Down Mulberry Lane

Friday's Market, October 19, 2007

Farmer's Market:  Friday, October 19, 2007

It was a cool day.  Maybe near 60 to start, but starting to get cooler as we proceed through the market hours.  I started with a long sleeve shirt on, proceeded to a jacket, then a second shirt over my long sleeve shirt and my jacket.  My hands were very cold.  I did remember a hat... windy when we got there, but the wind died down at 5:30 pm, making for a very nice ending.  Even the sun peeked out. 

For Sale:  Lemon Poppyseed Bread, Orange Zucchini Bread, Pumpkin Bread, Banana Nut Bread, Cinnamon Rolls, Fudge, Good Morning Granola, Sweet Nuthin' Granola, and lots of jelly... zucchini jam, strawberry rhubarb jam, organic pear jam, organic grape jelly, raspberry jalapeno jelly, spicy pepper jelly, cantaloupe jam, and apple jelly.   No more produce.  12 dozen farm fresh eggs. 

Sold:  Lemon Poppy seed bread, Banana Nut bread, most of the orange zucchini bread, most of the pumpkin bread, all the cinnamon rolls, some of the fudge.  About 4-5 bags of granola (both kinds) and 7 jars of jam.   I also sold 8 dozen eggs. 

Sales total for me was $83.  I don't know what the girls sold (they had made the quick breads)

Just two more markets left of the season.  I hope I sell more jelly.  I have more than plenty for gifts right now.  My second daughter discovered the organic grape jelly was "just like" grape jelly.  Who knew???  And I even used some of grampa's concord grapes.   Doesn't it just boggle one's mind when they discover that making something homemade is actually good??  She even said she liked the texture better than store bought.  So if that doesn't sell... I'm ok... we can use up the grape jelly! 

Prices: 

Jam/Jelly - $4.00 for an 8 oz jar.  $5 if it is organic.

Eggs - $2.00 a dozen

Breads - most were $4 for a large loaf and $2 for a small loaf, some we sell cheaper at $3.50 a large loaf and $1.75 for small loaves... depends on the ingredients. 

Cinnamon Rolls - $3.50 for 4 large cinnamon pecan rolls with maple frosting

Granola sells for $4.00 for a 3 cup bag. 

Warmly, ~Melissa

Farmer's Market, Tuesday October 16th

Farmer's Market Report:  Tuesday October 16, 2007

Weather:  Cold and very windy.  Had layers on, but forgot my hat.  My ears were cold and my nose was running the entire time.  UGH!

Brought to sell:  Lemon Poppyseed bread, Pumpkin Bread, Orange Zucchini Bread, Banana Nut Bread, Apple Pie Slices, Fudge, Rice Krispie Bars, 12 dozen eggs, Good Morning Granola, Sweet Nuthin' Granola, and lots of jelly:  zucchini jam, cantaloupe jam, apple jelly, organic pear jam, spicy pepper jelly, raspberry jalapeno jelly. 

Sold:  6 packages of fudge, lemon poppy seed bread, all the apple pie slices, almost all the orange zucchini (story about that), some pumpkin bread, 2 rice krispy bars, some jelly and some granola.   Also sold 10 dozen eggs. 

Total sales:  $93.  I do not know what girls sold with their quick breads, fudge and rice krispy bars.

Story:  My daughter unpacked the orange zucchini bread and 25 minutes before it is time to go (and it is geting quite cold then) I start looking through boxes to start putting empty ones away.  I found 2 more small loaves of orange zucchini bread... and the girls had just polished the samples we brought to sell it since we thought it was ALL GONE!  They never did sell so late and cold into the market. 

Warmly, ~Melissa

NEW RULE!

Our new family rule had to be made.  We needed limits placed on how much the farmer's market infringed on our family life.   This week was our first week to follow through and we started letting customers know, so they can know when to expect us.  I had been tossing and turning with how to figure out how to make it work, but not feeling so overburdened.  So, that is how the new rule was born...

