ottawa foodies

Thinking ahead here to try and determine what will sell best at a late fall bazaar...

Pies are always a big seller but interested in knowing what would be your favorites? fruit pies? cream pies? meringue?

Also thinking that smaller pies that serve 2 people might be good sellers.

I have found that we can make more money dividing a pie into individual slices, but wondering what is your price ceiling on a whole home made fruit pie? Maybe $10 a pie is not enough when we can get $3 a slice. What would make you spend more - a glorious fluffy cream pie with fresh coconut? Something in attractive packaging for gifting?

There has also been a suggestion that rather than entire trays of one type of cookie or squares, that we should package "variety assortments" attractively.

Any suggestions are welcome, and would also appreciate knowing what you would consider fair pricing for same. Thanks in advance.

Don't forget the popularity of Queen's Lunch Squares.

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Not sure where the bazaar will be held of if I am a typical "clientele" and if it's exclusively sweets but I like to pick up items that can be heated up quickly for dinner like a quiche or tortiere/chicken pot pie. This would likely appeal to working families with children. Always so nice to have something in the fridge (or freezer) that is homemade and can be quickly heated up and served for dinner. As far as I am concerned $10 is about right. You could also make less sweet items like muffins and sell them in packages of 4 or 6, they are nice for a special family breakfast or snack. While you're at it, scones (tea biscuits) are very nice to buy in quantities of 4 or 6.

blubarry I love those church bazaar bake sales! I don't bake much (other than cookies and muffins) so I love picking up things that I normally wouldn't make: squares of any kind, mince meat tarts, butter tarts, etc. I like individual sized things since I live alone and it would take forever for me to finish up a whole pie plus it takes up lots of freezer space. (I realize this will not be an issue for some since many people like to buy pies for family dinners around Christmas time.) Also individual pies like quiches would be a hit in my books.

One of the church bazaars I attend has a large assortment of jams as well as pickles, chutneys and the like and they always seem to be a hit.

I think you mentioned some time ago you contributed some baking to a church bazaar - perhaps this is the one you are baking for? If so could you please let us know when/where it is? I personally would love to attend...

Butter tarts, rum balls, macaroons, chutney, red pepper jelly, mince meat tarts, mini quiche, personal chicken pot pies, lemon squares, shortbread, and unique items that aren't seen often....so unique that I can't think of them

Pasta Lover I did post about the bazaar last year, and got some good reviews for the cafe we ran for the first time, and also for the baking and preserves. We are looking at Saturday Nov. 24 and I will definitely keep OF in the loop as we got a lot of support from Ottawa Foodies last year. Pictured is my gingered coconut pumpkin pie. If you bought one last year I hope you enjoyed it, because they were painful to make and not sure I'll try them again.

blubarry I didn't make it out last year - actually I didn't make it to any church bazaars last year. I bought quite a few ticket last winter to see the Met broadcasts in HD so I missed out on all my favourite bazaars. This year I am planning things a little better so I hope to hit the bazaar circuit in November and December. I will keep yours in mind and would love it if you could keep us posted closer to the time. Good luck with the baking!

Pasta Lover, part of the reason it's on the 24th is because there are no Met broadcasts that day and we go too.

Darn it, I'm away for Thanksgiving that weekend.

Pineapple squares - the kind made with 'nilla wafers, whipping cream, etc. Brownies of any kind. Chocolate pecan kalhua pie. Queen Elizabeth squares. I could go on, but I just put on 5 pounds writing this post! LOL

I love cream pies!!! I could eat one everyday if someone would make them for me.

I have a friend who bakes for a small farmers market near us and she tells me she sold quite a few 'hand pies' this year.

Hand Pie: A small pie that you can hold in your hand and eat while wandering the market. Easier for the customer to eat than a slice of pie on a plate.

But maybe not as easy for the person baking the pies! I rarely make pie, so seems to me that making small pies would be more work?

I always look for loaves, health bread, banana, walnut cranberry, lemon. Loaves I'll usually easily buy 2 of or more, they're easy to carry and the price always seems right. I like pies, but I'll only buy one (if any) I live alone so I would buy one if I knew I could take it for dinner somewhere.

Whoever suggested tortiere or quiche!! YES please!

I always have to have a couple of treats while I'm there too, so cupcakes, date squares and nice big cookies for my nephew :)

I like fruit pies and breads like banana, lemon poppyseed,etc. The quiche and tourtiere suggestion is great.

Quiche can be eaten cold and if you have a personal sized ones, it can be a good choice for people who goes there for lunch.

If one can cheat with prepared tart shells, different fruit tarts can be good sellers for people wanting a light snack or taste the pie filling in a tart before buying the full pie.

Can I make a suggestion? My dad is a diabetic and I was surprised when my Mom told me how many of their friends and neighbours are diabetic too. Maybe offer one of two items with lower suger or baked with sugar substitutes such as stevia or Splenda.

Chocolate chip cookies $1.50, chocolate layer cake $3 big slice or $12 whole, scones $2.00, doughnuts $2.00 or $10.00/6, cinnamon buns $2.50. If you wanna go ethnic, Greek bougatsa $2.50-3.00 decent sized 3x3 square. Warmed is best if you can score a little onsite toaster oven, ditto for the doughnuts and buns.

Don't do the low sugar/stevia/Splenda stuff. It's a bake sale. Mandatory sugar!

lol I only asked for 1 or 2 items ...

I have to bake fruit pies myself since my dad likes pies and the type of pies they like tend to have sugar, i.e. mixed berries. Sometimes I buy the no sugar added blueberry pie at farm boy..

If I know that quality ingredients have been used by competent bakers, I'll happily pay premium prices for baked goods at a church sale. I think that most goods at church bake sales are under priced. The baker donates both his time and the ingredients (usually) and I don't think it's right for the prices to be less than the cost of the ingredients. I'm quite happy to pay for good quality, home-baked food and I sure hope I can get to your bake sale, blubarry.

not diabetic, nor on a diet (veg'n aside), but lending support to FoodTravel's suggestion, i'd happily buy-justa-try yummy looking stevia-sweetened goodies. And, yes - lots of diabetics out there, inc. bakers. Bake sales / bazaars being big-tents and all, I'm sure the sugar lobbyists can allow an experimental lo-sugar pie or muffin thru the door.

Echoes of earlier posts... the coconut -> in all its permutations. Whole or in slices.

And yes to Pasta L's idea re. jams, pickles, chutneys.

On that spectrum, any homemade hot-pepper / chili-sauce / kimchi expertise in your (BluB's) congregation?