The New Year
Dear Ann,
The New Year was heralded in & after all the anticipation, excitement, love & fireworks that we had experienced there is often a feeling of ‘it’s all over’ & we settle down to a much quieter scene on the horizon.
I didn’t make one definite New Year resolution, maybe because I find it difficult to live them through! I intend to do it all right, but I look upon myself as a dismal failure on this score so maybe this year I will just read my almanac prayers each day & see if that makes a difference.
Charley & I settled down to making our Curried Zucchini Relish, giving us something positive to do. Instead of going to our local super market for ingredients we went for a look at the Harris Farm produce store. This was only in a nearby suburb, but we had heard a lot about it, so went to investigate.
At this point in time I was without a car, as my car was a complete wirte off due to the Christmas Day accident. Charley, now over the twenty five year age where this insurance clause affects who can & who can’t drive your car, was our capable driver. Knowing she had been taught by her Dad who was by the time he taught her a faultless driver I was happy to let her take the wheel.
We found Harris Farm all it was cracked up to be. Charley was all set to pick up the produce we needed in a carry basket. I had to say, “Charley we are going to need fourteen kilos of tomatoes alone” so she then took charge of a huge trolley.
As we surveyed it all I swear our profits went up by fifty percent! Almost everything was cheaper than what we had been paying. Plus huge, & I mean huge. trays of fresh strawberries for $7 for the whole tray. In the supermarket they were $3.50 for a small punnet.
I had to have a tray of those & also a tray of luscious mangoes to share, which had nothing to do with making relish! When we arrived at the frozen produce stall & saw the price of one kilo of Smoked Salmon, which we both have a strong yen for, caution was thrown to the winds: we had to have that too!
By the time we finished shopping there was no way I could even push that trolley as it was loaded with everything we needed. Plus everything we wanted & didn’t need, other than to satisfy our love for good food.
We came home, unloaded the car, sorted, chopped & weighed for the next four hours until we had enough done to make fourteen batches of relish. Charley then went home as the vegetables for our chutney has to marinate in salted water for several hours before it goes further. It was pointless Charley hanging around when she still had a lot to do in her own place after her move.
For the next two days I boiled, bottled, labelled & priced approximately 150 jars of Relish, which has been stored very compactly in my tiny laundry so that I can still get in there myself to do what one does in the laundry.
In due course this will finally be packed into the car ready for our first market at Warners Bay on the third Saturday of January. This market was held just over the road from our shopping area to The Esplanade & foreshore where the boating regatta was held last October.
After all the work, the chutney goes on sale.
I am wondering if this will be a good move or not as it does mean that thie public have to cross The Esplanade to get to the stalls. It proved to be excellent in October but that was a special event so I am looking at the positive & hoping it will be a move in the right direction as this is one of our best markets.
We are learning by experience where to shop. Also little things about marketing: what to do with our displays to make one it more alluring etc.& also where to get involved in more good markets.
We are experiencing a very hot summer so I am just hoping that the intense heat of the day will not keep our customers away. We are keeping our fingers crossed.
The other great thing that happened soon into the New Year was that David acquired a vehicle for me. He actually found it on the net on Boxing Day, contacted the owner & organised for me to take delivery as soon as I received the insurance for my other car.
I now have in my garage a beautiful white 2008 Holden Astra which has been kept in pristine condition & I am truly thrilled with it.
I was so nervous when David & I went to pick up the car you would not believe. I have always considered myself a very courteous driver, but now I am letting anything with more than two wheels go past me before I act.
Heaps of love. Dawn O X O X.