Today was hard.
I arrived home from work a few minutes later than usual, so I was rushing as I was loading the car to head down to the market. Prior to loading, I had to cut up an apple pie into sample-sized servings, so that took extra time, too. By the time I arrived at the market, I only had about 30 minutes to set up. That's enough time, but it makes me feel very rushed.
The weather today wasn't too bad. It was warm and humid, but there was a breeze. It seemed about 10 degrees cooler than last week, that's for sure. However, the crowd at the market was a little light. At the sound of the 3:00 bell, it just didn't seem like there were as many people bustling around. My sales were indicative of a light crowd. While I did fine, I did come home with more than I expected. It's weird, and so hard to predict. I would never have guessed that I would have the leftovers that I had...especially since I came home with half the Squish Monsters that I took, and they're my best seller. I just don't get it.
As I mentioned above, today I gave out samples of my apple pie. Everyone that tried it said it was very good. Some people I believed, and others I wondered if they were just being nice. I had a lot of people ask for my mini apple pies (we call them Apple HappyJacks) after I had sold out of them, and I only sold one of the two whole pies that I took. That's ok, because I've owed my mother-in-law a pie for a few weeks now, and she's coming to babysit tomorrow, so that will work out just peachy for me.
For dinner today, I had some pierogies and stuffed cabbage from Polish Pierogies food truck. They served them to me with a side of sour cream, and I thought, "What am I going to do with this?" The pierogies are so good on their own, they don't need sour cream. But I put it on the stuffed cabbage, and boy, was that fabulous! I highly recommend trying it.
My cookie of the week this week was a sugar-free oatmeal cranberry spice cookie. It seemed to go over well. It had an odd texture since it had no sugar—there was no crunch—but the flavor was very yummy. Cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves. And the cranberries added a touch of sweetness. They were really good if you can get past the fact that there was no added sugar.
So you're wondering why the day was hard? Well, I realized how very much I appreciate having my husband with me at the end of the day to help tear down my booth, load the car, and unload everything at home. But today, he started volleyball practice for his fifth and sixth grade girls' JV team, and he was unable to come to the market. So I had to do most of the work myself, with a little bit of help from Lila, who's only 7-1/2 and can only do so much to help. It was hard work, and took a really long time, and to top it off, I hurt myself doing it. I pinched the skin on my left upper arm as I was closing up my folding tables. It's been over two hours and it still stings.
Anyway, I'm hoping for a better week next week, although it's going to be tough predicting what will sell. Wish me luck! And until next time, have a yummy day!
Read about the somewhat weekly happenings in the world of HappyJack Bakery, including how things go at the farmer's market each week throughout the summer.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Farmer's Market—Week 7, July 16, 2012
Boy, was it a hot one yesterday! I arrived at the market around 2:15 to set up, but before I could set up, I had to run an errand down at The Dancing Bean (coffee shop in Caste Village). The Bean is now carrying my Squish Monsters, so if you need a fix mid-week, you can always stop in there. Marianne makes a mean smoothie, and she's got quite a few flavors to pick from. I enjoyed a mixed berry in the heat of yesterday afternoon, and aside from the brain freeze I had from trying to gulp it, it was fantastic!
Anyway, the drop off set me back a few minutes, so when I arrived back at my car, I only had about 30 minutes left in which to set up. Set-up is always a stressful time, but it's even more stressful when I'm pressed for time, and it's 90 degrees and humid outside. At about 2:50 pm or so when I was nearing completion of set-up, I went to hang my banner, and as I was hanging it, realized that I was kind of trembling. I just felt like I had the shakes. It was very uncomfortable, and I just wanted to stop, but I had to finish, as I still needed to make a stop in the restroom to change into my HappyJack Bakery t-shirt. Anyway, by the time the bell rang at 3:00 to start the market, I was relieved to be able to sit and relax for a while. The shakes subsided shortly afterwards, thank goodness!
The other woman that is usually there selling cookies was on vacation this week. I thought it would help my business, but I don't think it mattered much. I think I still would have done just as well even if she had been there, as I think a lot of my business comes from repeat customers. A few folks stopped by yesterday that I hadn't seen yet this season. It was nice to see them again, and I was happy that they were still interested in my goodies.
The crowd was average sized—the heat didn't seem to keep them away, so that was good, but like last week, I did feel like there were a lot of people milling about, but not as many stopping at my table. Although, by the looks of my sales, I did do better than last week, so I guess more people stopped by than what it seemed. I ended up coming home with only 7 packs of cookies. That's pretty good, and it made jack happy, as he now gets to enjoy some of those leftovers.
