Farmers Market Report for Sept 27 2012

11 years ago

After a couple of weeks off due to weather and my broken canopy, I finally was able to be at the FM again. Replacement parts for the canopy arrived and I was pretty proud of my handy work and had the canopy fixed.

At least, so I thought. As I was attempting to set it up another part broke. I knew it was bent and was trying to be careful. After a few &%$#*)(%$!!# words I gave up and just set up without it. I almost went home to do the girly thing and have a good cry. But then I thought about the time I had spent baking and how I would be overly tempted to eat way too much of it. So I put my big girl panties on and stayed.

I was a little late in setting up so I just took a couple of pics and then it got busy.

As you can see our colors are starting to change.

I changed my goodies too. I had Apple Pie Bread, Pumpkin Coffeecake, Caramel Rice Krispie Treats and Apple Cinnamon Rolls, along with my jams. The weather was beautiful and sales were much better than I expected. Apple Pie Bread sold out as did the Apple cinnamon Rolls. I only brought home a couple of the Rice Krispie Treats and one Pumpkin Coffeecake. The Apple Cinnamon Rolls were the big winner.

I had one customer go on and on about the flavor of the cinnamon and he wanted to know what kind it was. When I told him it was Vietnamese Cinnamon from Penzeys he said, "I knew it wasn't grocery store stuff, it smells wonderful."

I had told another customer that the apples were from Kings Orchard (a local place) and had just gone to the farm on Monday to pick them up. He asked, "Really?" and I said yes and that they were Cortlands and that Kings had a booth down at the end of the row. He smiled, bought a couple of rolls and then told me he was from Kings and we chatted a bit more. He owns the orchard and told me that they had just started picking Northern Spys, my favorite variety.

Time to go buy more apples!

I'm going to make another attempt at fixing the canopy again this afternoon. The weather looks pretty good for this week so I'm planning on going Thursday, with or without the canopy. I guess people like my stuff, I had several ask if I would be back this week. All I could say was, "Yes, weather permitting".

Nancy

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (12)

mustangs81
11 years ago
I applaud your persistence!

"I knew it wasn't grocery store stuff, it smells wonderful." How perceptive, my DH doesn't know cinnamon from...well, just about anything.

