Delicious Developments

Yesterday we (Tracie, Ashley and I) were discussing what was going to happen during the Fall market season since Tracie had told us in the past that it was a little different from the Summer market season. Somehow I had arrived at the conclusion that savory scones sounded like a good idea. Tracie said Ben, her partner in the beginning, and his wife do make savory scones. She and Ashley both agreed with me, that it sounded pretty tasty, so we are strongly considering it in the coming months. Tracie suggested I write about that conversation in the blog, and it got me thinking about all the product development I do on my own when I'm deciding what kind of cake to make. It lead me to write this list, which I have gone back and entitled it:

Things I have learned to think about in the product development process
(Other than, "does this taste good?")

• Will this compete with any of the other products?
• Would it compete with anyone at the market?
  
• Are seasonal ingredients involved? (This is not always thought about in an obvious way. For example, while we were thinking about the savory scone idea, it came up that this would be a good way to make up for the blueberry and raspberry scones, since those berries won't be in season much longer and thus not as readily available at the price they are now.)
  
• What will the weather be like? (This sounds silly, but you would be surprised how much more chocolate cake you would sell on a cool day than a hot one. )
• How much will it cost to make?
  
• How long will it take?
  
• Is it something that is different enough that people will buy it, but not so different that they are scared to try it?
  
• How easy it is to transport?
  
• Will I be able to leave it out on the table for a couple of hours without it becoming unsafe to eat?
• Is it pretty? (This also sounds like such a weird thing to think about, but it's true...I make a chocolate cake that was pretty tasty...but it wasn't very dark and chocolate-y looking and my sales were really low that week.)
  

I would say my baking background before taking this up was pretty strong...but the business part not so much. I'm learning so much about the business aspect of baking for a farmers' market, and I love it!

Steppin' Out

Steppin' Out was great as a customer, just okay as a vendor. We (the farmers' market) were forgotten about by the city and were only able to set up on Saturday...like we normally do. Luckily we were able to have extended hours on Saturday so we were able to see the extra stuff we made for Friday. I actually ran out of cake and had to go to the kitchen to make more.

In other news, Saturday was the first day of work for our new market manager. She's was so gracious and introduced herself to all of the vendors, and even us interns. I enjoyed getting to chat with her briefly and I am glad to have her there to help us!

I'm So Excited!

Friday is Steppin' Out! I cannot wait. From what I hear about it, this event will definitely be blog worthy! I hope business is good. We have done a lot to prepare for it!

Informed purchasing

It has been a long while since I have written here. I am sorry for that. So many things have happened since my last post. I have moved, gone on vacation, gotten engaged, been to another market, and learned how to make many new treats for people to buy at the farmers' market. However, I also felt it was time to move on from the "today we made x-y-z thing" posts. So today, I'm going to share a little nugget of knowledge I have acquired since becoming a part of the farmers' market community.

One of the reasons people choose to support their local farmers' market is because they understand the importance of knowing exactly where the goods they are purchasing came from. Unfortunately, information a customer at a farmers' market has access varies from market to market. Our primary market at UtGU is very good about keeping the lines of communication open between vendors and customers. Another market in the area...not so much. When a person buys something from UtGU and other vendors at our primary market, they have the opportunity to meet the grower/cook/creator of the goods they are buying, and they can easily find out exactly what goes into the product they are buying. I find I am taking this aspect of our primary market more and more seriously with each passing week.

I don't think I would be breaking new ground if I talked about the fair trade aspect of buying locally and directly from the producers at a farmers' market, so I'll let it be. We know that the likelihood of unfair working conditions is far lower in this community. Also, if it were so, at least everyone could direct the evil eye at that vendor, because we would know all about it. (<--small joke.) We also know about the environmental impact of shipping, as well as the standards of living for livestock raised locally on small farms versus that which is nationally shipped. We know about the benefits of eating wholesome, natural foods. The point of this is not to promote these ideals, but rather to promote the integrity of upholding these ideals.

