I don’t no about the ‘exotic liqueurs’, I think most who are trading will just want something strong that gets them wasted fast. Black pepper is a GOOD Thought as well as Tabasco Sauce!
I’m allergic to peppers, but I bought seeds for some of the more commonly used ones, so I can grow them for trade. Bell, pimento, paprika, etc. I should add tabasco to the list.
Having things stocked up is good for a while, but after that it pays to know how to grow or make it from scratch. I have tobacco seeds, I know how to distill liquer. The same still can be used to purify water if needed. I have a few varieties of sugar beets I’m testing out, and one of last year’s squash was so incredibly sweet that I’m going to be experimenting to see if I can purify sugar out of that, too. Even if I can’t, the puree works as a sweetener, it was that sweet!
Soap is pretty easy to make. There are several plants that produce it naturally, or you can use fat and ashes to make it. The fat doesn’t even have to be eating-quality, although the soap may smell weird if you use rancid or “fragrant” fats.
My land lays in such a way that it looks like it’s still abandoned. The spot where I’m building my house is completely hidden from the road, and that gravel road is so many turns from any main roads that it’s hard to find even if you know where it is.
Can’t say my homestead is perfect, the house isn’t even built yet. but I’m doing what I can, and letting the Lord deal with what I can’t.