I have been busy outside of work, so I taking this post to catch up for the whole week and I will try my best not to get behind again.
We did so much this week! This was the first week we were baking for two markets ( Tracie's husband Kenny was going to the other market). Other than the increase in volume, there was not much different about this week. I did learn that Tracie can make her own Kahlua, and she has been known to make it without the alcohol to sell at market. (People can just add their own spirits.) She also makes her own vanilla extract! Every time I think there is nothing more to learn, she turns around and proves me wrong! :o)
Tracie called me on Friday to tell me we have finally hit the optimal Power Cookie size and texture. Hooray! So I will remember that for this week. I also think I'm going to have to start taking lemonade labels home with me on Thursday, rather than Friday. That way there is one less thing to do on Saturday morning, which is already a time crunch. I actually had to do quite a bit of packaging on Friday, which is usually all done on Thursday. Friday was typical. Maybe a little extra from Thursday's leftovers.
Saturday was pretty busy. Tracie did a great job organizing though. She had everything in containers ready to go by the time I got there. She had labeled what went with us and what went with Kenny. We got there in a timely manner even though she had made the tapenade that morning and I had to package it before we left. Thankfully Tracie's mother was there to help us pack. We really appreciated the extra set of hands! It was strangely very slow when we arrived at market, even though the weather was sunny for the first time in about a week! So, I took the time to make a new sign advertising the strawberries Tracie had picked. Of course, the second Tracie left to pick up a few items we needed, I was slammed! All but one of the blueberry scones were gone before 10 am. Crazy! It slowed down a bit and became steady. I made another sign after the strawberries sold out. This one advertised all of our berry products, per Tracie's request. I wish I had written something fun like "Berry Mania!" but instead I just wrote "Berries". Blah. Boring. Oh, well. I'll do a better job next time.
This week, Tracie gave me the most exciting news! I get to make a couple of cakes to sell at market this week!!! YAY!! I hope everyone likes them! I hope I can live up to Tracie's expectations. I hope I don't disappoint the customers who come to UtGU for only the most delicious of treats! For my first week, I think I'm going to make Bundt cakes and cut them into slices so people can get an idea of what kinds of things I can do, and eventually move into selling whole layer cakes in the future. I'm just a bag of emotions over this. I'm excited, nervous, grateful and happy! Thank you for this opportunity Tracie!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
May 27, 2009
This week Tracie and her family went out of town, so it was up to me to pack up everything and go to market by myself on Wednesday! Of course I was really nervous. I was mostly worried about forgetting something important that would violate a health code, like ice packs. I did forget the lemonade samples and the ice for the lemonade bucket...but both of those things were niceties rather than necessities. So in the end I had done an okay packing job.
Wednesday afternoon rolled around packing was the least of my worries. It was raining. Hard. I called Tracie and she told me about the Hour-By-Hour forecast on weather.com and it said it was going to clear up by 2 pm. So, my gracious boyfriend and I went and loaded everything up in the rain, believing it would be over by the time we arrived at market. It lasted a little longer than we had expected. I didn't get set up until 2:30, but after that the weather was very nice. The rain had actually scared away some vendors. About three of the ones from Draper St. were not there. But there was still a fair showing.
At first business was extremely slow. But at around 4 pm it really started to pick up. I think people were anxious to get outside since it had been raining for a couple of days. We did okay business. I think it hurt a little that there was a driveway between me and all the other vendors and the vendors on the other side of me were not there. I looked a little unestabilshed. But as always Tracie's high quality products prevailed. I sold out of the blackbean hummus and all but one of the giant chocolate chip cookies. Tracie made a little bread for this Wednesday market, per the request of some customers last week, and those customers did show up and buy bread. I think it felt good on both ends of those transactions. I thought it was cool to be able to work so cooperatively with the customers. Several lemonade bottles were returned, which was appreciated. While scones, power cookies and muffins rule the morning market, the afternoon market sales lean more towards the grocery items. People mostly buy hummus and bread. And it looks like they will be oscillating between the cookies and the brownies for their weekly indulgence. I had a couple of people say that they were going to try one this week since they had the other last week. Lots of people asked about that sold out tapenade. ;o)
I broke a boundary for myself during the market. I usually don't interact too much with the other vendors. I'm just an intern after all. But I ran out of change and had to go to one of my neighbors for help. Luckily one of my neighbors was Jenny, the market manager. She's as nice as can be, so my experience was a good one. Her neighbor (I am sorry to say I did not catch his name) was lovely enough to help me out with my change situation.
