market day...what I saw, what I bought
As you all remember, last Saturday I went wandering down to the Fullarton Community Centre where the annual plants, arts and crafts market was on.
I remembered the first time I went, it was quite a small event, a few tents and stalls laid out in the carpark.......this year it was quite a bit larger. Actually a lot larger.
It took me at least an hour to walk around looking at stalls to see what there was, I had a bit of a look at stuff, then I did a slower circuit and really looked, especially at the book stalls. There were only two and as I looked through the books on offer I was surprised by how many I had already read.
I didn't take my granny trolley as I wasn't planning on buying anything or maybe just a small thing or two....
Let's just say next year I'll be taking the granny trolley.
And more money.
There were many, many stalls with jewellery, some homemade and very nicely presented, some that looked a lot like one of those glittery Asian stalls at Central Market had uprooted itself and settled in the carpark, several bakery stalls, one with fruit pies such as cherry, apple, apricot, but the pastry looked very solid, thick and chunky, (my mum would have said chainsaw pastry) I doubt my teeth would have been able to bite through it, so I didn't buy any.
Plenty of stalls with cards, ribbons and little things of the scrapbooky type to make greeting cards or something, I didn't look closely as I'm not interested in those.
Another stall had these....
jelly cakes!! I haven't seen these in yonks, so of course I bought some, they were sold as you see them here, a plate of four for $5. I ate two with a cup of coffee straight after taking this photo and hours later I was still picking coconut out of my teeth, but it was worth it. These were freshly made, with real cream. So yummy!
Behind the jelly cakes you'll notice two jars of jam...
strawberry&rhubarb and raspberry&rhubarb...woo-hoo!! I've been looking for home made raspberry&rhubarb since the jar I bought at Semaphore one summer was so very tasty. I think this might be from the same people, but I can't be sure. Anyway, I overheard the woman telling another customer this would (might?) be their last year at the market...so I bought both jars of jam instead of trying to choose between them. The raspberry seeds will cause me grief, wonder if I can strain them out?
It was very cloudy when I left home and I'd expected it to stay that way, but the sun had come out while I was browsing, so I tried to stay under shelter since I didn't have my hat with me, I briefly thought about buying one from one of the stalls, but I have three, so...no.
I found a stall selling hand-made-from-camphor-wood chopping blocks in assorted shapes and sizes, they had a box with "rejects" that were marked down, so I rummaged through and they all looked fine to me, I could see marks that meant they weren't perfect, but I've seen worse in shops like K-Mart.....then under a few I found this....
cute little chopping block/cheeseboard/slab of wood....30cm long and only 15cm at its widest point.
My hands wouldn't put it down!
I had to have it.
It lives now beside my computer, the perfect resting place for my coffee mug.
When I flip it over......
it looks totally different.
It's very lightweight, only 1cm thick.
The seller recommended I oil it a couple of times a year with a vegetable grade oil such as grapeseed, I asked will olive oil do and she said okay, but I haven't done that yet. It will enhance the colours and protect the wood, but since I'm only using it for my coffee mug and not chopping anything on it I think it will be fine. I've never oiled a chopping board in my life.
I looked at a few clothing stalls, slowed down as I passed the sausage sizzle and breathed in deeply, I love the smell of onions on a barbecue!
I walked really slowly around stalls that had potplants for sale, I wanted to buy so many of them, but have no place to put them, my front porch is tiny and too hot.
I started getting tired after my knee went painfully clicky for the umpteenth time, so decided to head home. Besides, the books I'd bought were feeling heavy. The jam too.
aha! A Tami Hoag that I haven't read yet, Deeper Than the Dead, (there's probably lots of Tami Hoag's that I haven't read yet), The Secret Lives of Dresses, by Erin McKean, hadn't heard of her either, but I'd read about the book in a newspaper review a long time ago, The Stone Angel by Katherine Scholes, I've never heard of her...the story is set in Tasmania and a 10th anniversary edition of For Better or Worse cartoons in excellent condition.
Altogether a fantastic day out and I will do it again next year.
I remembered the first time I went, it was quite a small event, a few tents and stalls laid out in the carpark.......this year it was quite a bit larger. Actually a lot larger.
