10/03/2026
Did you know selling homemade jams and jellies to the general public falls under MO Cottage Laws?
The law has strict guidelines as to what can be sold, where and how; including what must be include on the label and ONLY allows fruit jams and jellies, must be shelf stable products, etc.
For our little farm to sell our non-cottage law covered products under our farm as an exemption came at a cost. The time and cost it took has been worth it to us as we continue to pursue our little farm grown jam & jelly dream.
In 2025 we prepared our annual JalapeĂąo Pepper Jam, following our family canning recipe/process the exactly same way each time we process a batch.
âď¸ Submitted product application:
We applied to MO food authority to test our farm grown pepper jam.
âď¸ Payment:
We paid for the âprocess authority reviewâ.
âď¸ Submitted samples:
Sample submission for analytical food safety testing requires paying to have a minimum of 4 tests (2 samples from a minimum of 2 separate batches).
âď¸ Results:
Within a month we received a letter with the results. Our tested product/recipe passed the food authority review and testing of the pH, water activity and Brix reading and stated the jam was within recommended safety standards. We then sent proof to our local county Health Department to have on file.
âď¸ Sell to public:
We can now sell our farm grown and made pepper jam directly to the public as long as we follow the exact same recipe and process each and every time.
We took these same steps for 2026 to add our popular Blackberry Jalapeno Jam to the public.
So, please know when you see us out sharing and offering our special products, it all begins with fall tilling, spring fertilizing and planting our pepper plants, followed by summer watering, weeding, harvesting and preserving.
We have learned so much since we started our little farm adventure while expanding each year.
For small home or farm bakers, growers and/or manufacturers who DO follow the Cottage Food Laws and take the steps for âFarm Exemptionsâ, please SUPPORT us. It truly comes at a COST to follow the guidelines and laws that allow us to share our homemade products in labeling, testing and time.
While these laws and guidelines make it challenging for small family owned and operated home/farm businesses, they exist to ensure the consumer (YOU and your FAMILY) are consuming SAFE products!
We know there are local cottage bakers not following these laws and sell to the GENERAL PUBLIC. While we donât agree with some of the strict guidelines we WILL comply because we plan to be here sharing our family products for a long time.
PLEASE support your local small businesses that follow the produce food products under cottage law and are compliant because it comes at a cost to us and our family.
