Our Saturday (Farmer's Market day) started at 5:00am. Before the sun was up my sister and I loaded the Jeep with artisan bread, gourmet cookies and our high hopes. We have just started a small bakery from our home, we have a license from our state Agriculture Department to cook from our personal kitchen. Friday was spent getting our flyers printed and of course baking the goods. Jeep loaded we were on our way.
At 5:00 am my patience is low, especially when my young daughters allowed me only 3 hours of sleep. Knowing that we would be dealing with veteran farmers, I was in no mood to be patronized by being called "whippersnapper" or "young lady"...NO MOOD. I also did not want to be told "If you had arrived earlier, you would have had a stall in the main building. You can sell your stuff in the parking lot." On the five minute drive I informed my sister of the consequences these comments would merit. We were prepared for the worst.
We arrived, letting my sister make the first contact to ask where we could set up, I sat in the Jeep practicing my foreboding speech...just in case. The Vice President,who was a sweet as sugar, informed my sister to "just back our Jeep into the small stall next to him"...great Whippersnapper Test 1. I could just see the thoughts of the veteran farmers, "That young lady is going to wreck the building," "Whippersnappers always trying to mess with something perfect," and "They are not even farmers." Well we passed, Jeep parked we went to set up.
At 5:15 am we were met with Whippersnapper Test 2...pick out a table. The choices were a 6 foot long table or a 4 foot long table, having a small amount we made our choice. We gained a 4 foot table but lost valuable street cred among the veterans; everyone else had chosen a 6 footer to display their items. We soon found that there is one rule...tables are provided, but mandatory tablecloth NOT provided. Another test won; we had brought a tablecloth. By 5:50 am we were set up and ready to sell, and so were all the other veteran farmers. As we looked around we realized "we were definitely the young whippersnappers."
6:00 am Our hopes were high, being the only vendor with a business name, artisan bread and gourmet cookies.
6:05 am Our hopes dashed by a seasoned vendor with a craving for fried pies.
6:15 am Impromptu Emergency Business Meeting
6:17 am Decision made...we need to get a fried pie recipe.
And so begins our Fried Pie Summer!