The rule is:  Farmer's Market on Tuesday... mandatory for some extra income.  But Friday... we will ONLY go to market if the school is done!... if the house is clean! .... and we have stuff to sell...  NO BAKING on Friday for market... if there are leftovers from Tuesday, they will be sold at a discount... a couple pan cookies are allowed (stove top cooking), but that is it!  Friday will largely depend on jelly, granola, eggs and garden produce...all things that can be made/readied ahead of time.  

Last Friday was what broke my camel's back!  In getting ready for market, the house was a mess... my daughter's 18th birthday was the next day and I hadn't even had time to purchase a birthday meal, let alone look for a gift.  The day left me in tears and I realized that the market had WON.  The beast was more than we could bear.  While we enjoy the market... we love the interaction with the customers and the other vendors, it just has become too much for us.  I had thought of doing a Tues/Wed market rather than Tues/Fri... and maybe next year that will come.  Having two market days together and then a week to rest... would be so much simpler... but this spaced market is sure hard on managing baking needs for market and FAMILY needs at HOME.  I had been asking Dh if I could quit, but he saw the good that it has brought... the girls are confident... they are not scared to talk to others anymore, their math skills are very good, they have learned salesmanship, display techniques, and their time management is improving (even if it is still lacking, it is better than last year and he sees that if allowed to continue, improvement will continue to come).  He knows that I enjoy it.  He knows that I have frustrations as well.... but he is not sure "how" to fix those frustrations.  He has however decided that I should make some limitations and trial them to see if one might work.  Today was the first day that I had decided NOT to go (even though I had produce and had jelly and eggs), but rather to ready the house for Sabbath and take care of these free apples before they go to waste.   What good are free apples, if they are not used? 

My girls had learned the rule and knew the house was not in perfect order and didn't squabble about setting to picking up today.  They desired to go to market, but a simple no with a shrug of my shoulders looking about a toy strewn living room... and they understood.  The bathroom is clean and sparkling... the living room is clean and sparkling and then the girls set to work upon their own bedrooms... which look very nice, nicer than they have for some time.  They came down to help peel some apples without a grumble.  It was a nice day when things got accomplished, yet we weren't under stress from the market.  For once our priorities felt right.  Even if market is only a seasonal thing... once school started back up... Fridays just became too hectic.   I am hoping for the new routine to set a standard that will last all week long and keep us on our toes rather than slacking because something else seems too pressing or more important.  Making money isn't always the most important... sometimes having a restful home is worth more than money will every bring... (even if that money is helping to reduce the debt burden that we are carrying).   

Warmly,

Melissa

Farmer's Market: Friday August 10th.

It was a warm day.  We had a potluck to go to the next day, so I spent much of the time looking over everyone's things and figuring out what to buy for that.  I ended up making a summer stir-fry for the potluck. 

As for personal business... I sold 7 dozen eggs a couple granola and a couple jams and some zucchini.  We have another guy with organic goods coming and I think I've lost a few customers to him, he has alot of items!  It was his second day and he was discouraged, marking prices down quite dramatically and I said... business is slow.... for alot of us. 

We haven't figured it out, but there are several vendors feeling the pain of having "little business".  Are there too many vendors?  Is it the music guy?  There is someone playing guitar each Friday market and he sits just in front of our stand in the middle of the two rows of vendors, envision a long equal sign of vendors and he's in the middle or just slightly left and to the middle.  Right in front of US.  It makes talking to customers very hard as the music is louder near us... and I have a quiet voice.    We have had some difficulties with melding him to the group... he's sort of his own guy.... he just sets up where ever... last week he was in our vendor spot... this week he shows up early and is right in front of our spot (where he ended up last week)... but by the time I come in, it is hard to get into my spot of either of my side vendors are already there and him, too... with a big extended cab full sized truck, I can't squeeze into the space like a minivan might....  In getting ready to go, one of the vendors had accidentally rolled onto his extension cord, so he just leaves it... luckily the gal is our board president and an overall warm and friendly person and she just said she'd bring it back next week.  He just never said anything, just left in there.    His playing isn't wonderful.  He plays the same thing over and over and over... which for the customers isn't horrible, but it is driving all the vendors batty.  He needs music to play, so if it is windy, and his music doesn't stay put, it sounds like he is tuning his guitar over and over.  Ahhh, I am not meaning to pick, but alot of vendors are wondering if this is the cause of Friday's meltdowns... it's been two weeks of bad sales... he's been here about 5 Fridays, so since it is not majority of his time there... no one is saying anything.  it could be a fluke. 

