4 ppl mention psilocybe mushrooms today, one guy said he grows em and wanted to give me spores. that shit is funny. I have no plans to grow or deal with psilocybes at all. I'm keepin it legit so I can make this part of my career. The war on drugs is a tragedy though. Outlawing soil-building organisms is retarded.
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Edited by faffle (06/14/08 02:55 PM)
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GlassOnion
Registered: 06/23/04
Posts: 281
Loc: Antartica
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Re: Farmer's Market Report [Re: faffle]
#8533295 - 06/17/08 11:04 AM (2 months, 3 days ago) |
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Hey,
I just stumbled upon this post and I'm interested in growing gourmet mushrooms for the farmers market as well. Please continue to update this post about your progress and profit.
I've never grown gourmet mushrooms so i'm interested to see how much profit you get out of them per amount of time and resources you put into growing them.
Goodluck!
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zee_werp
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Registered: 03/24/03
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Loc: Aotearoa
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Re: Farmer's Market Report [Re: GlassOnion]
#8536196 - 06/18/08 04:36 AM (2 months, 2 days ago) |
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It's about as opposite to a get rich quick scheme that you could imagine, if that's what you're wondering!
It depends a lot on what space you have at home. If you need to get a seperate premesis to grow mushrooms at then its going to be tougher. But then of course unless you have very large house and property then growing anything more than personal quantities of edibles is going to be a bit difficult. Then of course depending on the area you live in there will be certain food legislation covering the premesis in which they are grown, packed etc. and you may have to get checked out to ensure that this is satisfactory.
Not sure how it works in the states but I know thats what it's like down here in NZ. And I'd expect the US to be heading in the same direction with things like the spinnach and tomato deaths in recent times.
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combs
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Re: Farmer's Market Report [Re: zee_werp]
#8536295 - 06/18/08 06:11 AM (2 months, 2 days ago) |
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none of the above hassels apply for growing mushies or veggies to sell at a farmers market.........at least where i live. you run into all that shite with value added products though. but for fresh produce this is not true so dont be discouraged.
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NaturalHypnosis
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Registered: 06/18/08
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Re: Farmer's Market Report [Re: combs]
#8536881 - 06/18/08 11:31 AM (2 months, 2 days ago) |
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sounds cool
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UrbanFungi
Stranger
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Re: Farmer's Market Report [Re: zee_werp]
#8537001 - 06/18/08 12:13 PM (2 months, 2 days ago) |
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Most of the regulation is done by the State Department of Agriculture and those vary from state to state. In my state, producers in the wholesale food industry are not regulated at all under 100,000lbs per year. For packaging; they require Business name, address and phone number, product name and net weight. You don't need a certified kitchen if your trimming procedure is an integral part of the harvesting procedure; ie, you can trim debris of the stem but you cannot slice them.
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zee_werp
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Loc: Aotearoa
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Re: Farmer's Market Report [Re: UrbanFungi]
#8539629 - 06/19/08 04:06 AM (2 months, 1 day ago) |
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Yeah I have heard that our laws are stricter here in NZ but like I mentioned I wouldn't be surprised if they tighten up in light of outbreaks...lucky that you don't have to worry about it as yet though, bureaucracy can be a hassle at times!
Our farmers markets used to be pretty unregulated as well but now food safety inspectors patrol it, with little lazer guns that check temperatures, carrying clipboards, etc. It's kind of funny really.
By the way good job faffle, sounds like things will continue to pick up for you. You'll probably find that you get a pretty sweet returning customer base built up. And at this stage if you're selling everything that you take then you can't ask for much more.
If you find that you start producing more, it might pay to divide them into 'A' grade and 'B' grade...with 'A' being something like 'under 48 hours old' and 'B' being 'over 48 hours old and/or ugly'...you'd be surprised how many people will be prepared to pay a premium for the young attractive shrooms haha.
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faffle
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Re: Farmer's Market Report [Re: zee_werp]
#8540350 - 06/19/08 10:41 AM (2 months, 1 day ago) |
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Quote:
zee_werp said:
Our farmers markets used to be pretty unregulated as well but now food safety inspectors patrol it, with little lazer guns that check temperatures, carrying clipboards, etc. It's kind of funny really.
That's sad. It's hard enough to make it as a vegetable farmer, regulations just make it worse. People who support these 'food safety' regulations might change their minds as gas prices continue to rise. Gas and food prices are linked and rising fast. Soon, the cost to ship food long distances will make buying local a necessity. Not to mention, buying local is ALWAYS safer, because you can actually get to know the person growing your food, how they grow it, and whether or not they live downstream from a PIG FARM!
I highly suggest that anyone interested in growing food for market get started now. Take advantage of rising prices instead of falling victim to them. In a few years, small scale farming could be very profitable.
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Edited by faffle (06/19/08 10:51 AM)
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Yrat
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Re: Farmer's Market Report [Re: faffle]
#8543617 - 06/20/08 08:25 AM (2 months, 11 hours ago) |
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i'm curious to know how much stem you leave on the mushrooms when selling at the market. do you clean them yourself to pre-cooking state? or do you let the consumer do their own work?
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