I think the rush is usually at around 5 or 5:30 for Wednesdays. However, since most people started coming out around 4 it was pretty slow by 6 or so. So I waited until 6:30 before packing up a little earlier than when the market ends.
I went to trivia night with some friends, for some needed unwinding on Wednesday night, but I was so proud of myself for being able to handle all of that!
Wednesday afternoon rolled around packing was the least of my worries. It was raining. Hard. I called Tracie and she told me about the Hour-By-Hour forecast on weather.com and it said it was going to clear up by 2 pm. So, my gracious boyfriend and I went and loaded everything up in the rain, believing it would be over by the time we arrived at market. It lasted a little longer than we had expected. I didn't get set up until 2:30, but after that the weather was very nice. The rain had actually scared away some vendors. About three of the ones from Draper St. were not there. But there was still a fair showing.
At first business was extremely slow. But at around 4 pm it really started to pick up. I think people were anxious to get outside since it had been raining for a couple of days. We did okay business. I think it hurt a little that there was a driveway between me and all the other vendors and the vendors on the other side of me were not there. I looked a little unestabilshed. But as always Tracie's high quality products prevailed. I sold out of the blackbean hummus and all but one of the giant chocolate chip cookies. Tracie made a little bread for this Wednesday market, per the request of some customers last week, and those customers did show up and buy bread. I think it felt good on both ends of those transactions. I thought it was cool to be able to work so cooperatively with the customers. Several lemonade bottles were returned, which was appreciated. While scones, power cookies and muffins rule the morning market, the afternoon market sales lean more towards the grocery items. People mostly buy hummus and bread. And it looks like they will be oscillating between the cookies and the brownies for their weekly indulgence. I had a couple of people say that they were going to try one this week since they had the other last week. Lots of people asked about that sold out tapenade. ;o)
I broke a boundary for myself during the market. I usually don't interact too much with the other vendors. I'm just an intern after all. But I ran out of change and had to go to one of my neighbors for help. Luckily one of my neighbors was Jenny, the market manager. She's as nice as can be, so my experience was a good one. Her neighbor (I am sorry to say I did not catch his name) was lovely enough to help me out with my change situation.
I think the rush is usually at around 5 or 5:30 for Wednesdays. However, since most people started coming out around 4 it was pretty slow by 6 or so. So I waited until 6:30 before packing up a little earlier than when the market ends.
I went to trivia night with some friends, for some needed unwinding on Wednesday night, but I was so proud of myself for being able to handle all of that!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Small lesson update
I kind of had a little experiment going on with the signs I've been making. I decided to feature one item at a time. On my first sign I did a lunch menu with four or five items...no increase in sales. Then I did just lemonade: we sold all but two bottles. This past week, I did something crazy like Olive Tapenade, of which we had A LOT. I just found out that it sold out on Saturday! My hypothesis was right! WOO HOO!!
Monday, May 25, 2009
May 23, 2009
Saturday is Market Day! I have been very busy this weekend, so this is the first opportunity to write!
