Today's Adventures

[ysabetwordsmith]

Today we went out to Mattoon, Illinois in search of evening farmer's markets.


There was a listing for one at a park with food trucks, but nothing was there, likely due to an outdated listing.

The one at Warren James Winery was open. There were three booths, none of which had food. (I have noticed a dwindling distinction between farmer's markets selling food and craft markets selling other things.) The first was just baseball hats and costume jewelry.

Woke Wenye Body Lotions had samples of several versions based on shea butter. The Nag Champa has a nice scent. Next batch of lotions should be ready in about 4 weeks. Custom scents are available in addition to the standard ones.

Asili Cosmetic Solutions offered three different handmade soaps. Olive Branch is a soft green color, made with olive oil. Baker's Chocolate is brown with a faint cocoa scent, made with tallow. Harvest Season is beige with a sweet spicy scent, made with lard. You can make soap with a wide range of fats, but the type influences the texture of the soap and its lather. Most plant soaps yield a lighter lather while animal fats give a rich, creamy lather. We got samples of Olive Branch and Harvest Season. And spend about half an hour just talking with the folks at the booth about soap, local and nearby restaurants and stores, Chicago, Detroit ... it was fun. You never know who you'll meet at a farmer's market, and if they're not busy you can just stand there and chat.

This is how we found out that Charleston now has an Indian restaurant, Mint Indian Cuisine. Looking at their menu, it's more expensive than our usual range, but they do have keema naan which is a favorite at a somewhat more affordable price.

It has been a fun day.

Comments

[spiralsheep]

Sounds a fun wander. The random encounters with interesting people are my favourite aspect of being out and about.

I'm now imagining farmers growing baseball caps on hat trees. I mean, shoe trees grow shoes, amirite? ;-)

Nag Champa is my favourite incense blend. I recently tried Myddfai's Sinsir Twym (Warm Ginger) and the skin scent was fabulous, although the range wasn't suitable for me. Don't think I'd like a choc fragrance - too tempting.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> The random encounters with interesting people are my favourite aspect of being out and about.<<

It doesn't happen often for me, but when it does, it's wonderful.

>> I'm now imagining farmers growing baseball caps on hat trees. I mean, shoe trees grow shoes, amirite? <<

LOL yes.

That would make a good children's book -- seeing things at a farmer's market and imagining how they would grow in a field.

>> Nag Champa is my favourite incense blend. <<

It's one of my favorites too.

[magid]

There’s a bit in the book The Gift Moves about battery trees (mulched with chopped dead batteries, of course). ...

*laugh*

[ysabetwordsmith]

Now there's quite an image.