A Moose, a Goose, and a Fox

Three days last week I was startled by wildlife stepping out from behind tall grass or woods onto the road in front of me while I was riding my bicycle.

First, a pair of Canadian geese too startled to honk. I got past them before they regained their wits. I have to admit the phrase "wild goose chase" came to mind.

Next a moose. I wish I had pictures. It was a little eerie how quiet he was for such a big guy! We watched each other for a while before he slipped back into the woods. Exhilarating.

And, finally, a fox ran across the road in town, followed by a bunch of crows yelling at it. Awesome way to start the day!

These encounters got me thinking about inspiration. Whether drawn from nature, from the people in my community, or from within, it's worth taking a moment to be thankful for inspiration, the opportunity to be creative, and the ability to experience the simple things that bring so much joy and beauty into life.

It was a busy week again last week. Maine's "waking up" for the summer season. We sent out a package to Rocky Acres Farm Stand in York, ME. We are also printing and sewing tea towels, napkins, and produce bags for more wholesale orders going out this week. 

The Vintage Bazaar at Pettingill Farm in Salisbury, MA is coming right up: June 22 and 23, 2013. It is open from 10am to 5pm each day. There is a $5 admission fee (children free) and free parking. 125 artisans and crafters will be there, including a bunch of Mainers: On the Round, Quench Metalworks, AP Floorcloth Design, and Madder Root. If you are in the area, please stop by and say hello!

In the meantime, you can reach us by commenting (below), checking out our facebook page or sending a convo through our Etsy shop.

Hope your week's a good one!

Egg-citing!

Ok, lame title, but you have to admit, these are pretty awesome looking eggs.

Eggs

Got them at the Orono Farmers' Market on Saturday, along with some New Ace pepper plants (mine didn't survive the cold frame experiment), some frozen chicken pot pies (for company) and some goat cheese that I added to some pasta and fresh veggies for lunch.

More eggs

I was going to talk more about the Maine Women's Fund luncheon, but I'm still kicking around some ideas from the other women who spoke. I want to give it the attention it deserves.

Instead, I want to mention that we've partnered with Aube of the home cooking video blog "Kitchen Vignettes" for a June (2013) giveaway. To be eligible for a Farmers Market set of 4 produce bags, you'll need to check out her blog and either leave a comment saying why you'd like to win the giveaway or go to her facebook page and share the giveaway photo on your page. The full details are listed on her blog. You'll get really cool recipes and cooking tips as well, so definitely check it out!

Farmers Market Collection Set of 4 Produce Bags

We also had a chance to talk with Louis Bassano and Jim McConnon at the Penobscot County Cooperative Extension. Very helpful in answering some questions on the business side of things. Busy week!

Other than that, we're getting ready for Vintage Bazaar at Pettingill Farm the end of the month (June 22-23), and sending out wholesale orders. Last week, we sent another bundle of tea towels, napkins, and produce bags to Conklin's Maine Mercantile in Belfast, ME.

As always, you can find us at our facebook page or Etsy shop.

Hope your week's a good one!

Maine Women's Fund Luncheon

Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to speak at the Maine Women's Fund Leadership Luncheon in Portland, ME.

Though I generally consider myself to be a behind-the-scenes kind of a person, I was honored to be asked to represent Women, Work, and Community for the event and to speak about our (Madder Root's) experience in receiving a mini-grant through the Maine Women's Fund.

Plus, it was a chance to get dressed up - a rare occurrence these days!

Here I am with Jane Searles, my friend and mentor. She's the regional manager for the Bangor Region of WWC.

Janyce and Jane Searles of WWC

Here are some of the women from WWC at our table. Jane won the table prize, which was a coaster from the artist Ann Taintor. Darn! I missed it by one seat!

Front: Karen, Jane, Janyce, Gigi; Back: Alyra, Gilda, Jenn, Cyndi

The mini-grant we received helped us purchase advertising space in the MOF&G, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association's newspaper to let people know we were going to be at the Common Ground Fair. We blogged about it, briefly, here.

I'm learning about how to make an MP3, so if that turns out well, I'll record my speech and post it.

In the meantime, I'd like to thank Jane Searles and Eloise Vitelli of Women, Work and Community for asking me to speak and Sonya Tomlinson of Maine Women's Fund and Peter Munro for helping me with my speech and supporting me through the process.

