Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ask whoever runs the Farmers Market.
FWIW I wouldn't eat anybody's home made food.

A lot of cookies and bread sold at Farmers markets ARE baked at home.

Yeah and I don't buy them.

Me either.

Live a little people! Home baked stuff is usually really good.

People die of salmonella, from packaged food and restaurants. Not going to take chances with a home baked cookie or cake. No thanks, but you enjoy. I’m living a lot, trust me.

It's amazing how we ever managed to survive life.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ask whoever runs the Farmers Market.
FWIW I wouldn't eat anybody's home made food.

I would not pay for home baked goods.

You need to have a food license and make it in a commercial kitchen and follow food safety guidelines.

No cats walking on the countertops. Ewww!

You know restaurants, including popular / expensive ones, are forever suffering from rodent and bug infestations and are periodically shut down because of some health violations? It's useful to be a bit realistic.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://cottagefoodlaws.com/virginia-cottage-food-laws/

What does it mean about being a pickle vendor? Pickles are on the OK list.

"Virginia cottage food laws make it super easy to get started. In fact – you can start today! Unless you’re going to be a pickle vendor, there is not limit on the money you can make each year either."

Big Pickle has it out for the little guy.

Anonymous wrote:Not one is debating whether it tastes good or not. Were there cats walking on the countertops?

I helped a friend pass a home inspection in Virginia by taking his cats for a few hours. As a member of the public, I shouldn't have done it but as a friend, I felt obligated to help.

Anonymous wrote:https://cottagefoodlaws.com/virginia-cottage-food-laws/

What does it mean about being a pickle vendor? Pickles are on the OK list.

"Virginia cottage food laws make it super easy to get started. In fact – you can start today! Unless you’re going to be a pickle vendor, there is not limit on the money you can make each year either."

Anonymous wrote:Once upon a time any food for sale to the public had to be produced in a commercial kitchen subject to regular inspection. Not sure if that’s still the case. There are commercial kitchens where you can rent space, sometimes by the hour. Some restaurants also offer after hours kitchen access rentals.

No, that’s not true. Most jurisdictions have long had cottage food exemptions for things like bread. It’s a limited list of foods with restrictions on where you can sell, but it’s not a new thing.

Farmers Market manager here (MD)

I beg you, pick any other hobby other than baked goods to try to sell. Goat milk soap, candles, jewelry, start plants, ANYTHING but another cottage baker. I blame Food Network for this, but we are inundated with cottage bakers who want to sell their cookies, pies, cakes, bars, whatever and I turn most of them down. Most markets limit products to one or two vendors so that the vendors maximize their sales. I have one cookie/bar/cake pop vendor, one pie vendor, and one artisan bread maker at our local exurb market and that is plenty of baked goods each week. I turn down roughly 20 cottage baker applicants every year, and getting into the market is pretty much a juried competition for bakers. Pick another thing to do, cottage baking isn't it because everyone is doing it.

You will also be required to have business liability insurance and be prepared to be inspected by whatever county health department, our market gets inspected at least once a year - the inspector goes to each vendor and asks to see any relevant licenses/permits (per product), ingredient lists (baked goods), checks temperatures on coolers, etc.

Anonymous wrote:Op again. Thanks for the tip on liability insurance.

Thanks OP for being so conscientious and caring about your baked goods.

Op again. Thanks for the tip on liability insurance.

This is OP. Thank you all! Food business is a risky business and I would feel more comfortable if there a license is required and if my house is inspected as well to make sure. I just wasn't sure due to conflicting information.

Call the health department in your county and ask. I live in another state and volunteer at a farmer's market and a guy sells scones he makes at home. Health dept visited his house and he literally had to give a tour of his kitchen and submit the flavors of scones he wanted to sell. He's not allowed to sell any with nuts. Lots of details to get through to be able to sell.

Those of you going ewww over home baked goods, you have never seen homes with the cleanest kitchens and you have never seen restaurants with the dirtiest kitchens. Contamination can occur anywhere including through packaged foods.

Not one is debating whether it tastes good or not. Were there cats walking on the countertops?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ask whoever runs the Farmers Market.
FWIW I wouldn't eat anybody's home made food.

A lot of cookies and bread sold at Farmers markets ARE baked at home.

Yeah and I don't buy them.

Me either.

Live a little people! Home baked stuff is usually really good.

People die of salmonella, from packaged food and restaurants. Not going to take chances with a home baked cookie or cake. No thanks, but you enjoy. I’m living a lot, trust me.

Ask one of the food incubators
Eatsplace, mess hall, union kitchen

They help food businesses with laws