I had sales in july around $160-190 each Friday.  This Friday, I had sales of $37.00, that was I think my lowest in sales I have ever had in all my market time, even my first year.  With it being hot, it was very discouraging.  I didn't wallow in it though, rather I enjoyed shopping from all the other vendors... well not all, but many.  I bought fresh dill for my pickles, I bought two different summer squashes that I have never tried.  I bought green peppers from my organic friend.  I bought jalapenos from another gal.  I bought a cantaloupe from someone.  I got carrot bars (I was hungry).  Chelsea got some cheese bread.  And I just talked and talked.  Business was very slow at my booth, so I went for alot of walks around the market. 

August was my busiest month last year.  So, I am a bit stumped at the slow business.  Oh well, at least the eggs are selling. 

Warmly,

~Melissa

Farmer's Market: Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Yesterday was market.  I was so tired, I just didn't get it typed up. 

I took to market farm fresh eggs,  granola (5 varieties), strawberry rhubarb jam, organic zucchini, organic yellow squash and organic cucumbers and some garden produce of grape tomatoes.  My daughters brought their baked goods along, not making as much since it was Tuesday. 

Weather was hot and humid.  Just sticky if you moved around, but a nice breeze if you sat still. 

Business was slow, typical for a Tuesday, but it is rather frustrating to watch the other side of the market be busy (we have two rows facing each other.  Baked goods on one side and produce on the other.  A few produce and baked goods mixed in on both sides, but the majority is as listed.)  We had two new vendors this day.  One selling raw honey.  The other was selling organic produce and had ALOT of produce.  He grows 2 acres of produce that is strictly organic.  He has paid the high certification fees as well.  I think he got alot of my business, but that is OK.  I'd rather he had a good first day. 

I brought home alot of yellow squash... I usually have none left over.  I sold all but one zucchini, half of my cucumbers, all my grape tomatoes.  I sold 4 jars of jam, and several bags of granola.  My total sales for today were $67.50 (better than last Friday), but still slower than previous Tuesdays.  However, I had been gone several Tuesdays in a row because of my daughters mission trip.  That always affects sales later on for some reason.  I did also sell 3 dozen eggs.  My daughters only sold one loaf of lemon poppyseed bread.  Only one daughter came along, but they were pretty disgusted.  The salvation Army were having a bake sale and that may have lowered bake sales... people like to support these community booths and their fundraisers... that ultimately brings us lower sales... the market is trying to determine whether to allow sales of baked goods or items that we normally sell at market at the community booth... so it doesn't affect vendor sales.  It is hard to take a day of baking all morning and the evening before and have ONE LOAF sell because people wanted to support that fundraiser.  We as vendors don't have that community booth schedule (even if we did, we wouldn't always know if they are having a bake sale).  Besides, it really hurts to bake all that stuff and not sell it and then where do you go with it?  It goes in our freezer, I guess, but we sure would have rather had the sales. 

Well, I need to get started on chopping peppers.  I hope to get some pepper jelly made today.  I was going to experiment with a batch doing a hotter pepper, but I didn't find any nice fresh ones... all were wilty.  I hate using wilty produce in jelly, so I opted to wait.  I promised a gal that we will have jelly on Friday... I've been quite low, so I better get going on making jelly today and tomorrow! 

Warmly, ~Melissa

Friday, August 3rd Farmer's Market

Farmer's Market:  Friday August 3, 2007

Market was busy, but business was very slow.  Watermelon is in season, now and the people are flocking to the side with the fresh produce and us bakers are left behind.  A few sales for organic items from people who really look for that. 

We took to sell:  organic zucchini, organic yellow squash, organic cucumbers.  I had made alot of granola last week and had sold some of it, but not much.  I had strawberry rhubarb soft set jam.  The girls even sold light for their Friday.    Total sales: $58 for me (usually on fridays I make closer to $150).  $50 for the girls.  (they usually do around $100 on Fridays). 

Weather was warm, but not unbearable.   It was a damp morning, drizzling before market, but market was fine. 

