Best Produce to Sell in Rural Areas?

I live in a small town in central IL and I’m considering the best produce to sell in my area. It’s mostly corn and soy bean farms around and not a lot of big cities. The only thing that I’ve considered is sweet corn and pumpkins. However, there is already a pumpkin patch 1 mile from my house. But I have considered sweet corn tomatoes, and salad mixes. Anyone have advice?

Around here I see sweet corn, pumpkins, eggs, meat. On the edges of town all kinds of things.
You have small town restaurants or grocery stores in range?

I think peas and carrots are great gateway vegetables that really stand out when grown well. Strawberries are easy to grow and also have distinctively better flavor that can win people over from grocery store alternatives or not eating fruits and vegetables. If it would be possible to set up a farm stand near a school, church, or somewhere else people congregate regularly, that could help bring in customers in a dispersed area. I might then have a questionnaire or chat people up about what they’d like grown locally, or what they remember their grandparents growing or reminiscing about.

Tomatoes are what I am always wanting to buy.

Bell peppers have a unbelievable price at the grocery ...

It depends on where or what you plan to sell your produce.

Farmers market or market garden?  Road side stand, etc ...

I would say that whatever is absent in your neighborhood will sell nicely. And the bigger diversity you offer, the better.
What about strawberries? Chives? Garlic? Broccoli? Zuccchinis? Radishes? Chillies? Berries?
Anything that is in season at the particular time.
You might observe what people put into their carts in grocery store, I'm sure they choose wide selection of produce. You can offer the same, but better tasting :)

Value-added specialty products that keep and can be sold mailorder. Jelly, hot sauce, herbs, exotic fruit leather/snacks, etc.

Naturally if everyone is selling tomatoes, it is hard to start selling them too. But if everyone else is selling red cherry tomatoes... maybe you should sell orange, yellow, and purple? If everyone else is selling orange carrots, maybe you sell purple or white carrots. If everyone else is selling green lettuce, maybe sell some of the other colors. Stuff like that will make you stand out a bit.

The best prices for vegetables occur for first of season produce. If you can have tomatoes or corn ready a week or three before the rest of your village, you can double or triple the price during that time.

If everyone sells the same produce you will have to compete by offering lower prices.
In Illinois I would focus on bush fruits: currants and gooseberries grow wonderfully there. Also aronia, elderberry and black berries. They will start producing within two years.

Ben Zumeta wrote:I think peas and carrots are great gateway vegetables that really stand out when grown well. Strawberries are easy to grow and also have distinctively better flavor that can win people over from grocery store alternatives or not eating fruits and vegetables. If it would be possible to set up a farm stand near a school, church, or somewhere else people congregate regularly, that could help bring in customers in a dispersed area. I might then have a questionnaire or chat people up about what they’d like grown locally, or what they remember their grandparents growing or reminiscing about.

I considered strawberries, because the pumpkin patch next to my house started out as a strawberry patch and switched to pumpkins 15 years ago. So I know they do sell around this area

Cristobal Cristo wrote:If everyone sells the same produce you will have to compete by offering lower prices.
In Illinois I would focus on bush fruits: currants and gooseberries grow wonderfully there. Also aronia, elderberry and black berries. They will start producing within two years.

Yeah I’m thinking of going down that route.

Joseph Lofthouse wrote:The best prices for vegetables occur for first of season produce. If you can have tomatoes or corn ready a week or three before the rest of your village, you can double or triple the price during that time.

That’s interesting I’ll have to consider that. I think I could get corn out at least a week early.

Matt McSpadden wrote:Naturally if everyone is selling tomatoes, it is hard to start selling them too. But if everyone else is selling red cherry tomatoes... maybe you should sell orange, yellow, and purple? If everyone else is selling orange carrots, maybe you sell purple or white carrots. If everyone else is selling green lettuce, maybe sell some of the other colors. Stuff like that will make you stand out a bit.

Thank you, definitely helping me see how to market in creative ways

If you're thinking of a roadside stand, here's a thread with lots of ideas:  https://permies.com/t/166328/Cool-Roadside-Stands