On this week's episode of Tent Talk, we answered another round of questions we received from our listeners. In this episode you'll get advice from the Tent Talk hosts on various issues that farmers market managers face. Listen along for tips on curating your market, giving prospective vendors constructive criticism, marketing on a budget, and what to do about tardy vendors.

On this week's episode of Tent Talk, we had the pleasure of speaking with Mike Reidy, Chef De Cuisine at Ironside Fish & Oysterin Little Italy, San Diego. In our interview, Chef Mike gushed about his love for farmers markets, he clued us in on a day in the life of a busy chef, and explained how chefs can make connections with local farmers.

On this episode we spoke with Jennifer and Eric Halverson of JenEric Foods. Jennifer and Eric make jun (rhymes with fun!) kombucha and sell their delicious beverages at farmers markets in Southern California. In our conversation, Jennifer and Eric told us about what makes their kombucha special, how they turned their love of food and drink into a business, and what it's like to work with their spouse. Do you have a dream brewing? Go for it!

This week's Tent Talk guest is Kelli Diann Billips, the Operations Manager and Media Coordinator for the Seattle Farmers Market Association. SFMA operates the Wallingfordand Madrona markets, as well as the Ballard Sunday market, which is the largest farmers market in Washington State! In this episode, we chat with Kelli Diann about how to promote your farmers market, maintaining an interest in your seasonal markets, and surveying your shoppers.

Our guest this week is Sarah Marshall, creator, owner, and producer of Marshall's Haute Sauce, author of Preservation Pantry: Modern Canning From Root To Top & Stem To Core, and vendor at the Portland State University Farmers Markets. In our conversation Sarah shares about her background in canning and preservation, how she found her place at the farmers market, and where she gets inspiration for new recipes. This episode will inspire you to get creative in the kitchen!

Our Tent Talk guest this week is Neal Gottlieb, founding twin and CEO of Three Twins Ice Cream. Neal shared with us the story behind his ice cream empire, the value of staying in farmers markets while also operating brick & mortar locations, and how giving back is part of the Three Twins brand. In this episode you'll learn about what it takes to scale a product from farmers market to national grocery chains.

For this week's episode we had the pleasure of speaking with Brent Preston of The New Farm. Brent is a farmer and the author of The New Farm: Our Ten Years on the Front Lines of the Good Food Revolution. He told us about his experience finding his true calling in life and how he was able to build an organic farm that is environmentally and financially sustainable. In this episode we also tackle some big questions about the future of farming and re-thinking our current food systems.

This week's guest is Alli Ball, creator of Retail Ready and Allison Ball Consulting. Alli teaches classes and provides one-on-one consulting for all types of food businesses. On this episode Alli shares her tips for breaking into the retail scene, ways for food makers to find the voice of their brand, and how to have a rockin' display at the farmers market. If you're a farmers market vendor curious about selling your products to stores, this episode is for you!

On this week's episode of Tent Talk, instead of interviewing a farmers market expert, we made good use of our own expertise and answered some tricky farmers market questions we received from vendors. In this episode you'll get advice from the Tent Talk hosts on various issues that vendors face. Listen along for tips on differentiating your product from other vendors', solidifying your prices, finding your bearings in a new market, and what information to include on your labels.

For this week's episode we were joined by Forrest Pritchard of Smith Meadows Farm and author of Gaining Ground, A Story of Farmers' Markets, Local Food and Saving the Family Farm. Forrest is a sustainable farmer and New York Times bestselling author. Forrest told us the story of saving his family's farm, explained the impact of farmers markets on farm profitability, and shared how he's able to manage his career as a farmer and an author. This episode is inspirational, yet down-to-earth - it may be the push you need to become a farmer, or to finally sit down and pound out that book you've always dreamed of writing!