Warmly,

Melissa

July 31st Farmer's Market

It was a warm day, around 85 degrees. 

The girls helped me set up, but then they took off walking for Grandma's house to share about Kate's mission trip.  So, I had the booth alone.   I only set up one canopy, but 3 tables.

I had for sale:  14 dozen eggs, 7 dozen ears of corn (the last of our sale corn), zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers, sugar cookies, fudge, granola, some soft set jam (it didn't set up as hard as I like, but is good sauce), and some wheat bread. 

I sold 9 dozen eggs.  I put on sale for $1.50 a dozen for that day only.  I usually sell for $2 a dozen.  I told people that if they purchased from the farm, it was $1.50 a dozen, but $2 at market for me bringing them to town.  I was hoping to get word out, so that someone will be buying eggs this fall/winter when the hens are still laying and I am not at market. 

I sold all but one of each of the zucchini and yellow squash... funny but NO ONE will buy that last item, it seems unless they really need it!   I didn't sell any cucumbers, even though several commented on them.  The corn all sold... the last dozen sold at 6:05 as we were taking down our booth. 

In the baked goods, the girls sold $12 worth of fudge and cookies.  I sold 4 packs of granola and 4 saucy jellies.  I sold the large loaves of wheat bread, but came home with two little ones... which was fine... I didn't intend to sell any wheat bread... I just made it the day before and didn't have much for the table, so took it with me.  I guess I need to make more bread for the "family" again! 

Last Friday, I gave away some quick breads from my freezer becauseI had to make room for corn and chickens.  They were from previous sales that didn't sell.  I just had way too many and we weren't eating them up in good time.   It seems this happens from time to time with people.  Around the 4th of July, we were given some baked goods from a guy who said his bakery would be closed over the 4th and stuff would just get thrown, so he gave each person two big bags of baked goods (this guys sets up like 8-10 tables of food each market).   And at this market... We got some free cantaloupe from one of the market vendors.  Sometimes they are mushy... cuz they were at the bottom of the box... but not yesterday... they were quite good.  We had one for supper. 

Warmly, ~Melissa

Friday July 27 Farmer's Market...

Today the market had a corn festival.  It is a fun day and a busy day. 

We, however, arrived late.. forgetting that we did RAGBRAI and all our market belongings were scattered throughout the house, garage and mudroom.  Racing at 2:15 pm to get it all into the truck... we left late to arrive at market just as it was beginning.   (this isn't the first time it has happened much to my frustration, but having a baby/toddler along some days hasn't always been easy.... Today there was really no excuse... I could blame the fact that my nephew was at our home... so I was hospitable and worked slower than normal). 

On festival days we must have a special for market members.  Our market encourages attendees to support the market with ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIPS.  These memberships have perks... specials on festival days, coupons for purchases at the market, ability to sit in on market meetings and give thoughts, etc.   Our special for the sweet corn festival was our Peanut Butter Granola for $3 instead of $4. 

With arriving late and having my nephew along, unpacking was chaotic.  We got set up about 10 minutes late for the girl's booth.  Mine was real slow in getting completely set up.  I'd put out a vegetable and I'd have questions by customers and then I could finally get to another vegetable to set out on the table.  Since it had rained until mid morning... I was late picking and the produce was dirty.  I apologized, but no one minded.  Makes me think I could skip washing most all days the way everyone was so understanding.  LOL.   No, I probably won't... but it was nice to know if I was rushed it wasn't THAT big of a deal to most people. 

One of the first people to talk to me at the market wanted some jelly.  I haven't had time to make jelly since around the 4th of July... And I was out.  I had to apologize and tell her that I would try to get some made in the next week or two... Probably after Kate gets home from her mission trip.  She was a bit disappointed, but said she would be back in 2 weeks... holding me to it.  LOL.  My granola is also running low as well, so that will need to be made again, soon, too. 

Our eggs used to be big sellers.... selling out most every market... but now, another gal is bringing her eggs... and we have to share the sales.   I am thinking that if I can just come on Tuesdays doing what veggies I have left and eggs... maybe I will have to do that.  This other gal does not come on Tuesdays... so my eggs would be the only eggs at that market.  The girls just don't like to bake twice a week.... And Tuesday is a real slow day for baked goods.  