It took me at least an hour to walk around looking at stalls to see what there was, I had a bit of a look at stuff, then I did a slower circuit and really looked, especially at the book stalls. There were only two and as I looked through the books on offer I was surprised by how many I had already read.
I didn't take my granny trolley as I wasn't planning on buying anything or maybe just a small thing or two....
Let's just say next year I'll be taking the granny trolley.
And more money.
There were many, many stalls with jewellery, some homemade and very nicely presented, some that looked a lot like one of those glittery Asian stalls at Central Market had uprooted itself and settled in the carpark, several bakery stalls, one with fruit pies such as cherry, apple, apricot, but the pastry looked very solid, thick and chunky, (my mum would have said chainsaw pastry) I doubt my teeth would have been able to bite through it, so I didn't buy any.
Plenty of stalls with cards, ribbons and little things of the scrapbooky type to make greeting cards or something, I didn't look closely as I'm not interested in those.
Another stall had these....
Behind the jelly cakes you'll notice two jars of jam...
It was very cloudy when I left home and I'd expected it to stay that way, but the sun had come out while I was browsing, so I tried to stay under shelter since I didn't have my hat with me, I briefly thought about buying one from one of the stalls, but I have three, so...no.
I found a stall selling hand-made-from-camphor-wood chopping blocks in assorted shapes and sizes, they had a box with "rejects" that were marked down, so I rummaged through and they all looked fine to me, I could see marks that meant they weren't perfect, but I've seen worse in shops like K-Mart.....then under a few I found this....
My hands wouldn't put it down!
I had to have it.
It lives now beside my computer, the perfect resting place for my coffee mug.
When I flip it over......
It's very lightweight, only 1cm thick.
The seller recommended I oil it a couple of times a year with a vegetable grade oil such as grapeseed, I asked will olive oil do and she said okay, but I haven't done that yet. It will enhance the colours and protect the wood, but since I'm only using it for my coffee mug and not chopping anything on it I think it will be fine. I've never oiled a chopping board in my life.
I looked at a few clothing stalls, slowed down as I passed the sausage sizzle and breathed in deeply, I love the smell of onions on a barbecue!
I walked really slowly around stalls that had potplants for sale, I wanted to buy so many of them, but have no place to put them, my front porch is tiny and too hot.
I started getting tired after my knee went painfully clicky for the umpteenth time, so decided to head home. Besides, the books I'd bought were feeling heavy. The jam too.
Altogether a fantastic day out and I will do it again next year.
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The little board is gorgeous and just the right size for a coffee cup. What a haul.
ReplyDeleteYes, lack of a granny cart. I took all three of my charges to an art festival yesterday. Fortunately the girls bought jewelry, and Hamilton's purchase fit in his pocket, and I had all those hands to carry my purchases--to the very back of the parking lot, it was that crowded. About a quarter of a mile. Probably good for me.
ReplyDeleteRaspberry and rhubarb has to be to die for.
Oh wow. What an absolute treasure trove of a market.
ReplyDeleteSomeone could probably make a killing with a stall selling granny carts...
Love your purchases. All of them.
I get great pleasure from paying an outrageous price for a special jar of jam. It always tastes so good if it was terribly expensive.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like it was a very good market.
I love a good scout round a market. Now that I have a stall, I don't get much of a chance to do so, except during a quick dash to to loos, and even then, the market grounds are too large to really peruse at a glance.
ReplyDeleteI've never had a jelly cake. They look really yum.
And, there's nothing at all like good home made jams - especially anything with rhubarb.
That board really is a sweet bargain! I've only used wooden cutting boards all my life. They develop a certain character as they age.
I used to apply grapeseed, but olive oil is just fine now. Rub the board lightly when it appears to get dry, and buff it off.
I also treat my lovely olive wood mortar and pestles the same.
The olive oil has never "gone rancid" as some may claim.
*Although, if you're keeping it by the computer and not using it in the kitchen, you probably don't need to oil it at all, as it most likely was originally oiled by the maker. You may get coffee cup rings on it, but, that just adds to the character - if you don't mind the look.
