Today's Adventures
Mar. 7th, 2025 11:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithWe went out today and got !!WOWL00T!! The main focus was visiting Dad, but I wanted to catch an event too. It's going to take me hours to sort through all the swag, so this is a partial post, then I'll come back and edit it or maybe put the vendors in a separate post.
EDIT 3/8/25 -- I finished posting about the vendors and swag here.
First we got lunch at Vita's. I love their shrimp tacos.
Then we went to the Arthur Home & Garden Expo. I didn't really have detailed expectations because we've never gone to it before. I thought maybe there would be a handful of folks who make sheds or do house repair stuff, and the local nurseries selling cold-season stuff like pots. When we got there, it was was huge room plus an extra side room and back room, and someone had hauled an entire greenhouse to stick on the other side. Plus a tent on the front that I think they turned into an auxiliary kitchen. Most of the stuff was home repair or improvement, some outdoor things like paving and fences, but also some household goods and other random things. Had I found that event page, I would've been a lot better prepared, but I found on the community calendar with a simple listing. Next year we will know.
Arthur has the best community calendar of the places I found when I searched for spring events. It's got stuff through about the first half of the year, go team! The event staff at the reception desk were well informed too. They had swag bags to hand out. You will definitely need one. Or several. They also handed out a fun scavenger hunt card with 9 or so booths (out of dozens) to ask a question and get a sticker. When you filled the card, you got an entry into a prize drawing. The staff also knew about most of the vendors and could provide directions or other information. It's just super well organized. I suspect part of that is because the expo was at least half Amish, and they have the organizational skill of ants. I've never seen anyone else with quite that kind of teamwork.
Also the Otto Center is a great venue with bathrooms up front and huge indoor space. They also have craft shows, bazaars, the quilt show, and all kinds of other events. I want to keep an eye on that and scope out the other shows.
The swag was super awesome. This is what the county fair used to be like when I was little, of which only a handful of booths remain. I've never picked up so much swag before. I weighed it when I got home. I got six and a quarter pounds of swag! Not counting purchases, just the swag. !!WOWL00T!! Besides the usual pens, there were some great things such as rain gauges, chip clips that I used to organize materials, and a frisbee. :D In addition to the swag, many vendors were offering discounts or sales on their stuff, and many had a prize drawing you could sign up for. Not junk, but really valuable stuff -- one place was doing $200 in store credit. It was just ... abundance.
There was food too. One booth out front had fried pies, a food truck had mini donuts, and indoors there was some sort of cafeteria going on. After we shopped, we got donuts from Mini Bronuts. They had a bunch of flavors. In addition to the usual cinnamon sugar and the occasionally available powdered sugar, they also had more elaborate toppings such as fruit crunch, cookies & cream, maple, and raspberry. We got 2 cinnamon sugar, 2 maple, and 2 raspberry. They were amazing. They were by far the best mini donuts we have had, and we like mini donut vendors. Next time we will buy a dozen, and we will not bother with the common flavors. We will get the maple and the raspberry and maybe try other gourmet flavors. I would snub funnel cakes to eat these donuts, and getting a funnel cake is one of my main reasons for hitting a street fair. :D
Two of the booths we bought from were also edibles. The Ultimate Harvest Freeze-Dried Fruits & Vegetables / Sunny Ridge Naturals had quite a wide selection. She's also the first person I've seen offering free samples, which is crucial because freeze-dried stuff is very hit or miss, people just like different things. The ice cream sandwiches and skittles were crunchier than I care for, the blueberries were okay, the apples were quite good, and the strawberries were excellent. So I got a small bag each of strawberries and apples for making hot cereal. The other was selling maple products, mostly maple syrup in everything from small bottles to big jugs to huge buckets. They also had maple root beer, which is what we bought. Specifically, we bough one cold can to share, and 10 minutes later I scurried back to buy a 4-pack. Plain maple soda is often too sweet for me, but the spicy and woodsy notes of root beer blended perfectly. Much the same as the butterscotch root beer we found on another occasion.
We also bought a portable air purifier. It has a HEPA filter, a UV light to kill microorganisms, can cycle a room's air 9 times an hour, and has a handle on top to carry it. The only non-basement purifiers I've seen previously have been bulkier, heavier things, not something the size of an overnight bag. So that's exciting.