Trying to figure it all out... it is a job.  We teeter back and forth.  I said this year would be our last, but dh and I were talking and he thought it was good for the girls and we sort of decided that maybe just one market a week we could handle.    The girls again inquired about next year and Dh said... just Fridays... He's worried about all these egg layers we have!  I'd like to make a sign to post by our drive.  It sure would be easier to have people come to me instead of me dragging all the stuff to market.  Dh thinks it is silly to put a farm fresh eggs for sale sign on our lane as our road is not a through road and he thinks that NO ONE will see it.  I don't agree... I think word of mouth will get around if we had a sign up.  

I also have been tossing around in my head the thought of a vegetable stand in our small town... thinking that maybe it would get people to head to the farm..???   Another thought... if we grew sweet corn on 3-4 acres... would that be enough to fund college?   Would we make more on selling corn than our sheep?   This is something we are trying to currently investigate.  Ah, no real decisions here... just brainstorming.  Trying to find that something that works and that doesn't stress school, nor home life, nor the kitchen sink!  LOL.   We currently loathe the dishes that all our baking accumulates for us! 

Well, market today was a fair day.  I sold around $94 in sales, which was mostly vegetables... and many of those were large green beans...good for pickling, but not much else.  (Oh some people eat them, but not our family... they hate the strings the larger beans have on them.)  $24 was from the EBT machine.  $20 was from the nutrition program checks.  Sold a few granola, 3 dozen eggs, lots of green beans,  some sweet corn, zucchini and yellow squash, a few beets, and half of my cucumbers... all of it being organic.  The people did NOT like the white sweet corn.  We planted Sugar Pearl Sweet Corn, which is really sweet... we actually find it sweeter than the bicolor that we planted... but many turned their noses up and said... I like the bi-color better.  I like the variety because there were hardly any bugs on these ears of corn... no silk worms at all.... really really nice as that is my shiver down my spine when I find a big worm in the middle of my cob.... But our bi-colors didn't fare as well... all are infested with picnic beetles at the top and a few silk worms as well. 

The girls' booth fared well.  Chelsea and Megan stepped up and made more than normal to compensate for Kate's absence.   I have no idea what they made.  Kate does their accounting and has her own method of figuring it all out... so the girls are patiently waiting for their sister to return home so they can get paid!  LOL   Kate's famous Lemon Poppyseed bread sold out... thanks to Chelsea making it today.  They sold 3 out of 4 cinnamon roll packs, 4 of 6 rice Krispie bars, over half the fudge, but NO Banana bread with nuts sold today... last week it all sold (you can never tell what is going to sell from day to day!)  And the sugar cookies didn't sell very well... and that is usually our biggest seller... *sigh*   Overall a good day.  Banana bread went into the freezer and Dad will eat the rice krispie bars (his favorite treat).  The cinnamon rolls will get eaten for breakfast tomorrow.  The fudge and cookies will actually keep for one more market sale... if we decide to go next Tuesday.  We will just have to see. 

Warmly, ~Melissa

Ok, that's all of the market news for this week. 

Farmer's Market...

Well, our season is going well.  However, with the heat, I am slowly tiring of the routine.  We have good days and bad days, all depending on the weather.  If it is hot... not alot of business.  If it is windy, we may not be able to use our canopy and then our baked goods get all moist and wet on the inside of the packaging, which then makes sales real low.  

I had decided a couple weeks ago to concentrate on the garden, canning and granola and let the girls do the baking for their own booth.  But even that has it's trials.  My girls are great bakers, yet their age causes some hesitation from the customers, now seeing the products on their table and not mine. 

I've also had some trials with the jelly.  I've had 4 batches totally not set up... and I am pretty sure it is a problem with the pectin and not my technique.  As when I use powdered pectin, it turns out fine.  I also am finding that one recipe that I use was one that didn't require a water bath, but market wants us to waterbath, so I do... and the jars that did not completely fill, set up within minutes, but the waterbath jars turn to a sauce/syrup state.   It is very frustrating to know that I spent two entire afternoons in very hot heat picking strawberries to make the strawberry rhubarb jam and now I have sauce!  Which for home... we find it will gel in the fridge, even though it is a soft set jam.  But I cannot sell soupy jam at the market.  That has only added to my frustration this year. 