I arrived at 7:15 to help Tracie load up the truck for market. Once everything was loaded up, I went to the store for a few odds and end, and dropped my car off at home so I could ride my bike to the market. ( I saw all those tow trucks! Maybe 8- 10 cars must have been taken! I didn't want my car to be one of them!) In spite of the ruckus ( tow trucks) there were a lot of people enjoying the weather and the market! It was significantly more busy than it had been the previous two weeks. Lots of visitors from out of town ( I suppose for Memorial Day) were there. One man from Michigan loved Tracie's Irish scones so much, he bought one and ate it right there...then bought another one and ate it right there...then(with no less than a mouthful of scone) asked her if she could mail him some!
It was really steady and busy, which was great! I have noticed that I'm getting better at adding up all the prices, and I've figured out some patterns, like if a person buys a loaf of bread and a hummus it always adds up to $10.00 . Also, just like I did, everyone loved the old fashioned lemonade jar! It was so cute! I didn't really learn anything from that...I just noticed it. One lesson I learned was that people really are not picky jerks. We had extra fudgy brownies this week. They weren't the prettiest... but man oh man did they still look delicious. And people snatched them up! I learned, it doesn't have to look pretty...just delicious. If your product is good, its good. There are no two ways around it. Also, people realize ( and I think are glad to know) that all this stuff is made by a person. It's not made by a machine that can do it exactly the same way every time. Just a woman who is doing the best she can.
As an assistant, it is an important part of my job to just listen and observe. In the time that I have been here, I have heard a lot about this new farmers market. This week especially people were talking about the effects of the construction on business. Some said the noise and dirt would drive people away. Others thought moving the market out of the way of the construction would turn people off. I have also learned that there won't be any room for growth in this new structure...but it will be nice and permanent. Coincidentally, there is an interview in the current issue of 16 Blocks with the business owners of the shops and restauraunts that surround the farmers market. Most of them originally supported the idea of developing the market, but now, they are not completely happy with what is projected to be the final outcome of the new venue either. I still don't know enough to speak up on the matter, but these are really, all of the opinions and information I have been able to glean on the matter. Maybe this is a little off topic from what I usually write. Maybe these opinions and concerns are only meant for the vendors to be concerned with (not the interns), but I have already grown to care about what happens to the market, and how it affects this town. I hope it is not too late for these concerns to be addressed.
I arrived at 7:15 to help Tracie load up the truck for market. Once everything was loaded up, I went to the store for a few odds and end, and dropped my car off at home so I could ride my bike to the market. ( I saw all those tow trucks! Maybe 8- 10 cars must have been taken! I didn't want my car to be one of them!) In spite of the ruckus ( tow trucks) there were a lot of people enjoying the weather and the market! It was significantly more busy than it had been the previous two weeks. Lots of visitors from out of town ( I suppose for Memorial Day) were there. One man from Michigan loved Tracie's Irish scones so much, he bought one and ate it right there...then bought another one and ate it right there...then(with no less than a mouthful of scone) asked her if she could mail him some!
It was really steady and busy, which was great! I have noticed that I'm getting better at adding up all the prices, and I've figured out some patterns, like if a person buys a loaf of bread and a hummus it always adds up to $10.00 . Also, just like I did, everyone loved the old fashioned lemonade jar! It was so cute! I didn't really learn anything from that...I just noticed it. One lesson I learned was that people really are not picky jerks. We had extra fudgy brownies this week. They weren't the prettiest... but man oh man did they still look delicious. And people snatched them up! I learned, it doesn't have to look pretty...just delicious. If your product is good, its good. There are no two ways around it. Also, people realize ( and I think are glad to know) that all this stuff is made by a person. It's not made by a machine that can do it exactly the same way every time. Just a woman who is doing the best she can.
As an assistant, it is an important part of my job to just listen and observe. In the time that I have been here, I have heard a lot about this new farmers market. This week especially people were talking about the effects of the construction on business. Some said the noise and dirt would drive people away. Others thought moving the market out of the way of the construction would turn people off. I have also learned that there won't be any room for growth in this new structure...but it will be nice and permanent. Coincidentally, there is an interview in the current issue of 16 Blocks with the business owners of the shops and restauraunts that surround the farmers market. Most of them originally supported the idea of developing the market, but now, they are not completely happy with what is projected to be the final outcome of the new venue either. I still don't know enough to speak up on the matter, but these are really, all of the opinions and information I have been able to glean on the matter. Maybe this is a little off topic from what I usually write. Maybe these opinions and concerns are only meant for the vendors to be concerned with (not the interns), but I have already grown to care about what happens to the market, and how it affects this town. I hope it is not too late for these concerns to be addressed.
