Baking for the Market

 

 

We have begun to sell our baking at the Farmer's Market in Fort Nelson. I sell my soap and some paintings at the market, as well.

We make cinnamon buns, always popular along the Alaskan Highway up here, sold in packs of 4 or 6. Occasionally we will sell them individually, but not often.

Lloyd usually makes the cinnamon buns and he makes the most wonderful bread! He makes the Raisin Bread and the Honey White Dinner Rolls that are called "monkeybread". 

"Monkeybread" is a common name given to groups of small buns that are pulled apart by hand. All of the things that he makes for the market are very popular and fly off the table! 

I bake the cakes and always have done. I make chocolate cake, lemon cake, cherry almond and occasionally coconut to sell at the market and I make cupcakes. I often sell half a cake as well and very occasionally I will sell a whole, round cake. 

The cupcakes and cake slices are gaining in popularity as everyone tries them. Lemon is rapidly becoming the favourite variety. They are made with real fruit, as are the cherry-almond cakes!

The baking keeps us hopping all week. I usually hit the floor running in the am Mon-Fri and start baking immediately. While whatever I'm making is rising, I can start my day and do other things. If I'm baking cakes there is no rising time, of course, but there is the baking time and the cooling time. They have to be completely cooled before I can frost them. Somewhere during this time, I make soap in another room. It's never mixed with the food prep. 

We usually take Sat and Sun off. Saturday is a given, as I am at the market all day anyway and Sunday is a rest day. Its The Lord's worship  day set aside, as well as a needed rest day for us, a day we sit and do nothing but snooze all day. No baking allowed!

We bake a large variety of things every week but they usually center around types of bread, cakes and cookies. We only make shortbread cookies. We have found that they are the only ones that sell. 

Everything considered, I like the baking. I putter at it. I'm not rushed and I can focus on all the little things that go into it. I think it's the Lord's path for us right now as things seem to be falling in place and He blesses our efforts. All we can do is pray, acknowledge him in all that we do and trust Him to guide our path.

If you are in the Fort Nelson area on a Saturday, come out and shop! The Farmer's Market is in the Elk's Lodge on the highway across from the Lamplighters and the Rec Center.