This post doesn't even touch upon how inspiring the event was. I'll save that for next time. I will say, though, I was honored to share the stage with many powerful, courageous, and creative women.

We also sent out packages to our friends at Minka in Kennebunkport, ME, Treats, in Wiscasset, ME, and Under The Dogwood Tree in Southwest Harbor, ME this past week. We hope, if you're in any of these areas, you'll stop by and say hello for us!

You can also follow us on our facebook page or contact us through our Etsy shop.

Hope your week's a great one!

Pizza Palooza

After a few months of slacking off making homemade pizza, it was on the menu twice this week. The first was kale pesto pizza with tomatoes, onion, and kalamata olives. Gotta love that green-green kale!

Kale Pesto Pizza Ready for the Oven

Fiddleheads (tips of ferns) are in season for just a short time in Maine and are a sure sign of spring. Got some at the Orono Farmer's Market on Saturday.

Fiddleheads

BF and I grilled them with just a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and onions. Everything tastes that much better on the grill!

Fiddleheads and Onions on the Grill

 Then we topped the pizza dough with a homemade red sauce, the fiddleheads, onions, and some feta cheese. Simple, but so yummy!

Pizza Topped with Fiddleheads, Onions, and Feta

Here's the pizza fresh out of the oven. (It didn't last long). The fiddleheads look dark, but they had a nice, grilled taste, with a crispy freshness that's hard to describe in words. Simple ingredients. Big flavor!

Fiddlehead Pizza Fresh from the Oven

Got a favorite pizza recipe to share? Let us know about it in the comment section or on our facebook page.

Last week, we sent a couple packages of tea towels, napkins, and produce bags out to Casual Interiors, in Boothbay Harbor, ME and Lisa-Marie's Made in Maine. Her stores are in Bath and Portland, ME. You can also find us online at our Etsy shop.

This week, Janyce will be speaking at the Maine Women's Fund Leadership luncheon in Portland, ME on Thursday. Should be a fun time! More about that in next week's post.

Hope you have a fabulous week!

Peaceful Bike Ride

Something peaceful about starting the day with a bike ride. I always love the fog lifting off the river.

Didn't see any deer this morning. Usually, they're in the fields or on the bike path. I've learned to "snort" to get them to move out of the way. Otherwise, they just stand there staring.

Nothing much new in the gardens. Still waiting for the lupine to bloom.

 Anyway, off to do some sewing. We're getting ready to send out some orders this week. We'll post those on our facebook page, once they've gone out. You can also find us any time at our Etsy shop.

Hope your week's a good one!

Vibrancy

The word for the day: vibrancy. It's spring. The sun's out and warm. The plants are growing in leaps and bounds. Some have bloomed, adding color to the yard's palette. Bees are buzzing. Lawn mowers are revving up. Gardens are being dug (at least at my house!). Nice to be able to get some yard work done this weekend before the mosquitoes and black flies join in the fray. Here are some pictures from the week:

Bleeding Heart's bloomed.

Herbs from the local greenhouse.

Shallots are in the ground.

Astilbe's gaining foliage.

We sent a big package of towels, napkins, and produce bags to Conklin's Maine Mercantile last week. We also heard that Lisa Marie's Made in Maine has expanded their Bath store, so we hope you'll stop in to say hello for us. Janyce was also invited to speak at a Maine Women's Fund leadership luncheon on May 23, 2013 so stay tuned for more news about that.

If you'd like to know more about us, please check out our facebook page or stop by our Etsy shop.

Hope your week's a good one!

Sun's Coming Up

The sun's coming up on the container garden.

The kale's looking strong.

The basil's looking and smelling yummy.

The shallots are ready to go into the ground some time this week. It's tough taking a good picture of those, so here are the daffodils instead! They'll be in full bloom this week as well.

We got tea towels out to Betsy's Sunflower in Brooklin, ME last week. She's opening shop on April 30th. We also sent a bundle of towels to Bowerbird and Friends, in Peterborough, NH, a package of towels and produce bags to Archipelago (The Island Institute Store), in Rockland, ME, and stopped by Conklin's Maine Mercantile in Belfast, ME with some whale tea towels (we'll be shipping Garry more items this week). If you're in any of these areas, we do hope you'll stop by and say hello for us!

If you'd like to check out our Etsy Shop or like us on facebook, that's cool, too. We'd love to hear from you!

Hope your week's a good one.