Grow Your Own Magazine

So can I,

we have just made up some preserves, jams, jellies and chillie infused olive oil and spent an evening on microsoft publisher putting together some "Piglets Pantry" labels creating our very own, "own label".

Now they look as good as hopefully they taste and will make great gifts for family and friends.

__________________
Kindest regards, David.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated Monday 28th April at 11.50hrs

Looks great Pigglet, when can we expect to see you at Farmers' markets?

They look great Piglet! Will be well received i am sure!

They look great Piglet, is there no end to your talents? Mrs Piglet is a very lucky woman.

I can't see the pictures I'm sure they look great though!

This is the second time that I know of that photos have just disappeared off the site! Happened to someone's onion pics I think it was! Weird!

Sell away PIGLET if you can find a market . There has never been a better time to go for it small time. People will pay premium prices for a product with a provinence. Let them know that it is local, clean/organic or whatever you are providing. Wish you well.
Brewer

Beware the Health and Hygeine officers though. The rules and regs regarding the legal requirements for your kitchen are a nightmare and can be expensive to introduce. You have to have two entirely seperate sinks for a start. You also by law must hold the Basic Hygeine certificate and attend a course. Usually costs about £60.00.
All the rules which must be in place for a huge production plant or kitchen have to also be abided by anyone who wants to make a pot of jam or home made cake to sell.
you are not allowed to sell your produce until you have all that lot in place.
Our local produce shop cost so much to set up and run that we just had to shut down in the end.
Stupid EU rulings!

Erm, as my original post stated, the jars and bottles of produce are to give to my family and friends.

I just wanted them to look good. They are all made with enthusiasm and given with love and with that in mind you cant buy them, only be given them.

So Mr H&S and the EU can kiss my furry a?

__________________
Kindest regards, David.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated Monday 28th April at 11.50hrs

Do we have to Piglet?

__________________
Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

Oh! Pigletwillie!!!

__________________
[

Well said!

So Piglet, Mr H&S (or HSE) and the EU can kiss your furry nether regions. To that I would add that the ***** we English are governed by can go tickle up their *****!!!

valmarg

Sorry, got to go and lie down in a darkened room, and won't bother to try and bite through the straps on my back-to-front jacket!!

Sorry Valmarg I had to edit it.

Well done piglet! Do let us know what your friends and family think of your lovely pressies! dexterdog

__________________
Appreciate the little things in life because one day you will realise they are the big things

Absolutely. Such a pity though that people can't sell their home produce these days. Let's face it there are plenty of people who'd love to be able to buy the odd pot of home made jam/pickles etc.

How do people who "do" farmers markets do it then? dexterdog

__________________
Appreciate the little things in life because one day you will realise they are the big things

They have to fulfill all the requirements. It's why the stuff is often more expensive than expected.
The packaging rules are the worst for ongoing costs and NOT environmently friendly. We were not allowed to let people return egg boxes for example so the cheapest egg box price of 12p had to be added to the cost. When I then sold them in paper bags ( so people could pop them into their own boxes if they wanted) that was stopped too as each box MUST be date stamped with use before date. I then put up a sign with that info above each clutch and tear off paper with a pen on a bit of string so people should jot it down and take with their eggs. We were still argueing the toss when we finally went under having to keep up with all the other mindless eurocrat rules which pushed prices up.

DD to do farmers markets you have to pay alot of money to have your kitchen etc inspected. Then you get a certificate and away you go.

__________________
[

How about car boot sales then? Are you saying you can't sell jam or veg or eggs there? I always thought that as far as veg were concerned you were ok as long as weights and measures weren't involved! Six carrots, A turnip, a cabbage etc.? Or do they want a date stamp on a potatoe?

Obviously not caught up with the markets in Spain! Having just got back from the mountainous region 60 miles north of Malaga (ie NO TOURISTS!!!!!!) and going to the local markets whenever possible for local produce, we have bought all manners of fruit and veg and marmalade, peach jam, cheese and bread. And it was delicious! Sometimes we didn't quite get what we thought we were getting, but that was down to OH's grasp of the language. He speaks it - I don't! So can't complain, but he did very well. I do know the word for goat in Spanish though. I can't cope with goats cheese. Wish I could, but sadly ..........

On another note, I work in the same office as the Shetland Environmental Health Officers and they do their very best to try and allow local farmers market and local home bakes to flourish. If we couldn't have soup, bannocks home bakes up here for dances, etc. the whole place would close dowm!!

Whilst the aims might be laudable the red tape is insane. Apparently the Gettysburg Address was less than 300 words but the latest directive for the sale of cabages runs to over 26000 words.

Oh Lord, please instill some common sense into the world of jobsworths

__________________
Kindest regards, David.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated Monday 28th April at 11.50hrs

It's all madness. All the way round. You can't buy anything, sell anything or grow what you like. You can't even behave like a human being. I found myself the other day goo gooing in a pram and asking the mother " is it allright if I touch your baby" just so that I could touch the baby through its blankets without being accused of assault. Where are we going !!!!!!!!!!!!

Nope. Not if they catch you. Must have a self contained portable hand washing unit as you are handling food.The cheapest one of those is about £400.00. Some veg you're allowed to sell as an individual unit but it's very specific which ones and not all. If they are bagged must be certain special food use plastic and not others. No second use bags allowed.
Scales have to be Commercial standard vetted by Weights and Measures before use. Which service you must pay a fee for.

I did all this and it cost thousands just to get started to sell some muddy swedes and other veg covered in muck. Senseless rubbish.

I don't think it wrong that people should have to obey food hygiene and other regs if they want to sell to the public. However, there is a cost effective and satisfying way to do it - through Country Markets, costs 5p to join, they take 10% of your profits, goods are sold at a fair price and they will organise Hygiene course etc for you.