Roadside Fruit Stands-You Would Love To Stop And Buy Produce

Supporting local growers of fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers is so helpful to all of us that grow them.  Thank you for doing that.  The top photo is of our roadside stand.  The top of it is an old chicken brooder; I glued scalloped oil cloth around it; and the red round tube is where you insert the money.  The table was an old carpenter's work table.

We all don't sell our produce at Farmer's Markets, some sell it through a Community Supportive Agriculture membership farm (CSA), like ours, or through little local roadside stands which are mostly done on the honor system. 

We have a roadside stand out in front of our house where I put out any extras that I may have of anything.  I try to do it regularly, but sometimes when it is our CSA delivery week, I don't make it out there, but don't give up on us.  Drive by your favorite stand periodically, you will see some days have lots, others may be empty-especially when it is hot hot, the stands may be empty because it is too hot to leave fruit/veggies out.

I have gone on Pinterest and am sharing some really, really cute roadside stands that I know I would stop and buy something.  This one is so darn cute, using old windows and old benches.  And the flowers look so beautiful, I would be stopping there every week. How about you?

I wish I had put rollers or wheels on my stand like this one.  It would have made it easier to move it when we aren't using it or when we rake the front of the house.

 

Simple yet darling.  And old ladder with boards through it.

This isn't an old trailer, but what a great idea for a stand to use a 1950s/60s style trailer. I thought the name was cute, "The Farmacy".

This next one is so clever, an old dresser/vanity. The person lined the drawers with burlap (my favorite fabric) and put oil cloth on top.  I am a huge fan of using chalk boards and I have used them for years and years because I never could find a piece of paper to write prices for the produce.

This last photo is our garden shed that we made from a horse building that was on the property.  Not a stand, but it could make a really fun one.  It originally had 3 open sides, Frank rolled it to where we needed it by pulling it with his tractor.  We found some old windows, an old garage door; and I finished it off with found columns and the chicken tin weather vane/copula.

 So cruise on by some of your local farms, they just may have some fresh picked produce out front for you to support their farm.

Drying Fruit and Vegetables, Floral Supplies

We love to preserve any fruit or vegetables that we may grow.  It is hard though to fit the time in to do it with all our other farm work.  Most people know that preserving time happens right in the middle of summer when the family wants to go places, do things; or it is too hot; people come to visit you; kids are home from school.  But it is so rewarding to enjoy fresh food in the winter months.

What we do is try and have something in the food dehydrator; or out in the sun drying screen; or being sulfured in the sulfur shed as much of the summer that we can.  The first two photos are apricots drying after being sulfured and the last photo are peaches drying.

Small quantities of fruit can be dried in small air dehydrators or larger stainless steel dehydrators.  We have the larger one with 9 shelves which dries large amounts of tomatoes or apples quickly.  Here are a few examples:

 Even ovens can be used on very, very low heat.  The process of drying has been used during the pioneer times too.  I do dip the produce deluded with water using fresh lemon juice or Fruit Fresh to maintain the color and freshness. Here are some photos of antique ones.  I have seen in a few of my farming magazines, that you can purchase new ones using patterns from antique ones.

Old ideas, new again.

Now that the official vegetable and fruit season has started, why not try something new, dry them.  Kids love dried fruits for snacks.

I wanted to mention to you about a great family owned floral supply business I have recently started using since I have started my CSA-Flower Membership and selling flowers for events.  I love supporting family businesses.  It is called Sacramento Valley Floral Supply.  They are strictly on-line, but Peter and Barbara are so helpful with any questions you have.  And they deliver right to your door by their delivery guy-Tony.

It is such a learning experience taking growing flowers to the next step of selling flowers or bouquets, there is so much I need to learn.  It is nice to know there are still people out there willing to take the time to explain products and how to use them.

Thank you for reading my blog and our life experiences here at Windmill Farm, a small, family owned farming business.  Come back again or "Like" us on Facebook.