Friday, May 22, 2009
May 21, 2009
Yesterday was so great! I feel like Tracie and I really bonded, which makes our working environment that much more pleasant! We got so much work done yesterday! There will be two types of lemonade, muffins, a new scone flavor, lots of brownies, in addition to the small errands we ran. Oh yeah, and there are all the things she makes that I don't help with!
It feels good to know how to do a number of things on my own now. We can get more done because she doesn't have to stop and teach me how to do as many things.
One task of note from yesterday was the making and packaging of the lemonade. I washed and sanitized all of the bottles, put all the lemonade into bottles and into the sample containers. We are also going to try a new labeling system. It is very cute, but it is also very practical. The new labels can have more information, are easier to keep dry in the ice bucket and don't leave sticky stuff on the bottles which makes it easier to recycle them. It's pretty exciting!
I have to say, I am so glad Tracie is my mentor in all this. She is very good about listening to my ideas and taking them seriously. She really is genuinely interested in my growth and success in the farmer's market community, and I appreciate that. I even told her about some ideas I had for when I have my own stand (someday). If it was someone else, I might be worried about them stealing my idea, but not her. As she said, "I have too many things to make as it is!"
It feels good to know how to do a number of things on my own now. We can get more done because she doesn't have to stop and teach me how to do as many things.
One task of note from yesterday was the making and packaging of the lemonade. I washed and sanitized all of the bottles, put all the lemonade into bottles and into the sample containers. We are also going to try a new labeling system. It is very cute, but it is also very practical. The new labels can have more information, are easier to keep dry in the ice bucket and don't leave sticky stuff on the bottles which makes it easier to recycle them. It's pretty exciting!
I have to say, I am so glad Tracie is my mentor in all this. She is very good about listening to my ideas and taking them seriously. She really is genuinely interested in my growth and success in the farmer's market community, and I appreciate that. I even told her about some ideas I had for when I have my own stand (someday). If it was someone else, I might be worried about them stealing my idea, but not her. As she said, "I have too many things to make as it is!"
Thursday, May 21, 2009
May 20, 2009
I went to the Wednesday market...all by my self! Well, technically Tracie helped me set up, and Kenny helped me break down...but the rest of the day was all me! It was not as busy as the Saturday market, so it did not get overwhelming.
Since it was Wednesday, we didn't have have all of the UtGU offerings. She sent me out with chocolate chip cookies, brownies, power cookies, lemonade, chocolate chip scones, muffins, loaves, two kinds of hummus and tapenade. Some people were disappointed I didn't have black bean hummus or bread. Others were sad that I was there, and not Tracie. For a hot second I felt kind of bad. But then I realized it's just a testament to how good Tracie's is at her job. People really look forward to coming to her stand on Saturdays to visit and pick up some mighty tasty food! I'm so fortunate she's teaching me how to develop relationships like that. It wasn't all disappointment for the customers. Some of them recognized me from the past couple of weeks, which was so nice!
I have to say, I think Tracie made the best hummus and tapenade she's ever made yesterday. It really was just perfect. I was so surprised only a few people bought some. Maybe I'm just not that good at selling hummus? What did sell very well, were the brownies and the lemonade. I think I sold all but 5 or 6 of the brownies, and all but two of the lemonade bottles. **Business lesson: I'm so glad I got another chance to make the sign for our table, and test out my "one featured item at a time" idea. I chose the lemonade, and I think it contributed to the number of bottles sold.
