Harvest soup for the Farmer's Market.

I am pretty excited. I have sold a lot of cukes, beets, kohlarabi and green beans at the market, but this morning I have been preparing something fun. For $10 I have prepared big bags of "Harvest Soup" mix. Each bag contains some celery, onions, carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes, peas, beans and a hot pepper - all grown in my garden. I hope it goes well. I love making them!

I think thats a great idea!
I bet it looks very attractive packagef together like that too!

I wish I had a better way to present it rather than just a bag, but you can see everything you are getting. I have had an awesome year at the market. It is a fun way to pay for the propane to heat the greenhouse.

What a Great Idea I am sure people will buy it What Market do you go to
also wanted to ask I am thinking about a 16qt pressure canner what do you think?
Let us know how the harvest soup bags sell

appway wrote:What a Great Idea I am sure people will buy it What Market do you go to
also wanted to ask I am thinking about a 16qt pressure canner what do you think?
Let us know how the harvest soup bags sell

I am the market manager for the Unity market. I thought we needed one, and so far, it has been a great year.

For pressure canners - All American is the very best you can get. It does not have any replaceable rubber seals. It is a metal on metal seal. It is REALLY expensive. For a much more economical model get the Presto with a pressure gauge. I have one without a gauge as well and rarely use it.

baskets for your soup mixes would look awesome if you knew a source for inexpensive but sturdy ones!

mirycreek wrote:baskets for your soup mixes would look awesome if you knew a source for inexpensive but sturdy ones!

I thought that too, but it is nice not to have to put money into things that are "throw away". I think I will just keep throwing them in bags and keep my prices down.

appway wrote:What a Great Idea I am sure people will buy it What Market do you go to
also wanted to ask I am thinking about a 16qt pressure canner what do you think?
Let us know how the harvest soup bags sell

I highly recommend the all American pressure canner as well. Worth the price!  

I have model 921 which is a 21.5 quart. I chose this model because it is the smallest one you can do smoked salmon in, the smaller ones have thinner walls or something, so they don't recommend canning smoked salmon in them.

I love it! Have done grouse and smoked sockeye pressure canned and made chicken stock pressure cooked and then pressure canned it! All turned out great.

Bowker Acres, when I hear things like this, it makes me feel so very good. You are giving a gift to so many people, with your homegrown garden produce. And oh man, what a great idea to make a harvest soup, where one just has to cook these ingredients, and other stuff, like a meat, stock, whatever, too. Amazing. The thing about some people who do not have to cook for many, or have to cook for many, is that to buy all the ingredients that went into a soup mix such as yours, sometimes so much produce has to be purchased. Far more than the smaller amounts that comprise a soup mix such as yours. Awesome and most wonderful idea. If I ever went to a farmer's market, that certainly could be a very good idea for a selling item. I am too lazy to go to a farmer's market and too shy. I could never sit in the public like how you must do to sell your product from work on your land. And I take my hat off to ya, and say, "you go girl". Sounds like you have had a most wonderful harvest. Something has happened to my squash this year. Not sure what, and it is odd because never have I had issue to grow squash. All have been planted on a big hill, I see lots of blossoms, but nary a squash of any kind. Some kind of weird pumpkin maybe, but small and stunted, it is white   and about the size of a patty pan squash, and only three on the vine. Blah. Weirder than I ever care to think. So, for the first time in many a year, no spaghetti, nor butternut squash. Blah. Gonna have to go and buy that from the store. Blah, ooops, did I say blah too many times? Summertime is nothing when we don't have a spaghetti squash to grace our table, or the famous butternut squash soup my Husband creates. Blah. Other than that, copious amounts of EVERything, and the tomato will be bounty galore. This was a very nice post, by the way, loved to hear what you are doing, have an awesome day, CynthiaM.

Oh ya, thanks to the work of my fingers and eyeballs for the past few weeks and then the floating row cover, we gonna have tons of that romanesco type broccoli. It is the type that looks like an alien, kind of a cauliflower/broccoli, some call it broccoflower or somethign like that. When it matures more I will take pictures. Ya, spent many hours out there every couple of days, turning over each leaf, picking off the cabbage moth yellow eggs on the leaves, and picking and squishing those stupid green larvae. Then, when that was complete, put on the floating row cover and fastened down the hatches, with the pieces of metal kind of like that which is used to fasten down tents. It worked fabulous. I checked yesterday and only a few green larvae and no yellow eggs on the leaves. Next year, that floating cover will go over the plants early. I marvelled at how many of those stinking white butterfly moths were floating all over trying to get at the plants, they could certainly smell the leaves, but not get in, na, na, na, na, na, go fly a kite, darn moths!

Bowker Acres wrote:I am pretty excited.  I have sold a lot of cukes, beets, kohlarabi and green beans at the market, but this morning I have been preparing something fun.  For $10 I have prepared big bags of "Harvest Soup" mix.  Each bag contains some celery, onions, carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes, peas, beans and a hot pepper - all grown in my garden.  I hope it goes well.  I love making them!  

if I was closer I would of bought one!!! that sounds awesome do you have a particular recipe too to go with it?? I love a good soup recipe

Yeah that is a great marketing idea. I know some people like to use a recipe everytime and im sure you could develop one and print it up just to get them started.

You know what is really sad...they didn't sell very well. I sold out of everything except that! Lots of compliments and one of the older ladies told me if I want to sell them that way, I need a recipe because people don't know how to make soup. I am unsure of what to put as a recipe for fear of being flippant, however it is as simple as chop vegies, add leftover meat and broth - and perhaps a starch such as pearl barley, rice, noodles etc. I will add a recipe next time, along with a baggie of pearl barley.

