non perishable products?

When I tried selling produce from my garden, the one thing I didn't like was the tremendous amount of waste at the end of the day.  My chickens loved it, but it made me sad.  

Let's brainstorm some ideas we can grow for non-perishable products.  Since the laws here are pretty draconian (we can dry a product, but things like cooking or smoking are really difficult without government approved and inspected facilities), let's talk about things we can grow and sell that require minimal processing.

I'll start:
Dry pulses
Dry spicy peppers
textiles (washed and carded wool from heritage breeds is a top seller in the local market).

What other ideas can you think of?

Winter squash - If they don't sell, just bring them back next time

Jam/jelly/pickles - Our laws are draconian too except for high acid canned food or maple syrup

Maple syrup

We're really small but we base our canning around post market days.  If tomatoes don't sell, we juice them and keep the juice in the fridge.  3-4 days later we harvest more tomatoes and can them all up then.

Great list Mike.

Jams/jelly/pickles are considered 'processed' and require a special certification to make here.  But I don't think Maple syrup is - mostly because it's 'impossible' to make it here as we don't have sugar maples.  What they don't know is that the Great Leaf maples make the most amazing maple syrup which tastes like it already has real butter in it.  

Love the idea of winter squash.  

Just thought of another one...  Popcorn

Garlic and onion braids! I hope to do these next year.

I'm also planning to grow corn appropriate for making flour and cornmeal. So, selling the dried kernels for milling.

I'm going to try quinoa and amaranth, but unless I can create a way for threshing, it will not be cost/time effective.

The laws allow for things like dry pasta - so I'll be working on some gluten-free pasta recipes using corn, and quinoa/amaranth flour.

I'll try to think of some more!. Great idea for a thread!

Hi,

Great question!

I think one of the best is to simply have a good cellar or cold storage so you can hold fresh products longer since they demand the higher price, don't require extra inputs, and they are in high demand.

A fridge, an insulate room with a coolbot unit or a rootcellar with ice can effectively help your storage capacity in summer and winter.

otherwise sauerkraut is very cost effective.

🌿Zach

honey
beeswax
Leaf cutter or mason bee cocoons
canes and other sticks
dried flowers
dried herbs
fiber flax
mushroom spores
seeds for eating: beans, corn, pumpkin seeds, sunflowers, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, flax, wheat.
Birdseed blends
Covercrop seeds
wildflower seeds
Walnuts
hazelnuts
raisins
Vegetable seeds for planting
storage onions/garlic
Winter squash and decorative pumpkins
Potted plants are perishable, but it might take a month for them to outgrow their containers...  It might take 6 months.

I think of myself as a plant breeder, so about half of what I grow is donated to a food pantry that I operate, or to other local food pantries. I don't mind feeding worms or birds, but I prefer to do so only if I haven't put in the labor to harvest something.

And there are various levels of perishable... Some root crops I might be able to take to market several weeks in a row and have them maintain good quality. I can pick them days ahead of market. Strawberries pretty much have to be picked in the morning.

Herbal teas - Red clover blossoms, mints, chamomile, strawberry leaf, raspberry leaf, pine needle(haven't tried this one yet).  Go down the tea aisle in your local health food store and take notes.
Dried herbs - or fresh herbs for that matter, if they don't sell, next time they'll be dried herbs.

Michael Heath

Go ahead and imitate someone you admire.  But the minute you fail in that imitation, you advance another step on the journey of finding yourself - Michael Heath (c8

Many fruit will last a while either on the tree, in cold storage, or room temperature. I even have some tomatoes looking decent from last summer hanging neglected in the basement (3 months). They taste bitter but I think that's a lack of sunlight.
Now, greens get real floppy fast, unless under constant misting and cool air. But, you could do microgreens, then the next week BABY lettuce, then two weeks later... If you keep them in soil and cut on site...Maybe?

I don't think I saw these listed above...

luffa sponges
all sorts of gourds
homemade cloth produce bags


I loved selling both braids and individual bulbs of garlic...once cured both would be salable the whole market season.

Strings or bags of dried and /or smoked mushrooms.  Great for soups, stews, pizza, salad, stir fry, eggs, etc. All dried food is good for backpackers too. Lightweight and tasty. Niche market.

Fruit leather or snacks, dried fruit slices -  candied w/ honey or not.

Nut, grain and honey/molasses/maple syrup/agave syrup sweet root/Yacon syrup (Diabetic friendly) bars

Sweet Root/Yacon syrup (it's cooked though) or sweet root plant starts for diabetics to make a sweetener that actually helps regulate blood sugar. Dried Yacon is also an option. Powdered?

Veggie Pemican bars - without the rendered fat or meat - Dried fruit puree with crushed nuts, honey and grains mixed in - energy bars basically.

Dried spices - lavender, basil oregano, etc.-  lots of applications.

Sundried tomatoes, Sundried onion rings maybe. Spiced (dry rub), smoked and dried eggplant slices - about 1/2 inch thick to start with - tastes a lot like meat.



In the Southwest, dried Cholla cactus skeleton pieces - rub with ashes to make a silver/grey weathered look, sand for a pink/salmon finish or leave natural.  Can make all kinds of crafts from them - LED lamps, flower arrangements, humming bird feeders, bird houses, etc.

Dried Saguaro cactus ribs or boots.

Dried cactus fruit

Dried chilies in braids or not.   chiltipenes.  

Cheesecloth caches of Creosote, bursage and other leaves - spray with water for that desert rain smell - amazing air freshener.  Would probably work as a hanging closet cache for moth/bug repellent too.


Marketing Ideas -

A little B/W flyer with recipes can be a good marketing tool and give folks ideas that may not have thought of for your WEIRD products.  LOL

In summer, buy a hand pumped bug spray sprayer and fill with ice water and some mint essential oil or crushed mint leaves/lemon peels in a bag and mist your customers - very refreshing and memorable, draws the kids, which draws the parents.  I did this working for a mint farm selling essential oils at farmers markets here in Tucson and it worked really well. Makes people feel uplifted and positive which helps sales. I was amazed at the effect.

 Good Luck at the Market y'all!