I’m not gonna lie, it was a little stressful preparing for the farmer’s markets this week.
I was excited to have microgreens to bring, and we had lettuce ready as well. Great news. but it meant that it had to be harvested too.
My micro containers came in but our stamp did not work on them so that was a bummer.
It also meant that I had to spend time that I really didn’t have figuring out how to brand them.
I ended up just taping one of our cards to the top of the container.
Not ideal, but better than nothing.
Our lettuce was kinda bitter, so that was also not great news. Probably did had too little water. Also, we harvested in the evening, and not the morning, so that didn’t help with the bitterness either.
Lesson learned.
About the Farmers Markets
Let me tell you a little bit about the Farmer’s markets. We attended Warkworth Market at the Mews for the first time on Friday, and let me tell you, it is quite a different vibe than the Cobourg Farmers Market.
It was really interesting to see the difference between the two markets. Warkworth market definitely has a more artsy vibe. I felt our display was too clunky for Warkworth, at least the micro part of the display. Biodegradable clamshells just won’t do. I definitely have to step up my display game for next week.
Our salad mix had a rustic look packed in paper bags and sold out.
Since we are not Warkworth locals, we felt a bit out of place, but we are directly across from a local whom everyone seems to know, so I feel that we have a chance at being accepted before the end of the season.
Cobourg Farmer’s market was a whole different story. Customers are more down to business. Our microgreens did well in the clamshell containers, and our lettuce sold out as well. I also noticed at the Cobourg market that people really read the signs, so I want to take advantage of that.
I feel like we can communicate better with our customers through the signs, at least to draw them into our booth initially.
Anyways, I am always learning at these markets.
A special shout out to Laura who organizes the Cobourg Market as she always points us in the right direction with helpful tips and suggests other vendors who can help us out. We appreciate all the help we can get!
Did I mention we sold out at the Cobourg Farmers Market? It was AMAZING! Thank you so much to those who came out to support us!
Also, great job to our son Declan, who helped me at the Cobourg market. He made a sale while I was in the washroom! I think we have a natural.
At The Field
While Declan and I were crushing it at the Cobourg Market, Jon was killing it at our field, finishing up beds and seeding.
All in all, it was a very fun and productive weekend!
We now have 7 beds seeded and a few rows of tomato transplants in our field. Jon has been spending every spare minute there, and it shows!
Microgreen Update
My shelves have arrived so I am working on a more permanent set up in the basement. I also planted more pea and radish seeds this week.
I am very disappointed in my radishes. Time to troubleshoot. My plan of attack is to just plant one tray this week and try a different watering method. Hopefully, I can figure out my problem before too long and get back into full production.
On the other hand, my pea shoots look awesome and I am really happy with how they are growing.
Miscellaneous News
Luckily, stores opened up for in-person shopping this week, making my life a little easier. I am racking my brains on how to make our display table more appealing for the Warkworth market, so I went to Dollarama for some inspiration.
I bought a few things, a table cloth, bins, burlap, to name a few and am going to try out a more ‘artsy’ display on Friday. Wish me luck!
I also have fallen way behind on my social media again. If anyone has any suggestions on how to stay on top of that, please let me know! I am definitely struggling at posting regularly.
All in all, it was a very good week, we will be at both markets again on the weekend, so that is a good thing! We even have some head lettuce to go along with our salad mix and microgreens.
Thanks for following along on our journey!
Stay Local,
Kathy & Jon
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