I had made two pies on Sunday, and had planned to only sell one, and use the other for free samples. However, on Monday afternoon before the market started, I received a phone call from one of my customers asking me to hold the pie for him. So then I figured I had better try to sell the other one, as I can't really have free samples of a pie with no pie available to purchase. But it was about 6:30 pm and the pie still hadn't sold. But fortunately, a woman who lives on the street behind me, and who has frequented my table in previous years, stopped by right after that. She hadn't been to the market yet this season, and I told her that it was nice to see her back. I mentioned that my pie wasn't feeling the love yesterday, and she immediately said, "I'll take it!" Woo-hoo! She's had my pie before, and I was grateful that she wanted to try it again.
I also made potato chip cookies for yesterday's market. Growing up, my mom used to make these, but I always thought they were gross. I recently came across a recipe, so I thought I'd give it a try. It called for toasted pecans, which I normally shy away from, but decided to give it a try. They turned out fabulous. They were crunchy, and had a great buttery flavor—sweet and salty all in one bite. Total yum!
For next week, I'm planning on trying another sugar-free recipe. This time, it will be an oatmeal raisin cookie that uses applesauce for sweetener. I sure hope they turn out tasty. In the meantime, I'm also preparing for my next HappyJack Chat, which is a baking demo at the Whitehall Library on Wednesday, July 18, at 7:00 pm. In addition, I promised my daughter that I'd make some homemade ice cream for her.
Well, until next time, have a yummy day!
Anyway, the drop off set me back a few minutes, so when I arrived back at my car, I only had about 30 minutes left in which to set up. Set-up is always a stressful time, but it's even more stressful when I'm pressed for time, and it's 90 degrees and humid outside. At about 2:50 pm or so when I was nearing completion of set-up, I went to hang my banner, and as I was hanging it, realized that I was kind of trembling. I just felt like I had the shakes. It was very uncomfortable, and I just wanted to stop, but I had to finish, as I still needed to make a stop in the restroom to change into my HappyJack Bakery t-shirt. Anyway, by the time the bell rang at 3:00 to start the market, I was relieved to be able to sit and relax for a while. The shakes subsided shortly afterwards, thank goodness!
The other woman that is usually there selling cookies was on vacation this week. I thought it would help my business, but I don't think it mattered much. I think I still would have done just as well even if she had been there, as I think a lot of my business comes from repeat customers. A few folks stopped by yesterday that I hadn't seen yet this season. It was nice to see them again, and I was happy that they were still interested in my goodies.
The crowd was average sized—the heat didn't seem to keep them away, so that was good, but like last week, I did feel like there were a lot of people milling about, but not as many stopping at my table. Although, by the looks of my sales, I did do better than last week, so I guess more people stopped by than what it seemed. I ended up coming home with only 7 packs of cookies. That's pretty good, and it made jack happy, as he now gets to enjoy some of those leftovers.
I had made two pies on Sunday, and had planned to only sell one, and use the other for free samples. However, on Monday afternoon before the market started, I received a phone call from one of my customers asking me to hold the pie for him. So then I figured I had better try to sell the other one, as I can't really have free samples of a pie with no pie available to purchase. But it was about 6:30 pm and the pie still hadn't sold. But fortunately, a woman who lives on the street behind me, and who has frequented my table in previous years, stopped by right after that. She hadn't been to the market yet this season, and I told her that it was nice to see her back. I mentioned that my pie wasn't feeling the love yesterday, and she immediately said, "I'll take it!" Woo-hoo! She's had my pie before, and I was grateful that she wanted to try it again.
I also made potato chip cookies for yesterday's market. Growing up, my mom used to make these, but I always thought they were gross. I recently came across a recipe, so I thought I'd give it a try. It called for toasted pecans, which I normally shy away from, but decided to give it a try. They turned out fabulous. They were crunchy, and had a great buttery flavor—sweet and salty all in one bite. Total yum!
For next week, I'm planning on trying another sugar-free recipe. This time, it will be an oatmeal raisin cookie that uses applesauce for sweetener. I sure hope they turn out tasty. In the meantime, I'm also preparing for my next HappyJack Chat, which is a baking demo at the Whitehall Library on Wednesday, July 18, at 7:00 pm. In addition, I promised my daughter that I'd make some homemade ice cream for her.