I appreciate if a customer is not sure what we mean by "blueberry simple syrup", they can easily find out by asking and we can honestly and knowledgeably answer, because we made it! I appreciate that there is no chance of anyone purchasing cakes with "ganache" made from microwaved Cool Whip with the belief that they are purchasing something made from wholesome cream (unfortunately that example is based on a true story). I appreciate that the fact that I can say, "Oh yeah, that bread was baked yesterday, right here in town". Not in some undisclosed factory where it was stored in a place any sort of vermin could get to. I appreciate that people freely purchase goods without excessive packaging (which, by the way, does not always guarantee food safety). I appreciate that so many people are actively involved in community that fosters the success of ethical business practices. I appreciate the dignity consumers feel when they know we aren't assuming they don't know any better, and that if they have a concern we will take it seriously.

I always say this: What goes on a person's dinner plate is one of the best measurements of their life condition. Just imagine how well thought out our customers' other choices are when you consider how conscious they are about buying something as simple as tomatoes, bread and eggs.

June 23, 2009

This is the first post I've written about a Tuesday! Yesterday, I met Tracie, Marsha, Ashley, and Ty at Crow's Nest to pick blueberries and sugar snap peas. It was so much fun! I love my job. This was my first time picking both types of produce.
I was surprised by how tall the blueberry bushes were. I expected them to be low to the ground, like a strawberry plant. But they were nice and tall, so there were plenty of berries to be picked standing upright. I also had a different preconception of how the berries would look on the plant. I (once again) thought they would be scattered throughout the bush individually like strawberries, but they aren't! There are in little clusters...in the case of this year's crop, they are in bunches like grapes! Some of the mid-season variety blueberries were as big as grapes too!
After we had been there for a while, we went over to the greenhouse to pick some sugar snap peas. Now, with these I really had no idea what the plants were going to look like. I was worried that I wouldn't know how to distinguish between the ripe ones, the just right ones, and the overripe ones. But Tracie assured me that there is no such thing as a bad sugar snap pea...unless it looks shriveled and bad...but in that case it's not hard to tell that they're no good. It was so funny (and not funny) because I had been bitten by an ant on the back of my left knee at the blueberry hill...and then when we got to the sugar snap pea vines Tracie said not to worry because there would not be any bugs. I got stung by a bee on the back of my other knee. Of course it hurt at the time, and I think Tracie was worried that I would just be too upset and all that. But it really wasn't a big deal. I just came home, put some tea tree oil on it, and it was fine.

Lessons I learned yesterday:

• Make sure you get there EARLY. ( I saw a couple arrive at the blueberry hill with only 10 minutes to pick... not fun.)
  
• Don't converse loudly. Just because the view of other people two rows away is blocked by the bushes doesn't mean the sound of your voice is blocked.
• If you feel something tickling make sure it's not a bee before you swat it. Actually, it might not hurt to wear some bug repellent.
  
• Eat at least one berry/pea pod off the plant. It will make your life richer.
  
• Bring children with you. They have so much fun, and it's infectious.
  

June 18 & 20, 2009

First, thank you to all the customers who stopped by "le blog" for customer appreciation! I hope you liked what you saw. It was so much fun to see you and hear your comments in person on Saturday!

Thursday was our first day in the Kitchen with Ashley. She is such a huge help! We were done with our work in record time, I even got to take Friday off because we finished that work too. Tracie also had time to make a new product: biscotti! I have never made those before, so it was a new learning experience. It really is a delicate dough so you need lots of extra flour on hand, and you must be very gentile when you shape it and put it on the pan. It was so lively with Tracie, Ashley and me working in the kitchen. It was even more busy when some of the neighborhood kids came over to play with Tracie's son Ty...and Marsha came down for a little bit. It was a nice bustling place to be.

Saturday was ... noteable. There was only a little bit of rain, but it was inconsequential. As a matter of fact the rain was a nice break from the hot sun! There were some crazy wind gusts...which caused The Green Umbrella to topple over. Tracie said it's fixable. But most importantly, there were lots of customers! There were people visiting town for the Master Gardener's convention, people out for the Summer Solstice festivities, people out for the good weather, and most importantly, people were visiting UtGU for Customer Appreciation Day! Many reasons Saturday was a fun day. People were so excited to get their free Oat Power Cookie. Tracie put the power cookies, and the scones in these lovely glass jars! I hope they area weekly occurance. They looked so nice!

On the cake front, I have found that people here are not crazy about Kahlua cake. I hope to be more successful with my next flavor which will be arriving on to market on Wednesday. I'm very excited about it!

June 17, 2009

I am so over this Wednesday rain! That is all.
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I'm looking forward to working it tomorrow!