The Homegrown Vendor Blog

A Halloween treat box is a top seasonal seller for home bakers: decorated cookies, caramels, and spooky treats sold as a boxed product. Here's what goes in, why allergen labeling matters most here, ho

A home food business is a strong fit for veterans, and veterans have free, dedicated SBA resources most entrepreneurs never access: Boots to Business, Veterans Business Outreach Centers, certification

If you collect Social Security and sell cottage food, two things matter: the retirement earnings test if you're under full retirement age ($24,480 in 2026), and self-employment tax on net earnings. He

Powdered drink mixes like hot cocoa, chai, and lemonade are cottage-food eligible in many states, and California lists them by name. The rules: keep everything dry and skip unverifiable claims. Here's

Shelf-stable no-bake energy bites made of oats, nut butter, honey, and dried fruit can often be sold as cottage foods under the cereals, trail mixes, and granola category. The catch is moisture: anyth

Traditional cocktail bitters are made with distilled spirits, which puts them under federal TTB alcohol regulation, not cottage food law. Here's why bitters aren't a cottage food, what the beverage-ve

Pumpkins are a high-demand fall crop and a family destination. Here's how to sell pumpkins and gourds at a farm stand, from what to grow to the agritourism edge.

Even vegetarian samosas aren't cottage-food eligible: cooked potato is a perishable food. Here's how to legally sell samosas from home, the right way.

The meat filling makes a Jamaican patty a perishable food that cottage food laws exclude. Here's how to legally sell patties from home, the right way.