And the heat is so hot this year.  I've gotten sick twice sitting out at market on 90 plus degree days.  And the little one hardly tolerates the hot pavement as well.  I've decided for our health, no more market on 85 plus degree days.  Plus, we don't have air conditioning at home, so baking makes the house just miserable!  

My garden is slow going, but the produce is ready earlier than ever.  My peas lasted only a short week...before getting bitter.  The heat is just too much.  And no rain, I am out watering twice a day.  I sit and think, if I truly charged the cost for the time it takes me to tend the lettuce, the radishes, the onions, the tomatoes, the beans, etc... they people at market would never buy from me.  OK, I know it's just a bad year for the garden and I'm more than willing to do it for my family... but to work my fanny off all day long and go to market and it be hot and make a measley $36 really just makes your day go downhill.  Not to mention, now I have 7 heads of lettuce PICKED and we just can't possibly eat that much lettuce if it doesn't sell.  I often cut prices at the end of market to just sell it, cuz I know it won't get eaten at home... although, I changed my mind on that... I decided my chickens can eat it!   

And people's ubsurd complaints of the prices.  I have my lettuce marked at $1 a head.  And it is ORGANIC lettuce.  One gal states, your lettuce tastes great.. but you charge soooo much, I just can't buy anymore... Um, excuse me but a head of lettuce in the store is running $1.50 and it's NOT ORGANIC!  

I've decided that I will finish this year sporadically, since I already paid my fee for the year.  I will go when I have produce.  I will go when the weather is nice.  I will go when nothing else is pressing.  But no longer will I let this stress me out.  No longer will I push home commitments aside because of the coming market and feeling I need to make more jelly!   No longer will I feel guilty that I did not get granola made because of the 90 degree heat, or the muggy rainy weather (where-ever did that go?).  

Next week we are having a garage sale for my daughter's mission trip.  I'm not going to market!  Ha!  I'm going to clean out my house and get rid of it at the sale and not worry about anything else.  Then I will do shopping with my daughter and head her off to her mission trip in the coming week after that.  Market will just have to wait.  

I talked with Dh about the decision and he is quite pleased.  He understands I like the interaction with the people there; the other vendors and the customers... but the other stuff, just isn't worth the hassle.  I will just have to become a regular customer... setting my shopping date on farmer's market days.  Maybe I'll make a point to shop on rainy days, windy days, and really hot days and bring a little sunshine to those vendors that work so hard EVERY day of market and not just the nice weather days.  

I also reevaluated my own ability to be frugal during market... and I'll admit, I'd save more money than I make if I could just have the time to worry about "My garden" and "my canning".  If I could shop at the garage sales and find some bargains.  If I could have time to shop by sales once in a while.  If I could have time to sort through the coupons sitting on my shelf.  

Dh said I should go back to nursing if I really want to work... and it wasn't really that.  It was being able to bring in some money so my kids could go on mission trips, have music lessons, go to college ....AND I could do this WITH my kids, not send them off to daycare or have them home watching the baby alone, or being away from home for hours/days on end (which happened when I worked as a nurse).  But God is showing me that this ISN'T working, either.  I'll admit we have some good sale days of nearly $200 a day.  And when we have leftovers... they are a tax write off and I freeze the quick breads for winter, for gifts, etc.  And in that way, I am not making money, but not losing money either.  But the frustration, the time crunch, the hot house, the never having enough time to do more than market duties... it just is too much in addition to our already full household duties.   The house isn't calm, MOM isn't calm.  Both Dh and I agree that the stress, the fretting, the busyness is just not worth what it takes away from the family. 

So, back to penny pinching and making home cheerful.  God will find a way to provide for these extras that we deem so important.  The mission trip is almost completely paid for by donations.  The extra we have put into it has been from sales from the market... BUT, with some wise spending, it would be easy to make up most of that anyways.  God really does provide... it's just hard to see since it's not in dollar bills landing on our doorstep once a week. 

