Waving at you wizardnm! Everything looks delicious and first rate! If a customer wants half a dozen pretzel rolls, do you put them in paper or plastic bags? I like the idea of the deli trays - I've saved tons of them here at the office. What a pretty setting for a bustling farmers' market. Thanks for sharing with us. Teresa

Nancy, the peach pies look beautiful, but I'll bet they are labor intensive? Could you make a large cobbler with a top crust and maybe some struesel crumbs on top then portion out two servings in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap? Have you considered tea breads - mini loaves of lemon bread, banana bread, applesauce walnut bread, etc. could be made mid-week and would hold well in the fridge until market day. This type of bread is usually very moist and will hold longer than yeast breads. Last year my friendship starter breads sold well. The starter keeps the loaf very moist - you don't have to call the breads "friendship" or Amish Friendship as people who don't bake have probably not heard of them and might not understand the concept. And have you tried mixing up your pretzel roll dough a day or two ahead and keeping it chilled until ready to bake? Are the three large loaves the asiago bread? Does one recipe produce 3 loaves that size? I'd try making four slightly smaller loaves and price them a little less. Also, I would try making a recipe of the sugar cookies mid-week, then wrap them well with plastic wrap, put them in a zip bag or container with a lid and store them in a cool place until market day. You could make a test batch and see how they taste to you several days later. The cookies could also be frozen on the day they are made and pulled out the day before market day. Or, make the cookie dough ahead and freeze then bake the day before market day? You are getting a feel now for what sells well for you and what your customers repeatedly buy - that's good. But think about how you can begin your baking earlier in the week and try new items that can be made ahead. Do you have a flyer on the table offering to make special orders? When I did this I sold by the recipe - i.e. an entire recipe of yeast rolls or 4 loaves of my Amish bread recipe. I would offer the customer a slight discount for ordering the entire recipe and I would tell them how to freeze the breads. This way they could order ahead to be sure what they wanted was held (out of sight) for them. I have some great recipes if you want those. Teresa

OK, I'll keep the reports coming on the weeks that I am at the market. We are getting into the time of year that the weather will be changing. Even if I do get the canopy fixed, I have to be careful as I now know it won't take much wind. Karen, dried and silk? From 1988 to 1992 I owned a company that did dried and silk wreaths and arrangements. We sold all over the country and even had products in a couple of mail order catalogs. We were wholesale only and did the gift shows in Chicago. Then the look died and I gave it up when I moved here. Under Michigan's Cottage food law you are limited on the canning to jams, preserves and jelly. No salsa's, relishes, tomatoes or pickled items or low acid vegetables in general. But you can take your chances since you are doing a one shot festival. We had the USDA guy come through last week and I know several were told they couldn't do some things, those people were MIA this week. Labeling also needs to follow the rules. You should read the law, they are pretty specific. Baked goods in general are OK as long as they do not contain too much dairy. Cream pies are a no but fruit pies are fine. Some items I would think about for a Harvest Festival.... Cinnamon rolls if you have morning hours, they won't do as well later in the day. Pumpkin donuts, pumpkin bread, apple breads, cider donuts, apple bars, apple pies, caramel anything....AnnT's recipe for the Caramel Rice Krispie Treats went over big time this week and I'll continue doing those through fall. Caramel corn in bags is another idea. People like to buy goodies they can eat as they walk around and items to take home. Some things can be made two days ahead, other things you have to do the day and night before. I do the pretzel rolls last, as the salt draws out the moisture and dissolves. That is one thing I wouldn't do for a one shot show. Don't forget to cut up some things for samples. I keep plastic containers tucked away and offer as needed. If you put them out people will grab them that have no intention of buying. Hope this helps, you can email me if you have other questions.. Nancy

Try this--it's what I always do with crusty Italian rolls. I leave them in the brown paper bag that the bakery uses for them, and I put the whole thing (rolls and brown paper bag) into a plastic grocery bag and tie it shut. It's the best of both worlds, I find. The brown bag absorbs any excess moisture, so your rolls don't get soggy, the plastic one keeps out the air that makes them go stale. I've found that the fresh rolls I buy at the local place (and I do mean fresh, you catch them, juggling the firey hot rolls, as they come off the conveyer belt from the oven--can't get fresher than that) fresh for days, but in brown paper, they last only one day.