It was a great day. I learned a lot, and met a lot of nice people (as I usually do at market). I appreciate that this job is not stagnant, and yet Tracie never gives me more than I can handle. I'm looking foward to the next lesson.
Since it was Wednesday, we didn't have have all of the UtGU offerings. She sent me out with chocolate chip cookies, brownies, power cookies, lemonade, chocolate chip scones, muffins, loaves, two kinds of hummus and tapenade. Some people were disappointed I didn't have black bean hummus or bread. Others were sad that I was there, and not Tracie. For a hot second I felt kind of bad. But then I realized it's just a testament to how good Tracie's is at her job. People really look forward to coming to her stand on Saturdays to visit and pick up some mighty tasty food! I'm so fortunate she's teaching me how to develop relationships like that. It wasn't all disappointment for the customers. Some of them recognized me from the past couple of weeks, which was so nice!
I have to say, I think Tracie made the best hummus and tapenade she's ever made yesterday. It really was just perfect. I was so surprised only a few people bought some. Maybe I'm just not that good at selling hummus? What did sell very well, were the brownies and the lemonade. I think I sold all but 5 or 6 of the brownies, and all but two of the lemonade bottles. **Business lesson: I'm so glad I got another chance to make the sign for our table, and test out my "one featured item at a time" idea. I chose the lemonade, and I think it contributed to the number of bottles sold.
It was a great day. I learned a lot, and met a lot of nice people (as I usually do at market). I appreciate that this job is not stagnant, and yet Tracie never gives me more than I can handle. I'm looking foward to the next lesson.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
May 16, 2009
Market day! I really love it. It's so nice to wake up early, get all your work done (if you want to call it that...it's such a lovely and friendly environment), and still have the day ahead of you. Plus, the market is really the pulse of the town. As someone new to the area I find the market to be an absolutely enthralling place!
Yesterday I didn't write because there wasn't that much to write. I made a sign for the table this week. It turned out really cute...I always forget to take pictures! I listed a sample picnic menu for three using things you could buy from UtGU. A loaf of bread, hummus, lemonade and the 3-for-$5 desserts. I included a picture of our green umbrella, however I think it looks like a spider web...oh well. I hope I have another chance to do the sign because I think this one was a little busy. Maybe it would be better to try one featured item at a time.
Tracie also sent me home with a pan of brownie batter yesterday! I am so grateful! I baked it up when I got home, and my boyfriend and I have been picking at it. It is my first successful batch of brownies ever! Today, a little boy pitched a fit because his dad wouldn't let him have one (a brownie) for breakfast...I don't blame either of them.
Today's market was steady, not terribly busy. I like that because we got to talk to all the customers and really connect with them. I think that's important. I'm getting better at counting the money and I'm more knowledgeable about the stuff so enjoyed the market more this week than I did last week. Some people remembered me from last week, which was nice. I try to remember all of them. I haven't been so hot with names, but I will be soon.
Yesterday I didn't write because there wasn't that much to write. I made a sign for the table this week. It turned out really cute...I always forget to take pictures! I listed a sample picnic menu for three using things you could buy from UtGU. A loaf of bread, hummus, lemonade and the 3-for-$5 desserts. I included a picture of our green umbrella, however I think it looks like a spider web...oh well. I hope I have another chance to do the sign because I think this one was a little busy. Maybe it would be better to try one featured item at a time.
Tracie also sent me home with a pan of brownie batter yesterday! I am so grateful! I baked it up when I got home, and my boyfriend and I have been picking at it. It is my first successful batch of brownies ever! Today, a little boy pitched a fit because his dad wouldn't let him have one (a brownie) for breakfast...I don't blame either of them.
Today's market was steady, not terribly busy. I like that because we got to talk to all the customers and really connect with them. I think that's important. I'm getting better at counting the money and I'm more knowledgeable about the stuff so enjoyed the market more this week than I did last week. Some people remembered me from last week, which was nice. I try to remember all of them. I haven't been so hot with names, but I will be soon.
