A Simple Guide for Turning Your Homestead Skills Into Extra Income

If you’ve been dreaming about earning a little extra income from your kitchen, your garden, or your creativity, Colorado just happens to be one of the best states to do it. Two powerful opportunities make it possible:

Colorado House Bill 19-1191 — You can operate a farm stand on ANY size property, even if the land is not zoned agricultural.

Colorado Cottage Foods Act — You can make and sell certain low-risk homemade foods from your own kitchen without needing a commercial license.

Put them together?
You can create an income-producing micro-business right from home.

This article breaks everything down in clear, simple terms — so you can decide what to make, what to grow, how to sell it, and what’s legal.

🌻 Part 1: What the CO Farm Stand Law Actually Allows

Thanks to House Bill 19-1191, a farm stand is allowed on:

• Any size parcel of land

• Any zoning (residential included)

• Any property where the “principal use” is something else (like a home)

This means you do not need a multi-acre property or special agricultural zoning to sell what you grow.

What You Can Sell at a Farm Stand

✔ Produce you grow on your property
✔ Eggs (with separate egg rules)
✔ Honey
✔ Herbs
✔ Flowers (fresh or dried)
✔ Compost or garden goods
✔ Agricultural products from nearby growers (if your county allows)

Farm stands help small growers, hobby gardeners, and homesteaders connect directly with the community — just like small-town Wisconsin-style produce stands where you might find tomatoes beside a loaf of homemade bread.

And that’s where Cottage Food comes in.

🍞 Part 2: Cottage Foods — What You Can Legally Make & Sell From Home

The Colorado Cottage Food Act allows you to prepare certain non-hazardous foods in your home kitchen and sell them directly to customers.

This is perfect for a farm stand, farmers market, porch pick-up, or local delivery.

✔ Foods You CAN Sell

Baked goods (non-perishable)

• Sourdough loaves

• Focaccia (plain or herb — no tomatoes or cheese)

• Rolls

• Cookies

• Muffins

• Sweet breads

Canned or preserved foods

• Fruit jams & jellies

• Preserves

• Fruit butters

• Pickles (must meet pH rules)

Dry goods

• Spice blends

• Seasoning mixes

• Soup mixes

• Tea blends

• Herbal infusions (dry only)

• Popcorn

• Dehydrated fruit

• Nuts & seed mixes

• Granola (no dairy/hazardous ingredients)

Confections

• Candy

• Brittles

• Marshmallows

• Chocolate-covered nuts or fruit (if shelf stable)

❌ Foods You CANNOT Sell

• Salsa (fresh or canned)

• Fresh pesto

• Refrigerated foods of any kind

• Cream pies, cheesecakes, cream-filled baked goods

• Meat, poultry, or fish products

• Canned vegetables unless pickled and pH-tested

Colorado does not allow home-canned salsa because it is considered low-acid and high-risk.
But don’t worry — there are clever workarounds we’ll talk about next.

If you don’t live in Colorado, you can absolutely build a similar micro-farm business — you just need to check your state’s cottage food and farm stand laws. Every state has its own version of food-safety rules, allowed products, and selling locations. A good starting point is:

• Your state’s Department of Agriculture

• Your county Extension Office

• The nationwide directory at Forrager.com, which tracks cottage food laws by state

• Your local farmers market manager — they always know what’s allowed locally

No matter where you live in the U.S., there is almost always a legal way to sell produce, baked goods, preserves, dry mixes, spices, teas, starter plants, and other small-batch foods. You don’t need acres of land — you just need a plan, a little passion, and the willingness to start small.