Well, until next time, have a yummy day!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Farmer's Market—Week 6, July 9, 2012
Did you miss my boring commentary last week? Yes, I skipped a week at the farmer's market in lieu of a few days off with my hubby and sweet daughter, as we traveled to Washington D.C. in the 100 degree heat to go sightseeing. Despite the derecho that we drove through on Friday night to get there, and the 100 degree heat both Saturday and Sunday, we still had a nice time. We even made it up to Georgetowne Cupcakes (shop featured on the TLC show "DC Cupcakes") to buy a dozen cupcakes, although the frosting got a little melty on the bus ride back to the hotel. But they were still the best cupcakes I've ever had. Fabulous!
Anyway, back to reality, yesterday's market was just so-so for me. The hotter it gets, the lower my sales seem to be. I'm not sure if it's because there just aren't as many people at the market, or if the people that are there aren't interested in baked goods when the temperatures are high. Regardless, I ended up bringing home about 8 items, including my one and only apple pie. I can't quite figure out why people don't buy my pie. I only bring one, and it's always delicious—a beautiful dutch apple with a mildly salty crust to balance the sweet apple filling. What's not to love? There are two other vendors selling pies, and I know that one of them sells them for a few dollars less than mine. But I bet his aren't as "made from scratch" as mine are, but often the general public doesn't realize that, or doesn't care.
Although it was cooler yesterday than it had been for the past week, it was still warm, and the few Squish Monsters that I had out on my table for sale got pretty darn squishy. I couldn't bare to sell them, so I kept selling off the ones from the cooler. Today, my friends at work were happy about this, as I brought the two squishy packs in for them to enjoy (I did refrigerate them last night, though, so they're no longer squishy). I brought the pie in, too. Everyone goes crazy for it here. I love that.
While at the market yesterday, I was approached by two women from McGinnis Sisters grocery store. They wanted to know if I sell wholesale, and I told them not now, as it's hard to find the time with my regular job, and the market. They were interested in maybe selling some of my product at the holidays, so I will definitely keep in touch with them regarding that idea. Also, the Dancing Bean coffee shop at Caste Village wants to sell some of my product there, too, so hopefully you'll see my sweets popping up around town now and again. It's so flattering, and very exciting, to be wanted. :)
So that's the story for now. I'm hoping to find another sugar-free recipe that I can make, as I continue to have people ask for sugar free cookies, especially now that I dabbled in it a few weeks ago. But this time, I'm determined to find something that uses fruits for the sugar, as I'm not crazy about using artificial sweetener—at least not as much as I used the last time. Until next time, have a yummy day, and I hope to see you all next week!
Anyway, back to reality, yesterday's market was just so-so for me. The hotter it gets, the lower my sales seem to be. I'm not sure if it's because there just aren't as many people at the market, or if the people that are there aren't interested in baked goods when the temperatures are high. Regardless, I ended up bringing home about 8 items, including my one and only apple pie. I can't quite figure out why people don't buy my pie. I only bring one, and it's always delicious—a beautiful dutch apple with a mildly salty crust to balance the sweet apple filling. What's not to love? There are two other vendors selling pies, and I know that one of them sells them for a few dollars less than mine. But I bet his aren't as "made from scratch" as mine are, but often the general public doesn't realize that, or doesn't care.
Although it was cooler yesterday than it had been for the past week, it was still warm, and the few Squish Monsters that I had out on my table for sale got pretty darn squishy. I couldn't bare to sell them, so I kept selling off the ones from the cooler. Today, my friends at work were happy about this, as I brought the two squishy packs in for them to enjoy (I did refrigerate them last night, though, so they're no longer squishy). I brought the pie in, too. Everyone goes crazy for it here. I love that.
While at the market yesterday, I was approached by two women from McGinnis Sisters grocery store. They wanted to know if I sell wholesale, and I told them not now, as it's hard to find the time with my regular job, and the market. They were interested in maybe selling some of my product at the holidays, so I will definitely keep in touch with them regarding that idea. Also, the Dancing Bean coffee shop at Caste Village wants to sell some of my product there, too, so hopefully you'll see my sweets popping up around town now and again. It's so flattering, and very exciting, to be wanted. :)
So that's the story for now. I'm hoping to find another sugar-free recipe that I can make, as I continue to have people ask for sugar free cookies, especially now that I dabbled in it a few weeks ago. But this time, I'm determined to find something that uses fruits for the sugar, as I'm not crazy about using artificial sweetener—at least not as much as I used the last time. Until next time, have a yummy day, and I hope to see you all next week!
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