Farmers Market Reports
Beekeeper notes on the seasonal happenings, local harvests, and community stories from my favorite farmers market at Eisenhower Park.
The Nose Always Knows Best
One little soap saver bag started a conversation about scent, handmade soap, tea, and the simple moments that make a rainy farmers market unforgettable.
What is that smell?
Context is everything, but “What is that smell?” may be my favorite question to hear at the Backyard Bees table. No matter how someone asks it, I almost never know the answer.
Their nose does.
Today a customer walked up to the table with a smile on her face and asked, “Do you sell a yellow soap that smells like lemongrass? I am OBSESSED!”
Turns out she’d purchased a few of our pre-filled soap saver bags—those little sisal bags stuffed with soap scraps and shavings from our full-size bars. They’re one of my favorite products because they’re completely waste-free, and every bag is a surprise. (You never know exactly what’s inside until your nose tells you.)
She’d become determined to identify that fresh, citrusy scent hiding among the soap shavings. Luckily, I had one lonely bar of Dandelion Poppy Soap tucked behind the display, so her lemongrass mystery had a very happy ending.
The nose knows.
Another customer spent weeks solving her own soap mystery. Every Saturday she’d stop by, pick up another soap saver bag, smell every full-size bar on the table, and wonder, “Is this the one?”
Eventually she found her favorite.
Green Tea & Turmeric.
Her nose just took the scenic route.
Another customer walked by and swore she could smell the Secret Garden tea blend from SerendipiTEA. I absolutely love a cup of Secret Garden—it’s an herbal blend of chamomile, mint, rooibos, and other herbs—but honestly, I can’t smell it through the packaging.
She could.
The nose knows.
Then there was the customer returning for the first time since last season, looking specifically for our Fresh Deodorant. It’s scented with lemongrass too, and she’d stocked up before winter. Unfortunately, we’d sold out.
It’s been a hot summer with temperatures reaching 100 degrees, so…you know what her nose knew.
The Market Story
Beyond our table, the market had its own fragrance.
The air smelled like summer rain waiting to happen. Thunderstorms weren’t expected until evening, but the skies were already growing darker, the clouds heavier. It wasn’t a bad smell at all. It was the smell that quietly set the stage for the entire market.
Business moved a little slower than usual—and honestly, that wasn’t such a bad thing. Even though we eventually closed an hour early because of the weather, people lingered, chatted, asked questions, and enjoyed the slower pace.
Two Brothers Farm had the prettiest pale yellow sunflower bouquets. Their scent was light, fresh, and unmistakably summer.
Today’s market theme was National Ice Cream Day, so naturally everyone was talking toppings. One customer described a jar of honey poured over mixed nuts that he’d discovered on a trip to Tunisia. A little sweet. A little crunchy. Drizzled over pure vanilla ice cream?
Now that’s an idea worth bringing home.
Across the field, one of my favorite small family businesses, Pam’s Jamz, offered about a million more possibilities. I can’t get enough of her Pineapple Habanero Jam stirred into plain non-fat yogurt. It’s sweet with just enough zing to keep me coming back for another spoonful. I can only imagine what it would do to a bowl of vanilla ice cream.
And then there’s Schneider’s Farm—for the purists.
Fresh peaches.
Personally, I like warm fruit over ice cream. Just thinking about it was enough to cool me off for a minute, because the humidity had become…well…sticky.
Around noon the wind picked up.
The scent of rain grew stronger.
Then came the downpour.
The thunder.
The lightning.
Thankfully, by then most of you had already headed home with your honey, your soap, your peaches, and maybe even a mystery scent tucked inside one of our soap saver bags.
Funny how that works.
Sometimes your eyes decide what to buy.
But at the farmers market…
The nose always knows best.
Looking Ahead
I’m not sure what the theme of next week’s market will be, but I DO have a hot tip from Two Brothers Farm….fresh tomatoes should be ready next week!
Meanwhile, let’s see what next market brings.
Continue Exploring
A Real Farmers Market at Eisenhower Park what makes the farmers market at Eisenhower park so special to me; find links to all the market reports here
Healthy Conversations last week’s market report
The Soap Saver Bag Story read more about the $5 surprise everyone loves
