Good morning!
Happy 4th of July to my American readers! I hope you are having a wonderful long weekend!!
I fully intended to post last night, however good intentions don’t always translate into actions! By the time Eric and I got back from the market, unpacked, cleaned up, had lunch it was 6pm and then we got a last minute invitation to go to a friend’s place for the night. But I am now here, rested up, and I have the Oakville Organic Farmer’s Market #3 recap!
The weather was finally sunny and hot, hot, hot! We were all hot and sticky before the market even started! I think between Eric, Karly, and I we must have drank a gallon of water.
![IMG_1228 IMG_1228](/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IMG_1228.jpg)
Notice anything different here?
![IMG_1221 IMG_1221](/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IMG_1221.jpg)
That would be a new canopy tent from Costco! Our other tent broke last Saturday after we got home from the market. We left it outside to dry out and the next day we went outside and it was in a heap on the driveway and poles were bent every which way. The rain had pooled on top and was just too much for the tent to take I guess. Mark my words, I will never buy a cheap tent again!
We headed to Costco and picked up the Ferrari of canopy tents! It is excellent quality, looks beautiful, and comes with 4 rain walls should we need them. Other vendors also commented that our tent felt cooler than other tents yesterday!
Empower is also hot, hot, hot.
![IMG_1216 IMG_1216](/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IMG_1216.jpg)
For week #3 I sampled two new flavours in addition to our weekly Empower and Liberate samples- Classic and Present. Both flavours were a hit!
Present almost sold out!
GLO DOUGH!
![IMG_1212 IMG_1212](/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IMG_1212.jpg)
I made a full tray this week and we sold every single one of them! I need to keep making more and more. I didn’t make chocolate macaroons this week because I ran out of my organic maple syrup.
They went fast!
![IMG_1227 IMG_1227](/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IMG_1227.jpg)
Friday night I also made 10 Cherry, Banana, Coconut Butter Mini Loaves to sell at the market, but sadly I over-cooked them and they were too dry!
![IMG_1167 IMG_1167](/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IMG_1167.jpg)
I froze the leftovers and I think Eric is going to take them to work this week. Next time, I will have to be careful not to overcook this bread. It was much better slightly undercooked than overcooked so please disregard my comments about it needing to cook longer….
We put out lots of mini Canadian flags for Canada Day weekend. Aren’t we festive!?
![IMG_1230 IMG_1230](/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IMG_1230.jpg)
Some lovely blog readers came to visit me, including:
Daniela (left)…who has a connection to OSGMOM! Daniela was the winning bidder on OSGMOM”s purse that was up for auction in Shop 4 A Cause 2!! She is wearing the purse in the photo and she just loves the purse!
I also met another Angela (right) from Eat, Spin, Run, Repeat!
Week 3 was our best-selling week yet at the market. Empower continues to be our best-seller which is no surprise because it has always been a best-seller and we are also sampling it every week. Basically whatever we sample sells really well! The only flavour I don’t sample is Adore (s’more with homemade graham crackers) because that bar sells itself!
Our only complaint again about the market is that it starts late and finishes late (9:30am-2pm). At noon, it literally DIES off. I don’t even need to look at my watch because I know when it is noon because there are literally no people in sight.
Ninety-five percent of our sales occur between 9am-11am. I suspect everyone goes home to eat their garlic scapes at noon! I think that the market hours should be from 8am- 12:30. It is a bit frustrating standing there and not having any people walk by because I know we could be selling out every single bar if the market had more traffic. We also aren’t allowed to pack up early, so we basically just stand around and pass the last 2 hours with few customers. I think I might speak to the market director to see what her thoughts are about it…
![IMG_1235 IMG_1235](/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IMG_1235.jpg)
I also did my ‘grocery shopping’ for the week!!!
I went back to the Baba-Link Organic Farm where I bought my Purslane last week. Pat is such a sweetheart! We have long talks about strange greens and Gooseberries.
![IMG_1236 IMG_1236](/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IMG_1236.jpg)
Rainbow Chard…
Red kale and mixed greens…
Sugar peas…
![IMG_1251 IMG_1251](/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IMG_1251.jpg)
Snow peas…
And some red!
![IMG_1256 IMG_1256](/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IMG_1256.jpg)
I also went over to chat with Bob from The Fresh Veggies and I told him I had no idea what I bought last week! :lol: I think he was quite amused.
Those of you who guessed Fenugreek were correct!!! I guess I thought they said FENNEL but it was actually Fenugreek! Now I need to figure out how to eat it….
When Eric and I got home we both cracked open our favourite beer by Mill Street, Original Organic.
Sluuuurrrrrp! It felt so good on a hot day.
Then I made lunch featuring rainbow chard!
![IMG_1261 IMG_1261](/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IMG_1261.jpg)
Despite how beautiful chard is, I have never been big on the flavour (or smell!). I figured I would give it another try to see if I could learn to appreciate it.
![IMG_1259 IMG_1259](/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IMG_1259.jpg)
Into the skillet went chard, sweet potato, tomatoes, garlic scapes, green onion, sunflower oil, seasonings, sea salt, curry, etc.
When I cooked the chard I was reminded at how much I detest the smell of chard! Ewwwww.
I sprinkled it with my seedy glo dough crackers…
![IMG_1273 IMG_1273](/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IMG_1273.jpg)
It looked beautiful!
![IMG_1277 IMG_1277](/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IMG_1277.jpg)
However, sadly I had to choke this down. I am still not a fan of chard. It is so strange because I will literally eat ANY GREEN, but chard just doesn’t jive with me.
Luckily I had lots of spices and sea salt on it though so they helped mask the taste!
More energy later on…
![IMG_1289 IMG_1289](/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IMG_1289.jpg)
Look what else I bought!
Yes that would be a delicious basil plant!
Sadly, the one I trans-planted did not make it (I should have left more stem on it and I clipped it too low!). I bought this basil plant from Clover Roads Organic Farm.
I told the farmers that it was likely I could kill their dear basil plant and they still trusted me and gave me a pep talk. Thanks Inge and John! I told them I will bring them a progress picture when it grows….gulp!! I dream of it growing so big that I will be eating copious amounts of basil on my sandwich every day just to keep up.
You can see the hope in my eyes! (I also think you can see the basil plant quivering with fear…)
![IMG_1308 IMG_1308](/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IMG_1308.jpg)
I shall sing to it every day. I need a name for it though…
![IMG_1361 IMG_1361](/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IMG_1361.jpg)
![IMG_1359 IMG_1359](/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IMG_1359.jpg)
![IMG_1369 IMG_1369](/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IMG_1369.jpg)
Thanks to Karly for the beautiful hanging flowers she gave me for my birthday last month! I am happy to say I did not kill them!
![IMG_1357 IMG_1357](/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IMG_1357.jpg)
Today’s question: Are there any greens you refuse to eat and just can’t like the taste no matter how much you try them?
I’m off to bake an order and then Eric and I are off to the beach for an open-water swim. We have totally been slacking in the swim department, so hopefully it goes well. Have a great day!