Friday, May 15, 2009
May 14, 2009
The lesson I learned from yesterday: get your butt in gear, Nissa! I guess I did a lot yesterday, the batches were bigger, and there were a few other odds and ends I took care of, but I felt like it just took me entirely too long to get those brownies done! I don't know what was wrong with me yesterday, but that will not be the case today.
On a less personal note, I did learn some valuable things from Tracie. In all my years of making simple syrup, I never thought to make strawberry simple syrup using the caps of the strawberries. That way you can use the rest of the strawberry for something else, rather than wasting a whole strawberry on syrup, or throwing the caps away. Waste not, want not! I also had my question from yesterday's entry answered. The bottles are clear Bordeaux bottles, some with screw tops some with sample corks. They cost 50 cents to a dollar each depending on whether or not you order them in advance, and the tops are about 10 cents each. You can get them at any place that sells wine making or beer brewing supplies. You can reuse the bottles, but not caps.
I look forward to market tomorrow, Tracie says it will be pretty busy with graduation falling on the same day.
On a less personal note, I did learn some valuable things from Tracie. In all my years of making simple syrup, I never thought to make strawberry simple syrup using the caps of the strawberries. That way you can use the rest of the strawberry for something else, rather than wasting a whole strawberry on syrup, or throwing the caps away. Waste not, want not! I also had my question from yesterday's entry answered. The bottles are clear Bordeaux bottles, some with screw tops some with sample corks. They cost 50 cents to a dollar each depending on whether or not you order them in advance, and the tops are about 10 cents each. You can get them at any place that sells wine making or beer brewing supplies. You can reuse the bottles, but not caps.
I look forward to market tomorrow, Tracie says it will be pretty busy with graduation falling on the same day.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
May 13, 2009
Yesterday was pretty busy, Tracie had just gotten a lot of new supplies. There was sugar and flour to be put into containers, chickpeas for the hummus, black beans and other miscellaneous items to be organized. I also had to cut up the dried apricots (used for bread and scones) and put that into a container, as well as the dried cranberries. This week there will be two flavors of lemonade, so we had twice as many bottles to clean. (I'm lame and broke two bottles...sorry!) I also cleaned out all the big Tupperware so we have a place to put all the batter for this weeks market.
This list of things to do is not very long but it was actually pretty time consuming to cut up all those apricots, and the bottles took a bit of time. I guess I knew there were little bits of baking that were time consuming like that, but I never though about it on such a large scale. It probably took me at least 45 minutes to cut them up! Another thing I learned yesterday was that you cannot reuse the lids on the lemonade bottles, I assume for the same reasons you cannot reuse lids on canning jars.
I think we are making ginger lemonade today, so I'm very excited to learn about that! I do have one question: where are the lemonade bottles from? They are so cute, and reusable to boot!
This list of things to do is not very long but it was actually pretty time consuming to cut up all those apricots, and the bottles took a bit of time. I guess I knew there were little bits of baking that were time consuming like that, but I never though about it on such a large scale. It probably took me at least 45 minutes to cut them up! Another thing I learned yesterday was that you cannot reuse the lids on the lemonade bottles, I assume for the same reasons you cannot reuse lids on canning jars.
I think we are making ginger lemonade today, so I'm very excited to learn about that! I do have one question: where are the lemonade bottles from? They are so cute, and reusable to boot!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
May 9, 2009
First Saturday at Market!!!
It was raining when I arrived at Tracie's to help her load up her truck for the market. So we waited a bit for it to let up. I didn't realize how much stuff people bring to the market at one time. It's not just 1o or 15 cookies...it's an entire truck load! She had baskets for displaying the items, a cooler for perishable things, three tables, table cloths (not necessary, but nice) all of the items to sell, towels to cover the items, sample cups, Tupperware to carry most of it in, bags for the customers to take their things home in, and of course a huge green umbrella. Oh yes, and the cash box with change. It really is a lot of stuff to remember, so the first, and probably most important, universal farmer's market lesson for the day was: organization and preparation are ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. She had already put most of the items for sale in the Tupperware ( I assume the night before) which was helpful. It also helped to have her many Saturdays of experience. If it was me, I would probably need a written check list because that's how I operate. It wouldn't matter how many weeks I had been to the market. It took about 30 minutes to load up the truck, and about 30 minutes to set up at the market.