Well, alas, I've learned another lesson.  Even though market is going better this year and our sales are better, the stress is still there.  And often times that stress affects other things... our decision making (being able to put together meals when you are busy with jelly), getting grocery shopping done efficiently, when you are worried about forgetting the vanilla we ran out of for market and making yet another trip to town (more gas money spent).  It  also affects our free time and mom's sanity.  As a homeschooling mom, it cuts into my spring and fall school days as well. 

Now, I know I sound negative.  I really am not.  I am grateful for the experiences and for the things my girls have learned.  I just feel that there is a way that is better for our family in reaching the goals that we need to reach.   This summer will have it's fill that is for sure.  Doing what is good for the family and also filling in the extra time with farmer's market.  

As the sun went down, I gave the sheep some water and then put the sprinkler out for a late night drink for the garden.  I quickly just checked on the progress of our yellow squash, zucchini, and green beans.  The green beans were ready to be picked... that is 2 weeks earlier than to be expected by the packet dates.  Tomorrow is to be 96 degrees, Dh says.  I'll need to pick early in the morning and plan to can the beans early Monday morning... My sister is having a barbecue for my nephew's birthday, so I won't be able to can tomorrow.  I saw a couple large yellow squash and the zucchini I could not see in the darkness.  Time just doesn't slow down.  Priorities always need to be made.  I'm going to be working on making "better priorities", ones that benefit the family and ones that hopefully bring glory to God.

Warmly, ~Melissa

Yesterday's Market...

Yesterday was a day I would have rather skipped.  LOL. 

We went to Farmer's Market and it was windy.  So windy we did not put the canopy up.  So windy we had trouble keeping cookies on the table.  So windy we had to tie knots in our tablecloth to keep it on.  I'm glad I put my hair up in a bun yesterday! 

Sales were slow.  Half of our vendors did not come because of the wind and possibility of rain.  So, when there are less vendors... less people stop by.  However, I did sell $53 worth of stuff yesterday... so that was $53 I didn't have before.  I had to go grocery shopping and I needed the cash to stock up on goods for the market.  I just hate shopping everytime I go into town cuz we're out of something for the market... Need more jars, more pectin, more lemon extract, more flour, etc. 

This year I brought a metal shelf from the basement up and decided to stock up on market staples.  I can see what a tremendous help it will be and it will reduce time shopping as well.  I have 10 (5 pound) bags of sugar (same price as the 25 pound bag... and frankly the 5 pounders are easier to handle!) 10 (5 pound) bags of flour, 12 bags of powdered sugar, 12 bags of brown sugar, a box of marshmallows, a shelf of rice krispies and cheerios for our cereal bars... and so on.  I can see at a glance when I am getting low and I'll be able to pick up the next case of whatever it is. 

Anyways the worst part of the market was suddenly seeing dark clouds and I called my dh to ask if it was going to rain on the radar and he said... there's nothing on the radar... so we "hoped" that these clouds would blow over.  Well, it hit all us vendors just like that... no sooner had I hung up than we were getting poured on... no warning.  Someone's canopy collapsed and another vendor was able to fix it enough to get it closed up, but it will need repairs.  All of our stuff got soaked.  We just packed up and went home.  The bread was fine, in the plastic sacks... but no one would want to buy a soggy bag of bread.  We realized that and did our shopping and went home.  Some of my jelly jar labels came off, so I'll need to relabel them as well.  We were lucky however... we lost some paper signs... but not a big loss... we had intended to make nicer signs as the season went along.  When something is new... we do paper... if we decide to put it into the rotation, then we laminate the sign. 

Other vendors because of the quick pressure change, lost alot of food.  Covers were popping off the plastic containers and the rolls and cookies were getting sopped.  My kids ran to help the vendors that had more problems... we just let our stuff sit in the rain until the wind passed... it was still raining while we packed up... we were drenched... completely soaked.  The other vendors laughed that we were all swimming together.  One gal who had come to the aid of the ones who's tent collapsed realized afterwards her car windows were down.  But she laughed. 

Oh well, that's what market is for... making memories.  I think we found the best thing about market last year were the friendships that were made.   We've got a good start this year, again... a nice crew of vendors... very friendly and kind hearted people. 

Warmly, Melissa