Jul

12

2010

Bartering and Baked Chicken with Fresh Veggies

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Category : farmer's markets, recipes

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I get so excited every Saturday to go to work at the Homer Glen Farmer’s Market because I can make some great trades. It started with Benz Coffee, I traded them soap for a bag of their excellent coffee, and since it’s worked out on both sides we do it every week now, and I don’t have to buy coffee! Since then I’ve traded for flowers, vegetables and chicken. I love being able to get some of the things I want/need and paying for it in product. It’s also always pleasing that the other vendors like my soaps and continue to use them! Other vendors (like Anderson Sweets-try their Garlic & Rosemary nuts!) give me a good discount, so I in turn give all the vendors I’m not trading with the same discount. I think it’s really cool, we’re all out there working and it really makes me feel like I’m part of a community.

I planned an easy dinner for today from Saturday’s bounty. I had chicken thighs from Nature’s Choice Farm, produce from Mom’s Farm, my own fresh herbs and some pantry items. I favor foods that are simple to make, getting flavor from fresh ingredients. This chicken is not at all fussy and came out delicious ♥

1lb chicken thighs
1/2 cup or so chicken stock
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 onions
1 small bunch carrots
1 summer squash
1 zucchini
garlic, to taste
fresh basil, sage and oregano, to taste

chopped veggies

chicken in the pan

finished!

Preheat oven to 350
Remove chicken from fridge to bring to room temperature before cooking
Chop all veggies, keeping onion & garlic separate
Heat oil in a dutch oven, or other pan that can go from on top to inside the oven
Add onions and garlic, cook a few minutes, until soft
Turn off heat, add chicken to the pan
Add chicken stock, veggies and herbs
Cover pan and cook for an hour

Jul

06

2010

Too many farmers’ markets?

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Category : farmer's markets

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Contrary to my previous decision, last week I decided to do another market. It’s on
Tuesday mornings, and it’s a new market. The first day I did okay, they gave out free food and t-shirts and a decent amount of people showed up. Today was terrible. Barely any people came, and I only made 3 sales. It was disheartening. I make a great product, and I think I do okay with marketing it, but I can’t sell things if there aren’t people there to buy it. I was crabby, sitting out there in the heat all day for almost nothing when I could have been working on other things, being productive. I’m probably not going to go back, but I am considering picking up a third market elsewhere.

This market is located on a gravel drive, with no stores right there, and doesn’t have bathrooms. I think this has a lot to do with the poor attendance, because people like to be comfortable. The other thing is promotion. It seems like not many people know about this one, there aren’t many signs up for it, they didn’t do any mailings, the word just never got out. In contrast, the Oak Lawn Market has been running for years, is well-established and gets plenty of foot traffic from the library and park. The Homer Glen Market is new this year, but has been well-promoted and is located in a busy intersection that people can easily see from the street and stop in, parking is ample.

It’s starting to seem to me that there is a glut of new farmers markets out there. On one hand, I think it’s great. People can buy local produce and other items, like my soap, in a convenient location. They are a great way to connect consumers and small businesses. On the other hand, how many markets do we need in a certain area? Where I live, I can go from one town to another by crossing the street, and I consider a drive of about 15 minutes close enough by to be more or less considered in the neighborhood, since the landscape doesn’t change much. There are a hand-full of long-running markets that people frequent every year, but then there are new ones springing up all over the place. Just today a lady came by handing out fliers to the vendors, trying to recruit people to her new market. I’m just not sure that the local economy can support more markets than what is already there. Then again, maybe I’m wrong. I do think it would be great if more people shopped at markets, supporting local farmers and artisans.

Jun

17

2010

My modem died and checking out Farmers Markets I’m not working

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Category : Uncategorized, farmer's markets

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Tuesday night my modem died. At first I freaked out, NO INTERNET!!!!! I love the internet! I called Comcast right away and they told me I would need a new modem, they could come out Friday or I could go pick a new one up. Of course, I planned to pick up a new one the next day, Wednesday, but after working the Oak Lawn market I was so tired I fell asleep as soon as Ve took her nap, and we didn’t wake up until they were about to close. It was actually surprisingly nice going without. I realized I spend way too much time hanging out on the computer. I check my Facebook, my emails, and read dlisted way more than necessary. A lot of it is for work, responding to messages and updating my social media accounts and managing my Etsy shop. It was refreshing though, to have to unplug and be offline for a few days. I actually got some other stuff done! I felt like I was probably missing out on all this great stuff that was happening online, but none of it really matters. Do I really need to know the absolute latest in celebrity gossip and read the status updates of 300 people? I’m hoping that I will remember that, since today I did go pick up a new modem.

