Blairsville Farmer's Market

[summerose]

shortcircuit said:

Is anyone selling okra there yet? It may be too early for it yet, I'm going to freeze some since I always start craving it around Christmas.

I love fried okra! It is one of my favs.

[honeybee]

The market was a success again and growing faster every weekend.

Got a free head of cabbage from Freddie & crew. It will make 3 or 4 meals so I am chopping it up and freezing it for this winter.

Our cucumbers and squash are taking over the garden so we took some and sold them yesterday, better than letting them go to waste.

My hubby has several pumpkins and watermelons growing in the garden and he is a proud papa.

Probably going to take some hens next week to the marketplace and sell them, it is getting closer to fall and I don't want to have to feed them all winter.

All of the different choices at the market is great. There was a new vendor with organic veggies and they had some beautiful carrots. I didn't even get to look at them before they were gone.

I have noticed several bushes and plants also leaving with smiling owners.

My college football foe and his wife came by to visit, we each got our football digs in at each other and discussed listening to XM for the upcoming season of broadcast, when we can't be at home in the recliner.

I believe that this is such a huge success that Union County will have to find a larger spot next year. We are outgrowing the courthouse parking lot and it's great.

[honeybee]

Made it through another farmer's market.
Got there at 6:10 to get a small shady spot.
They are already having growing pains and irritating a few people with their rule changes in the middle of everything, now that it is somewhat established. I predict next year it will be in a larger area. It's had a great response and turn out.

If you haven't been you really need to go. I got home Saturday and fixed me some fresh snapped beans and had some fried okra and squash. YUM!!!!!

The honey business is still doing great. So is the soap and I have to take more chickens next week because they are in demand.

I have gotten to meet several old friends, classmates and several new friends from the online forums.

Lot's of new vendors every week and plenty of veggies to go around.

If my husband brings home anymore corn you will be reading about me in the arrest report for beating him to death with a sack of corn. We have corn coming out our ears.

Freddie and crew have given me several huge heads of cabbage that I am chopping up and freezing for this winter.

Met up with a friend and got a hog ordered to go to the NEW OWNERS of Chamber's Slaughterhouse. So it will be fresh pork for this winter. Deer season will be starting soon and I have another friend who is setting us up with some bear meat.

Someday's I feel like the grasshopper and some day's I feel like the ant.

[honeybee]

Just in case anyone is interested or cares, I will only be bringing a small amount of soap to the Farmer's Market for the last 2 weekends. I have major shows coming up and have to stock up.

We will still have Wildflower and Sourwood honey and some beeswax. PLUS CHICKENS!!!!!!

[queenbee]

I am back and here's the latest Farmers Market update:

Finally made it home from market and this little piggie is tired. It was so hot, that I got the critters feed and told grumpy bee I was going to take a shower.



Sold all the chickens and banty's then lilred turned around and bought another guinea, now we have three. She wanted to trade her chickens for some different ones and I said NO! Now I know she's mu daughter but the girl could sell sand in the desert. The other person that was there trying to sell chickens ended up buying my rooster and 4 hens.



Got to see Mac and then he got to come back for a fender bender. Second one since July. Mac is so thoughtful, he brought me a newspaper article on the Ga. Bulldogs. I placed it under the cage for my chickens to read.



Visited with the wonderful Mr. Jenks and his lovely wife, he was giving me a hard time as usual and I looked really hard but didn't see the gatormobile. I will just bet that his wife won't ride in it. He was looking really sporty in his golfing hat and shades.



Had several repeats and got to see Dietrich Smith. Haven't seen her in years and she looks really good. Some of us just never age.



Got to Shadow and Mrs. Shadow, they really like my honey. I will have to get him to do some endorsements for me. Got Mrs. Shadow to say nore than 5 words and she is a really nice person. Of course she has to be a good person cause she married Shadow.



Several repeats from weeks past.



Now here it is 91 degrees, hotter than the fires of hell, black asphalt, noontime and I look up and see Miz. Maddy standing there looking cool as a cucumber, I just don't think she has any sweat glands at all. I am going to have to take dressing lessons from her. She look's really good and we were both glad that we survived the High School Musical Debute.