Once we got to market, the sun came out (Tracie shared another trick of the trade with me: it is always possible to will the rain away. ) Her regulars were there as soon as we arrived. Some of them returned her bottles, and hummus containers for reuse. Tracie offers these customers a $0.50 credit on their next purchase. I think this deal is genius. Not only is it good for the environment, but it saves her on cost, and the customers are always happy to have their loyalty rewarded. Another deal she offers is to have some of the items, which are $1.75 individually, priced at 3 for $5 which the customers can mix and match. (i.e. A customer can buy a scone and a cookie for $3.50, or they can throw a muffin in the mix and it's only $5) This is an extra $1.50 she wouldn't have made, had she not had the deal in place.
One regular customer in particular was such a funny character, lets just say she was no shy violet. She had the scoop on everyone at the market, all the vendors anyway. She was telling us how rude the one of the other bakers was because they were selling something similar to what we had at UtGU, only two tables away. This was my second universal farmer's market lesson: remember that the market is a community. Make sure you are communicating with the other vendors. This fosters diversity in the products which not only makes it a more enjoyable experience for customers(who wants to go to a market with five places to buy muffins but no fresh bread?), but also encourages a more cooperative rather than competitive spirit among vendors.
Another or Tracie's method's I picked up on was to have everything in baskets, covered with some fabric (European style) rather than stuffed into plastic. Every person who walked by commented on how good everything smelled and looked. The copious and casual look of the table, combined with the samples we had set out created a very organic and welcoming environment.
I had a very enjoyable experience on Saturday, I look forward to next week!
It was raining when I arrived at Tracie's to help her load up her truck for the market. So we waited a bit for it to let up. I didn't realize how much stuff people bring to the market at one time. It's not just 1o or 15 cookies...it's an entire truck load! She had baskets for displaying the items, a cooler for perishable things, three tables, table cloths (not necessary, but nice) all of the items to sell, towels to cover the items, sample cups, Tupperware to carry most of it in, bags for the customers to take their things home in, and of course a huge green umbrella. Oh yes, and the cash box with change. It really is a lot of stuff to remember, so the first, and probably most important, universal farmer's market lesson for the day was: organization and preparation are ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. She had already put most of the items for sale in the Tupperware ( I assume the night before) which was helpful. It also helped to have her many Saturdays of experience. If it was me, I would probably need a written check list because that's how I operate. It wouldn't matter how many weeks I had been to the market. It took about 30 minutes to load up the truck, and about 30 minutes to set up at the market.
Once we got to market, the sun came out (Tracie shared another trick of the trade with me: it is always possible to will the rain away. ) Her regulars were there as soon as we arrived. Some of them returned her bottles, and hummus containers for reuse. Tracie offers these customers a $0.50 credit on their next purchase. I think this deal is genius. Not only is it good for the environment, but it saves her on cost, and the customers are always happy to have their loyalty rewarded. Another deal she offers is to have some of the items, which are $1.75 individually, priced at 3 for $5 which the customers can mix and match. (i.e. A customer can buy a scone and a cookie for $3.50, or they can throw a muffin in the mix and it's only $5) This is an extra $1.50 she wouldn't have made, had she not had the deal in place.
