They Find Me

I suppose I should be flattered, 😄 but it never ceases to amaze me how my past customers still find me!

Last October, at the end of our season, I gave my notice and retired as market manager of our local farmers market after eighteen years. It was a hard choice for me, and surely a huge adjustment to my ‘norm’.

But I have a gazillion interests, and never had the time to peruse them as I would have liked all those years as well. And while I loved the market, the comraderie of the vendors old and new.. I found myself this season missing my faithful customers the most. Oh, I still have my wholesale accounts that keeps me hopping, but the individual sale and long term friendships developed over such a length of time is hard to mistake, once they are omitted from the overall equation.

But then Friday evening I received a call from one of my old ‘regulars‘ that was up here on his vacation telling me he had been on the hunt for me for months, until he visited another local market I use to also vend at, and inquired about me. The convo with him was so much fun for me.. and after a period of time of his groveling and begging me LOL, I finally agreed to fill an order for him. With the season soon drawing to an end, he figured he’d cover himself and ordered many jars.. ‘ just in case’. 😂 I had to laugh out loud.. thinking to myself ‘ just in case’ of what?! In the end, I caved and agreed to fill his order for him with strict instructions to not dare spread the word! LOL He then promised it would be our little secret.

One of my best sellers at market were my ©️Wicked Good Pickles, aptly named by my grandson, and my Blueberry Merlot Wine Jelly. I couldn’t bring enough cases weekly to market, I’d sell out so quickly… and return home with more orders to fill for the following week.

So, I wasn’t too surprised when Mr.G placed his order for a whole case of my pickles, and another case of the Merlot jelly as he was a huge follower for many years past. Kiddingly, I asked him if he was thinking of opening a store!! LOL I had planned to head north today again but instead decided to stay put to fill this order, as I don’t really care for loose ends.. It was the perfect day for canning here, too… cooler and much dryer. Tomorrow I’ll deliver the lot to him, and then hit the road to Boothbay Harbor for a few days of R&R. Yippee!!

But for tonight.. I’m off to an annual lobster bake on the beach to celebrate Labor Day. Yum!

Special order… for Mr. G

©️Wicked Good Pickles

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Rhubarb Solution

What to do with all this rhubarb?! With all this rain we’ve been seeing I have a plethora of yummy rhubarb in the garden. So this week I baked… and baked.. and baked. A lovely platter of blueberry rhubarb cardamom streusel bars for market, today a rhubarb chutney along with two rhubarb & mixed berry pies ~ dessert for tonight’s cookout, and one strawberry rhubarb bread for a friend. Then I made jars upon jars of my best selling Kennebunk ‘Port’ Wine Jelly for market this week and eighteen pounds went into my freezer for the rest of the season.  And yes, I’ll have more rhubarb potted up for sale again this Wednesday! 

And just think.. only a couple of more weeks until strawberry season! 😉 

Have a safe Memorial Day and while we all look forward to the official start of summer that Memorial Day brings, I hope you’ll pause during the festivities and join in remembering those that have sacrificed all, so that we may enjoy our freedoms. We owe them a great debt.

 

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Locally Grown

 

We’re so lucky to be able to get fresh, locally grown cranberries at Old Gray Beaver Bog…. Christmas Jam, Cranberry Merlot Jam, Cranberry Jalapeño Jam and fresh Cranberry Sauce..done. And even better, now labeled! Thank you early  Santa for my new printer, 🙂 Yeehaw!

 

You can’t get much more local than this! Maine Port Wine, Maine (Kennebunk) cranberries, our own organic berries and holiday spices.

Made a triple batch of Vintage Garden Berry Christmas Jam this morning. Now that farmers market is done for the season, I’m gearing up for the holiday shows!

Come by and join us for the festive Kennebunkport Christmas Prelude or the wonderful Ogunquit’s Christmas By the Sea.

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Too Close to Call

I cannot decide what I like best…making these fabulous jams and jellies, or seeing the look on my customers faces as they dip into my many sample offerings! I had one fellow dancing around in my booth last week after he sampled my Margarita Jelly, asking me ‘why did you omit the worms?’!! LOL So far, last month, these three have been neck and neck in the favorite department…but the Raspberry Chambord Truffle is inching up quickly!

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Fresh is Best

Well say  hello to summer! 🙂 Yeehaw!

This farmers market season is off to a great start! Despite a very dry spring and some rogue frosts, we farmers are attending our markets with diverse green products, and other cottage industry producers, like artisan bakers and cheese makers and specialty jams–like me! 🙂  are rounding out the spring farmers’ markets in our neck of the woods.

As a market manager, overseeing 25 wonderful vendors… so far I’m seeing strong shopper turnout this spring, which is fantastic news! Rain or shine or even sometimes an early snow…. for the past sixteen years, are open from early May through mid October. It’s always been a pleasure for me when market season rolls around again each year… after a long hibernating winter here, to see old friends and meet new ones each season.

The hours are indeed long, the pay.. nominal. But the growing passion and their rewards are ten-fold in my mind. As a one woman small cottage business owner/farm gal, I can honestly still say I absolutely love my job! 🙂 And yes, some days I moan and grown.. but hey, none of us are getting any younger, and there surely are days when you can hear me yelling at myself, “I’m never going to get this all harvested”… but then somehow I do! Somebody up there must be watching over me, for certain. Since moving to Maine ten years ago my farming routine has clearly changed from having a working farm in N.H. for the prior 23 years… but it keeps me hopping. These are some of what I grow, or bake, or process.

Yesterday was a great market day for me! They cleaned me out of 35 quarts of strawberries and shortcake biscuits in one hour! ( many asking if I had real whipped cream for sale too! ) Oy vey! LOL! Funny how passionate folks can be about the first strawberries of season… myself, included.

Once established here in Maine,  I acquired my Maine state inspected licensure to produce canned and baked goods. So these days, in addition to my line of “wonderful herbal soaps” and skin care specialties plus organic veggies and fresh herbs, I’ve added a line of wine and herbal jams and jellies. It keeps me incredibly busy keeping up with my local shop orders, as well as various canned veggies –depending on what I’m pulling out of the gardens, and my infamous Wicked Good Pickles, along some cut flowers bouquets, that all goes to market.  As you can probably imagine.. my days are pretty full in season, so blogging has to take a back seat and it does, until Autumn for me. So thanks to you readers for continually returning here, and for all your support and encouraging words. It’s much appreciated. You know who you are. 🙂

And thank you to everyone who takes the time to purchase what they can — straight from the grower/producer. That effort makes a huge difference, and helps we farmers and farmers markets make the leap into a robust summer season ahead. We surely appreciate your support! If you’re ever in our neck of the woods, stop by the Wells Farmers’ Market (shameless plug 🙂 LOL–we’ll be there!

Happy Summer Solstice! I can’t believe 4th of July is only two weeks away! 

 

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Hots

Early  October and only a light frost here so far. Everyone is saying it’s been their best garden season in a long time. Dry, hot summer days with lots of watering this year. We were rewarded with a glorious harvest. Today after I finished cleaning out the seasonal beds, and setting next years garlic bed, (yes, Jimbo it’s time) I picked the last of my hot peppers for some of my hot pepper jellies, relishes and  hot sauces.

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In a Pickle

They cleaned me out at farmers market this week, so..its gonna be a dilly of a morning.

 

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