# Farmers market honey samples



## Dundrave (Jun 1, 2008)

What do you folks use to serve up a sample of honey on at a farmers market? What type of crackers are best? Or something else?

Thanks


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## Katharina (May 2, 2011)

Get a thin baguette and cut little slices to clear the palate. Also do not let the customers get their own sample, they just mess it up or double dip. Get real tiny coffee spoons or stirr sticks at a wholesale place and hand them to the customer with the sample on it.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

If you are not a breadmaker, buy the frozen rolls. Thaw and let them rise. Then, start making little half a marble size balls and start putting them in a small loaf pan. I hesitate to say pack them or some fool will be smashing them into one piece. Just lightly push them together untill you have the loaf pan three or four layers thick and full half way up. Let it rise until it about fills the pan and bake for 35 minutes at 325. You will have a whole bunch of little pull apart buns that should be brought fresh to the market where you personally libate them with honey and give them to your guests. It is always best to separate your honey into varietals for marketing. When you offer them a sample and they grunt all honey tastes the same, you smile and say, " well I have two kinds and they certainly taste different". Then they get to chose the one that they, the conniseur, selected. After a while, I was the only one selling honey at my farmers market.


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## Katharina (May 2, 2011)

You have to be careful when you plan on offering items you bake. Most states, if not all, require a commercial kitchen for baked goods. Some allow your home, but you need to get permission first. It is easier to just go to Safeway and buy a thin baguette. Same rule applies to honey you modify, but adding things to it or making something out of it. You are good to go as long as you don't mess with the honey. You can check local churches and see if you can rent their community kitchen for making your goodies.


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## dehavik (Jun 5, 2010)

When I did a bee presentation at school I gave samples to all the kids and teachers by squeezing a little bit of honey in one of those tiny plastic condiment cups you can get at a restaurant supply company, and putting a mini craft stick (about 2" long) in each cup. No crumbs, no mess.


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## indypartridge (Nov 18, 2004)

You also need to be sure giving samples is allowed. Some markets/counties/states have regulations prohibiting giving samples because of health codes.


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## deknow (Jul 17, 2006)

This is a case where we have found it better to ask permission than forgiveness. Work with the health department from the outset.

deknow


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

A drop on the end of someones' index finger, from a honeybear, will often be enuf enticement for a sale. If that isn't to your likeing, I got a box full of really small spoons. Plastic ones may not be so eco-friendly, but sometimes the wooden ones don't feel right in ones' mouth. Wooden spoons or popsicle sticks work well.

I think that bread or crackers distract the pallet from the honey.

On the other hand, if you want to give people an idea of what to eat honey w/, other than just a sweetener in tea or for use in baking, offer a small cracker w/ a sharp cheese w/ some honey on it. Creamed honey works best for that.

I sell comb honey to a Restaurant, in Lake Placid, NY, that uses the comb honey as a dessert w/ locally produced goat cheese and mint leaf garnish. Looks great and a nice pairing of the cheese and comb honey.


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## alicelee428 (Jun 3, 2008)

A drop of honey on a craft stick is what we do! If you have more than one kind of honey,they can turn the craft stick around for a drop on the other side.


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## Dundrave (Jun 1, 2008)

Great ideas - thanks!


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Pour some honey in a cap and let them dip their finger in for a taste. The frames have been handled a hundred times by a hundred people so it is not like the honey has never seen fingers in it.


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## deknow (Jul 17, 2006)

either putting honey on a finger or using both ends of a craft stick would get us shut down by the health dept (both state and local).

deknow


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Acebird said:


> The frames have been handled a hundred times by a hundred people so it is not like the honey has never seen fingers in it.


Maybe the frames have been handled, but I do not run my honey across anyones fingers. My honey has had no ones fingers in it. And they certainly haven't been handled by hundreds of people. Not even the old ones. I don't know where you get these ideas from.

Putting honey in a cap would be a one person use way of tasting. Alot like only dipping your chip in the dip once at a party. Do you do this at a Farmers Mkt near Utica?


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

Ya suppose there is any correlation between the unemployment rate and the amount of government envolvement in any human endeavor? Sure glad We have a little freedom left here. I really feel sorry for you folks.


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## DeeAnna (Nov 5, 2010)

I went to a honey tasting during the beekeeping class I took at the University of Minnesota this spring. It was a LOT of fun. I had no idea before I went to the tasting that there were so many colors and flavors of honey. 

One small problem is I didn't care for the texture or added taste of the wooden stir sticks they used for the tasting. I personally would use plastic tasting spoons that are smooth and tasteless ... or a person suggested cutting up plastic drink straws into short sections and using them for honey tasting. Straws are pretty easy to get in the grocery store, unlike tasting spoons. 

One other observation from the tasting event is the waste container should be clearly marked. We were allowed to take a clean tasting stick from a container for each taste. Unfortunately, the "clean" sticks were in an unlabeled container that was similar to the unlabeled "waste" stick container. A little confusing.


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## hilreal (Aug 16, 2005)

Be aware that honey drips / odor can lead to an onslaught of yellow jackets if they are foraging in the area.


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## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

I have been told that our wonderful state does not allow any open containers so that kinda shoots tasting down


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## geebob (Apr 4, 2011)

hilreal said:


> Be aware that honey drips / odor can lead to an onslaught of yellow jackets if they are foraging in the area.


I was just going to ask about that. I live near a park where a lot of families have picnics. Every year there are kids stung by yellowjackets drawn to the sugar and paramedics treating someone who has had an allergic reaction. I think I'll go with selling small "sample size" portion cups.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

> I have been told that our wonderful state does not allow any open containers so that kinda shoots tasting down


How many government officials do you see at communion hauling off the priest in handcuffs? Just say "this is the body of Christ" and you are home free...


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

sqkcrk said:


> Do you do this at a Farmers Mkt near Utica?


I am not telling you.

But anyway think about it. You handle the frames and the bees take your germs by walking all over that spot and distributing them all over the comb. If it were ever possible to transfer disease into honey that would be it. On the other hand if you take your ring finger (the one that is never used for cleaning your ears or picking your nose and touch the surface of a honey puddle you transfer nothing. The honey coats your germ ridden finger and you transfer the germs back to you when you lick it off not to the honey (that honey went with your finger). There is no waste and nothing to attract bumble bees.
Actually I don't know why anyone would get stun from foraging bumble bees. There is always 10-20 bumble bees foraging on our plants right along with all the honey bees and I have yet to get stung. Soda cans, refuse cans where the animal can get trapped or semi squished is more likely the cause. And so would be the same for honey bees.

We have become a society of germaphobe idiots. We are out to kill anything and everything and we can't see that we will eventually die in our own trash.


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## dmpower (Nov 7, 2010)

As far as no open containers, would a honey bear used to drip a drop be considered as an open container if you only open it to dispense?

At a farmer's market, restaurant, or even someone's home, I would not partake in any tasting that had multiple fingers in it -especially at a public place like a farmer's market. You want as many people tasting your honey as possible. Don't limit your customer base because you allow people to stick their fingers in the honey. Not only would I not taste your honey, I would suspect you handled the honey as badly at home and I would not purchase from you - ever!


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## Walliebee (Nov 17, 2006)

Plastic coffee stirring sticks are the best I've seen. You can get 1,000 for $4.75.


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