That's nice that you made a friend with the apple guy. I hope it works in you favor.
lpinkmountain
11 years ago
We had one of those style canopies at the place where I worked. Our experience was that they just don't hold up to winds. We fixed and fixed it and finally scrapped it.
Related Discussions
Further report on winter peach damage
Q
Comments (68)
I only have 2nd leaf peach trees, and it looks like any possible fruit buds were killed. Not a big deal as I was going to remove all but one or two fruit anyway. One that might have fruit is Indian Free, which is ironic since it needs a pollinator. It's possible my nectaplum has viable buds, and could pollinate. If that happens, I'm keeping the seeds, And Indian Nectaplum sounds like a cool tree! Both trees are starting to show some bud growth. My other peaches are leafing out. Which concerns me in the future. I may need a late blooming peach to pollinate Indian Free. A strange year, so hard to tell, young plants too, so time of blooming may adjust as they figure out the local climate. I have seen that with other plants. My cherries are at my cottage and I have no idea as ferry services are late due to lake ice. I have not been up there yet. During the last 10 years I would have the place open and running by now! I'm going Thursday to connect the water, and other opening procedures.
...See More
Apple Report 2013
Q
Comments (45)
I didn't get too many apples this year but heres a report on a few. I over-crammed varieties, I have rows with about a foot per variety. Don't do dat! I'm growing too much wood and not enough apple. Akane - Its getting spot rot as usual, this guy I don't have time to deal with. It also is unproductive in my climate. Its an excellent tasting apple but time to go. Cherryville Black - This is an excellent early apple but squirrels got all the ripe ones this year. Pitmaston Pineapple - Excellent! Flesh is a bit on the dry side but not too bad. Flavor is great. Now I remember why I consider it the best yellow school apple, it beats out Roxbury, Orleans, Cloche, Clochard, etc. If it were bigger everyone would be growing it. Blenheim Orange - This is a great eating apple not just a great cooker. Quality varied in terms of amount of flavor but most were good. Tree has been extremely reliable and productive. Pomme Raisin - Decent but nothing special, an average tart cooking type apple. A member of the McIntosh school. Remove. Sierra Beauty - One fruit and it was heavily water cored and bland. seems not worth the space; remove. Burford also not positive on this one in VA. My Jewel - Very average. Another bust on California apple varieties in my climate. Tumanga - Early ones are very good, somewhat in the Newtown school. They should age well I expect. Ribston - excellent taste; had heavy watercore this year. Also rot damage. Probably time to remove this variety, it tastes great but is not up to the heat. Rubinette - This apple continues to rise in my eyes, it knocks your socks off with flavor. Any other apple is bland in comparison. Probably in my top three now, and may go higher. Bonne Hotture - They have an interesting, unusual, rich flavor. Reinette du Mans - Sort of similar to Blenheim, likely triploid large apple with that creamy taste. Quite sweet and not sour so potential as a sweet for cider. Goes mealy fast. Wickson - Hornets really took care of them. These guys are more like grapes in terms of sweet/sour: lots of both. Great for cider and probably good for other uses; not really for fresh eating, they split and look ugly. Hubbardston Nonesuch - similar to Abbondanza, even has similar pink color and striping. A very good apple with a mild aromatic flavor. Low on sugar though. Myers Royal Limbertwig - the usual stuff, a classic American apple type with a more interesting flavor than the other classic red American apples. Fair amount of stinkbugs. Super reliable every year with a large crop; sizes unevenly which limits commercial potential. GoldRush - Few apples this year due to overbearing last year. Excellent as usual.
...See More
Huge Garlic Festival in NY Sept 26-27
Q
Comments (3)
We go every year. Trying the garlic ice cream is obligatory ONCE. Decide for yourself if you like it enough to repeat the experience. The festival is my favorite source of different varieties of garlic for my garden and local honey. This year we're taking the grandchildren. I'm sure we'll be visiting different booths than in the past--like the one with face painting and balloon animals. Even though it does attract so many visitors, I've never felt crowded as it's spread out on so much land. I heartily recommend the festival as a fun day, usually on a beautiful fall afternoon.
...See More
Problem finding market
Q
Comments (47)
Thanks - larger market wanted money and insurance certificate with application, I emailed them asking if they would hold my check until they guaranteed the space (since this is nonprofit run by volunteers I wanted to make sure 1 person didn't cash the check while another collected names & decided who to give space to!). Also asked if I could wait and have certificate sent to them after I was approved since it will cost me $50 to get certificate. I hope this didn't come across too much as PITA, but they also wanted "specific items to be sold" - so I started typing out a list of all my seeds for them, said in email "Some are guaranteed spots in the beds, but others I am not sure would be good sellers based on sales at X market last year, though they might be in yours. If you have any "must haves" please indicate those in your reply and I will be sure to plant those. Of course, I cannot guarantee that everything I plant will make it to market due to weather, pests, or disease losses." I also found last year that I didn't quite have enough of some things to support 2 markets, but I had enough of others (esp. tomatoes) to sell wholesale and to sell to people at DH's work, either the next day (leftovers) or midweek (with 3-4 days to go til next market!). So online orders, in addition to the Thurs/Fri deliveries at work and weekend farmstand, might work out well with a Wed night market. Last year was tough with Fri AM orders going to work and Fri night market. Of course I can do "preorders" to deliver at market too, that might work out esp. well with things in short supply, or eggs that need to be kept cool (if they pick up at the beginning of market). Oh, I just got email from town Ag commission - they're updating the farm map and want $25 to add (or keep) a farm, to go towards printing costs. I don't think I can get on the online map without being on print, though I MAY be able to get listed on website without being on the map (they haven't updated the listings yet). Think it's worth it since I'm on the outskirts of town? They'd have to redraw the map since they don't go far enough west to show the main road that I have frontage on (in another town). I don't want them to add a circle with a vague location on my "official" address where I don't have frontage. Everyone would get confused like the tax assessor did when they came out to see the house after we built!
...See More
centralcacyclist
11 years ago
I love your fresh white table drapes. Your table is so inviting. Sounds like you have a new regular customer!