Bowker Acres wrote:"Harvest Soup" mix.  Each bag contains some celery, onions, carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes, peas, beans and a hot pepper

okay.... if I could be so presumptuous as to offer an idea???

looking at the ingredients.... I could easily turn that into my summer chowder. super super easy!

in this case, this is how I would make it....

soften the potataoes, cubed, onions, carrots, celery in some butter... add zucchini near the end with beans...

(this part is tough and I am only guessing because I havent seen the bags, so i dont know how much you were including of the vegetables)

I would add at least six cups of chicken stock, some spice (here I like to use the normal salt, pepper, oregano, and basil go awesome, as well as some garlic--- which if you have whole garlic add it above with the onions and potatoes OH forgot the hot pepper... that would go up with the potatoes too I would of done it that way anyhow), add TWO cans of evaporated milk, the tomatoes, and simmer until the tomatoes are warmed through.

then to serve I usually grate some cheese and just top the bowls with it, either cheddar or a marble works really really nice.

also, I make this recipe with corn. so either corn on the cob if its fresh, or just add a can of corn, or even frozen, whichever!


and now. now I am going to make sure I pick up all the stuff to make this over the weekend!!!!! whoop whoop! I havent had this in forever, so might be supper for sunday with some fresh buns (as long as its not too hot to turn the oven on for the bread/buns! ahaha)

OR. this could just as easily turned into a nice hearty chicken noodle soup with some fresh egg noodles!

boil chicken.

save stock, shred chicken, add rest of ingredients, staggered because some will need to cook much longer than the others (potatoes, carrots, celery.... zucchini and tomatoes near the end so not to over cook), maybe tossing in the noodles near with the zucchini and tomatoes? easily done with either a broth, or add in some canned milk just to mix it up...


hmmm.

everything diced, add in some hamburger, bake in a casserole topped with cheese?? ohhh that would be awesome too!!

lanaire-ranching wrote:OR.  this could just as easily turned into a nice hearty chicken noodle soup with some fresh egg noodles!

boil chicken.

save stock, shred chicken, add rest of ingredients, staggered because some will need to cook much longer than the others (potatoes, carrots, celery.... zucchini and tomatoes near the end so not to over cook), maybe tossing in the noodles near with the zucchini and tomatoes?  easily done with either a broth, or add in some canned milk just to mix it up...


hmmm.

everything diced, add in some hamburger, bake in a casserole topped with cheese??  ohhh that would be awesome too!!

No, I think it was me being presumptuous that people knew how to make soup. I grew up relatively poor. We had food - but we ate everything and we ate a lot of soup as it was an easy way to use leftovers. Garden vegies were always thrown together with whatever meat was left over, some stock etc. In my world soup is what I make to clean the fridge! Your idea's are amazing! Would it be OK if I steal them...cut/paste and print? I am going to make chowder too - that sounds great!

What a great idea.  Feel free to use any of the recipes from my web site glutenfreeislandgirl.ca.   They are easily made and easy to modify to fit your ingredients.  

Here is the link to the soups page.  

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Cheers!

Here is a real easy recipe that I make I am just guessing on alot as I dont Measure But the way people are now days they need it spelled out.
1 onion, diced
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 tsp salt
2 small potato, peeled and chopped (I dont Peel I just wash Good)
1 pepper chopped
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 bay
5/6 Cups water
1 Bullion Cube
In a heavy pan , heat oil over medium heat, cook onion, carrot, celery, salt, and the peper, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add potato and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes, 5 or 6 cups water, bay leaf, bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
and if you include pearl Barley add that when starts to boil
Might also add chicken or meat some where in the recipe remember tell them to cook it LOL

Just a SUggestion as I know they will sell
I found a Video about making my own Bullion so I am gonna try it if you want it let me know I will post it

appway wrote:What a Great Idea I am sure people will buy it What Market do you go to
also wanted to ask I am thinking about a 16qt pressure canner what do you think?
Let us know how the harvest soup bags sell

I bought a pressure canner last year to do diced tomatoes up and it scares the crap out of me to use it. I don't think I will use it again until I build my outdoor canning kitchen!

Such a lovely idea! A shame it did not take. Do you have any pictures of your booth and market?

Schipperkesue wrote:Such a lovely idea!  A shame it did not take.  Do you have any pictures of your booth and market?

Sorry, no pictures. I am usually too busy running around like a crazy person to remember to take one! The other thing that didn't sell was my peppers. They did eventually sell, but one person bought them all. They were huge and beautiful - larger than any I have bought in a store and I was selling them for $1. Is that too much for a pepper, or do people just not eat peppers? Perhaps if I were selling tomatoes too that would help.

Authentic, you do not need a pressure canner to do tomatoes. If I weren't so busy this time of year, I would skip on over and help you with your canner. They are really quite safe!

Well Darwin is really thinking of getting me one so I hope he surprises me with one when he gets home tomorrow

Bowker Acres wrote:Authentic, you do not need a pressure canner to do tomatoes.  If I weren't so busy this time of year, I would skip on over and help you with your canner.  They are really quite safe!

I am not canning this year! Too many weddings, no time. Plus a coop to finish before winter!

Having a 16 month old cramps my style.

Authentic, here is an idea. You can give your canner to me and I will go to visit Bowker for lessons.  

Now that's thinking!

Bowker, oh darn, how sorrowfully disappointing about the lack of interest in soup goods. sigh. The work that goes into the garden, the chopping, oh man oh man. Still takin' me hat off to you to get the guts and gumption to take time to even go out with a truckload of garden veggies to attempt to sell, so glad that you at least sold a good many stuff. The hours, of picking, packing up, going there, oh boy, again, my hat off to you!!! Can't even begin to imagine the prep it must take to get your wares to the market. But what a lovely service, and I am sure many understand and appreciate what you go through, yay, ya, yay!! Have a beautiful day, CynthiaM.