Yesterday at the market one of the vendors I’m friendly with told me that the Evergreen Park Farmer’s Market is really good. Me and Ve stopped up there today to check it out and it seemed like a good market, there were a lot of shoppers milling about and the vendor booths seemed like a good variety. I talked with the organizer and she said they were full for the year though, so I wouldn’t be able to sign up until next season. After that my sister called me and told me there was a Thursday afternoon market that just started at Governors State University, and she’s contemplating finishing her degree there, so we decided to go check it out. The market was a bit disappointing. It was really small and didn’t seem well-attended. Of course, that may be because it’s brand-new or we may have went at a slow time. Either way, there was already a booth of bath products, plus a girl with a honey booth also had soaps, so another booth with bath and body would be excessive for a market that size.

After thinking about it, I really don’t want to sign up for a third market. A few months ago when I was thinking about which markets to work I was originally going to do 3. Then it just seemed like too much. I’m the only person that makes all of this, and I’m the only person that will be working these markets. I wasn’t sure I could handle it. After talking with some experienced vendors I thought that maybe I should be doing more, since it seems that everyone else does. Summer is the time to get out there and make money, at the markets and festivals. I’m comfortable with my choice in sticking to 2 though, this is my first year and I already feel overwhelmed so often with what I have on my plate now. It’s better right now to focus on what I already have planned and move toward expanding as I feel comfortable with it.

Jun

08

2010

Green City Farmer’s Market and a Quiche

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Category : Uncategorized, farmer's markets, recipes

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Me and Ve recently went to Green City Market. We had a great time at our first trip there this season. I love Green City because of the great selection and the great atmosphere. It’s far bigger than the local markets, and you can get all kinds of fresh produce, free-range meats, seedlings to plant, baked goods…it goes on and on. There’s usually live music, and people hang around on the grass, eating, talking and watching their kids play.

I picked up a few bunches of asparagus. The first market asparagus each year is a special treat. So crisp, so flavorful, it makes Chicago winters worth it. I also got rhubarb, farm fresh eggs, a few tomato plants and herbs, and we split a smoothie from Seedlings made with their cider (best cider I’ve ever had ~ go buy some!) and rhubarb. Ve saw an older girl sitting in a tree enjoying a snack so she wanted to sit in a tree too. She was so cute!

I’ve made this quiche a few times. It’s truly delicious. I always use frozen potatoes, and just cook them a little bit before on the stove top before putting them in the pie pan to bake. It’s what I thought of making when I got home with the fresh eggs, and the asparagus was a great addition. I made it for dinner, and the leftovers are equally as good the next morning.

Quiche with rosemary, bacon and asparagus

Jun

07

2010

My first farmer’s market

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I started my soap business in January. 6 months have passed and so much has happened in that time that sometimes I can’t believe that this is my life now. I’m amazing by how hard I’ve worked, how far I’ve come (yes, I’m proud of myself!), and also by how much farther I need to go before I will truly consider myself a success in this business.

Last Wednesday was a big step forward for me. I worked my first ever farmer’s market. I signed up for this one, and another one, back in March and the day finally came to do it. I was nervous the night before and had a hard time falling asleep, and there was a loud thunderstorm last that repeatedly woke me up. I ended up only getting a few hours of sleep and the morning was chilly and wet. I wanted to back out. I was afraid that it would storm and all my product would be ruined, or even worse, that no one would buy anything, which would mean that all the hard work I’ve put it would be for nothing and I would have to break down and get a “real” job (I regularly talk myself onto the ledge).

Luckily, none of that happened. I had an amazing day. The sun came out. Before today the only direct retail experience I had selling my own product was at one craft fair, and it was a small one. I met and talked to many of the other vendors. They were so kind and willing to share the advice of their experience and even to help me put up my tent, because it’s a two person job. Even better than that was to have the opportunity to interact with my customers. Some people walked up to my booth excited that I was there, because they have used handmade soap before and know how much better it is than commercial brands and now they can find it locally. I had a discussion with a lady about homemade cleaning products, and we ended up coming up with a loose recipe to try for a shower spray. Other people wandered up and ended up making a purchase after talking with me and smelling my products.  A few customers hung around for awhile just to chat. I had a some people confirm that I would be there the entire season then tell me they would be back another day. I made some money today, and I made some new friends.

To me, this was a turning point in my business. I feel like this is the right path for me, and this is what I want to do with my life. I just worry all the time that it’s not worth it, that it will never be a viable source of income. Now I’m sure that it can be, I just have to keep giving it everything I can. I love making soap and today proved to me that I also love selling it. It was so fulfilling for me to meet people and talk to them about what I do, and it was a mental boost to see people liking my products, a confirmation that I’m doing something right. I don’t doubt that bad days will come my way, and I don’t doubt that I can handle them, because I’m exactly where I want to be.

I’m at the Oak Lawn, IL Farmer’s Market every Wednesday, 7-1, 95th & Drumke Dr, right behind the library, and at the Homer Glen Farmer’s Market every Saturday, 2-5, 159th & Bell Road, in the Sears Essentials parking lot.