I am in the mood for fall and apples and cinnamon. However the heat persists here. It's supposed to be 100 today. Ugh. But we often go from summer straight to wet, cold winter with nothing much in between.

Eileen

Here is a link that might be useful: Bet you know this stuff already.
arabellamiller
11 years ago
Nancy, those pictures just get better and better. What a beautiful setting.

I just did a fun Cooking Corps project with a group of special needs kids that was chopped apples topped with a mixture of oats, maple syrup and cinnamon. The smell was heavenly!

AM
annie1992
11 years ago
Nancy, it sounds delicious and how funny that the guy who owns the orchard found your place. Hopefully your good advertising for him will be a business benefit...

Sucks about the canopy, though. I hope the weather holds for you for a while. It's supposed to be in the 50s and rain here by next weekend, for which I'm grateful, but I'm not doing the farmer's market.

I also love the Penzey's cinnamon. My ex-secretary once asked me the difference between the stuff from the Dollar Store and my Penzey's. I had to go buy some at the Dollar store and I took it to the office. One sniff of each and she was convinced!

How is the jam selling, BTW?

Annie
wizardnm
Original Author
11 years ago
I can't fix the canopy without a whole new side piece so I am going this week without it. There is no FM next week because the park will be setting up for Applefest which runs through the weekend. I'll go to Applefest and try to take some pic's. It's pretty neat. Then there are only two more outside markets until we move inside.

Eileen, I do have canopy stakes but they didn't hold. Other canopies blew that had weights..it's hard to be in the open area but there is only so much room up on the side walk and produce gets those spots usually. Plus there are those who have done the FM for years and I'm new.

I have a friend who is in the tent rental business, if I do the FM next year, when it's outside, I'll get advice and a new canopy.

Annie, jam has been selling, but slowly. I'll see what happens over the winter. There is more booths with jam than there are with the type of baked goods I do.

Nancy
centralcacyclist
11 years ago
Maybe a selection of lower sugar jams and fruit butters with little added sugar would find a market. I think people are sugar wary these days.

Baked goods are lovely. I can always justify some yummy carb but not so much jams and jellies.

E
Gina_W
11 years ago
I'm so glad your FM stint is going so well. And outdoors in that lovely setting - how lucky you are!
westsider40
11 years ago
Nancy, your story this week is lovely, except for the canopy, of course. You definitely have the right attitude, girl. Your baked goods sound delish. I can even smell them!
jessyf
11 years ago
Temps in the 50s? Please send it here, it has been brutal since August. Even the weather in your picture looks better than ours, LOL. I know, come February the tables will be turned.

Glad you are so successful!
lakemayor
11 years ago
Nancy, Aside from the canopy, it sounds like you have had successful summer and fall. Everything you make sounds so yummy. I think the apple cinnamon rolls would be so appealng this time of the year. Anything cinnamon and apple just screams FALL.

Please keep your FM updates coming I enjoy them so much.

Karen
User
11 years ago
Nancy, looks like a perfect Michigan fall day. Glad you are still doing the FM.

Ann

Farmers Market Report for Sept 27 2012

Comments (12)

mustangs81

lpinkmountain

Related Discussions

centralcacyclist

arabellamiller

annie1992

wizardnm
Original Author

centralcacyclist

Gina_W

westsider40

jessyf

lakemayor

User

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Farmers Market Report for Sept 27 2012

Comments (12)

Related Discussions

wizardnmOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

wizardnm
Original Author