I like your book selection. Will some of the cartoons make it to "Whimsical Wednesdays" do you think?
All in all, sounds like a great day. Hope your knee recovered soon after you got home.
How did you keep your food so crisp and fresh ALLL the way home? Your finds look so fun. I think the tired feeling you got after all that walk was worth it.
ReplyDeleteDelores; it's the perfect addition to my "working" corner.
ReplyDeleteJoanne; it's handy having minions to fetch and carry, next time I'll definitely take my trolley.
Elephant's Child; it's a great little market, such a lot packed into a small area.
Andrew; the jams were cheap, only $5 per jar and they're a good size, 300grams each, so well worth the money.
Vicki; jelly cakes are similar to lamingtons, they're cup cakes dipped in unset jelly, then rolled in coconut, when they have set, turn upside down, slice off the base, fill with whipped cream, then replace the base which is now the cap.
The board hasn't been oiled by the maker and I don't know what to use to apply oil, sponge? cloth? paper towel? then what do I buff it with? I'll just leave it natural, like all my bigger chopping boards. My ex oiled one of my best boards once and it dried sticky, I spent months trying to wash it clean, but it remained sticky and I ended up tossing it in the recycling bin.I was so cross with him, I'd had that board for years. I tried plastic boards once, they smelled awful within just a few weeks and I went back to wood.
Happy Elf Christine; The only foods I bought were two jars of jam and the plate of jelly cakes, no worries about keeping things crisp and fresh at all, I live an easy ten minute walk from that once-a-year market.It's a different matter when I do regular grocery shopping, still only five minutes walk, but I take an insulated zipped bag inside my granny trolley to keep dairy, veg and fruit cool and fresh until I get home.
I love markets but Boo always insists on coming with me and I never get a chance to really LOOK at anything.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you got yourself some bargains!
Your ex might have used linseed oil. Dries tacky.
ReplyDeleteYou really shouldn't need to oil it, but, if you want to try at some stage, you can just dab a little paper towel into a v.small amount of olive oil, leave for a few minutes and then buff off - I just use a soft tea towel or (clean) rag to buff it.
What a wonderful adventure and I too love the things you bought especially the jams. I do envy you being able to walk around like that though. Perhaps when (or if) the weather in Perth ever cools down I may take my walker and find something similar but will have to check local papers as am so out of touch with what happens 'out there'.
ReplyDeleteThat little board is a knock out. We used to use linseed oil but not on chopping boards; not sure what on now. Must have been in the long distant past. :)
Some delicious, and, pretty finds River (I like that board too!)and the moral to the story is....always take a hat and the granny trolley!
ReplyDeleteNever leave home without your granny cart! I've done that a couple of times thinking I'll just pick up a couple of things at the shop or library, then have to struggle home with several heavy bags.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful eclectic selection of goodies you picked up. I love it when a market exceeds expectations. Sadly these days a lot of them are full of generic crap or lots of "those glittery Asian stalls at Central Market had uprooted itself and settled in the carpark". I see that you bought books (my achilles heel at markets) - the Katherine Scholes one is a good read. She always researches her books so well.
And jelly cakes! They look scrumptious and sometimes you just have to throw caution to the wind and buy things like this. I used to love them when I was little. Now I'll have to make them (if I can find jelly, that is) I'll haul out mum's recipe later.
And the jams look great. That's given me an idea for this year's crop of rhubarb and raspberries. Last year I was swamped with both and I'm still eating the ones I froze. I did make a lovely spicy rhubarb chutney which everyone loved, but never thought of jam.
I don't like your chances of deseeding the jam. I can recall doing it one year to make a seedless jam and it took forever with a sieve and a wooden spoon.
I could feast upon a couple of those jelly cakes right now!
ReplyDeleteThe jam looks delicious, too. I used to make a lot of different jams, once, but haven't done so for a few years now. I did make a big batch of marmalade last year, though.
We have rows of rhubarb growing here on this property. I
Those cakes look pretty good I would have to eat them at once too.
ReplyDeleteMerle.........
I love such lively blog of your - it is like taking us on the trip with you too. It is a great style. Maybe you should try write short stories in a first person narrative style, very effective.
ReplyDelete