One regular customer in particular was such a funny character, lets just say she was no shy violet. She had the scoop on everyone at the market, all the vendors anyway. She was telling us how rude the one of the other bakers was because they were selling something similar to what we had at UtGU, only two tables away. This was my second universal farmer's market lesson: remember that the market is a community. Make sure you are communicating with the other vendors. This fosters diversity in the products which not only makes it a more enjoyable experience for customers(who wants to go to a market with five places to buy muffins but no fresh bread?), but also encourages a more cooperative rather than competitive spirit among vendors.
Another or Tracie's method's I picked up on was to have everything in baskets, covered with some fabric (European style) rather than stuffed into plastic. Every person who walked by commented on how good everything smelled and looked. The copious and casual look of the table, combined with the samples we had set out created a very organic and welcoming environment.
I had a very enjoyable experience on Saturday, I look forward to next week!
Friday, May 8, 2009
May 8, 2009
First business: I forgot to write down that I left at 2 today.
Also, Tracie was baking so she left me this lovely list of things to do today. (It really is lovely, it has sunflowers on it!) 
I'll skip the salutations, and just paraphrase what the tasks are:
Put the brownie boxes away, package tapanade, label hummus and tapanade, wash dishes, clean cooler, shop vac around mixer, wipe down mixer, wipe down counters, fold towels clean towels, put dirty towels in a pile, take out trash.
Not too many new lessons today, just basic stuff anyone would do in a kitchen. :o) Can't wait to learn lots tomorrow.
I'm meeting her tomorrow morning at 7:15 am, to pack up for the farmer's market. How exciting!
May 7, 2009- First day!
This is to be a journal of my experiences as an assistant/intern at Under the Green Umbrella, a booth at several farmers markets in the area where I live. I'm pretty excited about the whole experience. All of the tasks seem to be pleasant: baking, packaging, picking berries, attending the farmers market, having to do the dishes is an infentesimally small price to pay for having a job that also includes keeping a blog! :o)
On my first day of work I expected to be very bored. I expected it to be a day of watching while Tracie (the founder of UtGU) explained everything. I was pleasantly surprised to find the work to be very hands on immediately. It was a busy day. My tasks included: packaging pasta salad, washing dishes, portioning out cookie dough, preparing brownie batter, bottling blueberry lemonade, and packaging several flavors of hummus.
I learned some very useful things from Tracie (which I imagine will be happening on a daily basis) like how to make 18 batches of brownies at one time and that I'm not a freak who can't make brownies in an 8x8 pan (apparently it's the nature of the pan to either have a raw center or concrete edges). She told me getting your kitchen inspected is not nearly as daunting as it sounds and its a really a great investment. I also learned how to keep homemade juices from fermenting by using a yeast prohibiter to clean the bottles. Tracie let me know about different places where people can pick their own produce (which is very useful if you want to use the very freshest ingredients. And low cost, too!) and a little bit about berry plants.
I don't really have any pressing questions yet. Any that I had, were promptly and graciously answered by Tracie. I'm sure Saturday morning at the market will having me asking a lot of questions.
On my first day of work I expected to be very bored. I expected it to be a day of watching while Tracie (the founder of UtGU) explained everything. I was pleasantly surprised to find the work to be very hands on immediately. It was a busy day. My tasks included: packaging pasta salad, washing dishes, portioning out cookie dough, preparing brownie batter, bottling blueberry lemonade, and packaging several flavors of hummus.
I learned some very useful things from Tracie (which I imagine will be happening on a daily basis) like how to make 18 batches of brownies at one time and that I'm not a freak who can't make brownies in an 8x8 pan (apparently it's the nature of the pan to either have a raw center or concrete edges). She told me getting your kitchen inspected is not nearly as daunting as it sounds and its a really a great investment. I also learned how to keep homemade juices from fermenting by using a yeast prohibiter to clean the bottles. Tracie let me know about different places where people can pick their own produce (which is very useful if you want to use the very freshest ingredients. And low cost, too!) and a little bit about berry plants.
I don't really have any pressing questions yet. Any that I had, were promptly and graciously answered by Tracie. I'm sure Saturday morning at the market will having me asking a lot of questions.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)