All in all it turned out really well, I am tired. I forget how early 5:00 in the morning is until later tonight and it will hit me.



Got to go make more soap. And have to put up more corn, okra and tomatoes.



Now I distinctly telling everyone in my car this morning that we weren't going to get any more veggies but who can resist fresh ones.



PS: One of the vendors is going to be a mommy, snaps to her. Guess it's time to get out the crochet thread and start on a blanket.



Love ya'll

[queenbee]

I also re-read the farmers market rules and it stated they were going to be open through September. We will be there through the first of September and then will be at various other shows. If it's ok with the Marshall and admin I will post out show locations so I can sell everyone some honey and soap.

Just think how sweet you will be and smelling good.

[queenbee]

Well, we survived another one, whew, I am tired.

It wasn't busy but the produce folks did really good. I told Freddie and crew to let folks know that they can chop up and freeze the cabbage. Those cabbage heads are really big ad the only way you can eat a whole one is too have a big family or a family reunion. We thawed out some that I had frozen and it cooked up really good. Ya'll remember that.

This was our last weekend there until next year. We will be doing the Mountain Marketplace after that and then Vogel and then Clermont. In October we do Maysville, Blue Ridge for 2 weekends and then in November I do the Mistletoe Market.

It was overcast today and nice to work in.

After that we had to go to Peachtree and pull 23 honey supers. The bad thing was that the Johnson grass was as tall as I was. We had to weed-eat before we could pull supers. Let me tell you there were about 10,000 bees in the air when we left and they were not happy. Plus the sun decides to come out while I am in full suit.

When we got back to the Funny Farm to unload supers I decided just to keep my shorts and tank top on while blowing the bes out of the supers. I was very, very brave. Had to remove the black headband becuase theyw ere trying to sting it but they didn't bother my black tank top. Strange because bees do not like the color black. Anyway, we got the supers in the honey house and the trailer unloaded, got showers, made chili and took lilred to the lake for a while. Now I am getting ready to watch God's Warrior's again to see what I missed.

PS....... Mayfield now has coconut cake ice cream with chunks of cake, icing and seems like a lemon cheescake streak through it, with an overall coconut tast. Just Heaven.

[Justin Melick]

I cannot believe that you have racist bees!

[queenbee]

HAHA Justinm.

They don't like the color black, no one knoes why, but my hubby say's that he thinks he has to be bred into them from black bears attacking the hives.

That's why beekeepers wear white.

If you ever notice when they do the Discovery Channel or Nat Geo channel special on killer bees the guys are always dressed in black and swinging a rag in the air?
Every beekeeper knows those are 2 things you don't do around any type of bee, any kind of rapid movement will cause them (any bee) to go into a frenzy and they don't like the color black.

[queenbee]

Well the newspaper article has me a recognized figure in the big city of Blairsville. The farmer's market was steady but slow but I think it was because the season has started for rec ball and all of the stuff for the younger teams are in the morning.

Still lot's of produce and it look's really good. So all of you had better go get some.

This is a good thing and we all need to support it. It gives all of the local people a place to sell their stuff and is also a good place for old fashioned "meetin & greetin" no e-mail, cell phones or long distance calls. It's wonderful, folks just standing around talking and discussing, visiting and reminiscing, discussing the old and the new. I LOVE IT!

[shortcircuit]

Sounds like it is doing good bee. I have always thought that a permanent farmers market would do good here. It would help our local economy alot, it shouldn't cost much to put up a big metal building on county property somewhere, considering how high our taxes are I'm sure money isn't a problem for the county. Charge a small rent to the people who use it and it would pay for itself in a couple years. In the winter people could rent it out and use it for indoor yard sales and lots of other things.

[shortcircuit]

Is anyone selling apples there bee? That would save me a trip down to merciar's in Blue Ridge.

[queenbee]

I haven't seen any apples. A friend of mine was going to bring me some apples but they were bad and still on the tree.

I hope the apple orchards do good. i priced a bag of apples at the grocery store and they were almost $5.00 a bag.

[wranger]

$5! There was be a local special option apple tax in place.
To build roads and benefit the children of course....

[queenbee]

Heard an ad on the radio that the apple houses in Ellijay are ready for business so you might want to check there. I plan on heading down that way in the next couple of weeks.