I would like to sell my homemade jam, bread, eggs, and excess produce, if any, at our local farmers market. Does anyone from California know if I would be likely to have trouble from the health dept. Thanks.

-- cindy palmer (jandcpalmer@sierratel.com), May 02, 2001

Answers

Have you checked to see if there is a state health or agriculture dept web site that might have some information? Seems like with the large agricultural aspect in your state it should be o.k. but with the history of the fruitfly thing out there, you may very well have unique regs to abide by. Maybe a county ag agents office could give you some info also. GL on your search.

-- Jay Blair in N. Al (jayblair678@yahoo.com), May 03, 2001.

Dumb me, after posting that question I thought, "why not call the county or stop in at the Farmers Mkt and ask the people that are already selling stuff a few questions". Too quick to ask sometimes and too slow to think. Thanks for the input !

-- cindy (jandcpalmer@sierratel.com), May 03, 2001.

Cindy,

Your are probably going to have to have a certified kitchen to do the baking and jams and jellies. I sell now at a farmer's market. I have taken the food sanitation course that is reguired and have my license from that. When we move back to the country next year and do more markets I will talk to the Dept. of Health. I was wondering, if I am only doing the baking, jams and jellies, for the markets, six months out of the year, if I could do it from home. We do, however, plan to convert part of the basement into a licensed kitchen.

When we were in WI, I could sell the eggs, jams, jellies, just about anything except you needed a license to sell anything that had flour in it. I was told that we could convert the basement into a licensed kitchen as long as the bathroom was not the family bathroom.

Good luck!

-- Cordy (ckaylegian@aol.com), May 03, 2001.