There were a bunch of things that we didn't buy today, but did get contact info so we can follow up later. A couple different roof options. A tax preparer. A flowerpot with attached tomato cage that I definitely want to buy some. And some stuff that we just lusted after but may or may not be able to afford. That greenhouse. The 2-wheeled tractor with over a dozen attachments like a brush hog and a snowblower.
Some stuff was just fun to look at. A couple folks had quite large model buildings. A deck company had a deck with tiny lights inset in the steps and under the fence, that looked hilariously like eyeballs.
Also, it was just nice hanging out with Amish folks and allies. People were gregarious and helpful and smiling at each other. There were lots of kids underfoot. I like the actual family atmosphere of family businesses in Amish territory.
After the expo, we went up to visit Dad. I dropped of a batch of poetry for him. I also packed up a bag of Mom's old clothes to donate, so that's 1 of 3 rounds on that goal accomplished. \o/
We finished reading the current cookbook, 170 South African Recipes by Marti Loza. We found some of the recipes for foods that we saw in a recent TV show about soul food around the world. Happily, with multiple African grocery stores in town, we should be able to get most of the ingredients. :D
On the way home, we stopped for supper at Schwarma Joint. It is delicious. The menu is a little wider than Naf Naf. Some of the food is a bit different. We got a bowl with half hummus and half rice, chicken schwarma, Arabic salad, eggplant, and sumac onions. Doug said the sumac onions weren't quite as good as Naf Naf, but we agree that the Arabic salad is better. In addition to tomatoes, cucumbers, and cilantro it has a very tangy lemon vinaigrette. The eggplant chunks were soft, silky, melt-in-your-mouth good. So we are definitely going back there. :D
Then we wanted dessert. Well, Bombay Market was open, so we grabbed a box assortment of sweets. And some quick fix Indian curries to pour over rice.
Finally, we got groceries at Harvest Market. I picked up some grapes, a few pears, an acorn squash. I got some familiar yogurts and a new one to try that is passion fruit flavored, hopefully not eye-crossingly sour. The cashier was curious about the acorn squash, having never made it, so I described baking it with brown sugar and spices, so now she wants to try it. *chuckle* I'm such a hippie, I grew up with my parents swapping recipe tips at farmer's markets and it is still a habit.
We are so exhausted. But it was so much fun, and so productive. \o/
EDIT 3/8/25 -- I finished posting about the vendors and swag here.
First we got lunch at Vita's. I love their shrimp tacos.
Then we went to the Arthur Home & Garden Expo. I didn't really have detailed expectations because we've never gone to it before. I thought maybe there would be a handful of folks who make sheds or do house repair stuff, and the local nurseries selling cold-season stuff like pots. When we got there, it was was huge room plus an extra side room and back room, and someone had hauled an entire greenhouse to stick on the other side. Plus a tent on the front that I think they turned into an auxiliary kitchen. Most of the stuff was home repair or improvement, some outdoor things like paving and fences, but also some household goods and other random things. Had I found that event page, I would've been a lot better prepared, but I found on the community calendar with a simple listing. Next year we will know.
Arthur has the best community calendar of the places I found when I searched for spring events. It's got stuff through about the first half of the year, go team! The event staff at the reception desk were well informed too. They had swag bags to hand out. You will definitely need one. Or several. They also handed out a fun scavenger hunt card with 9 or so booths (out of dozens) to ask a question and get a sticker. When you filled the card, you got an entry into a prize drawing. The staff also knew about most of the vendors and could provide directions or other information. It's just super well organized. I suspect part of that is because the expo was at least half Amish, and they have the organizational skill of ants. I've never seen anyone else with quite that kind of teamwork.
Also the Otto Center is a great venue with bathrooms up front and huge indoor space. They also have craft shows, bazaars, the quilt show, and all kinds of other events. I want to keep an eye on that and scope out the other shows.
The swag was super awesome. This is what the county fair used to be like when I was little, of which only a handful of booths remain. I've never picked up so much swag before. I weighed it when I got home. I got six and a quarter pounds of swag! Not counting purchases, just the swag. !!WOWL00T!! Besides the usual pens, there were some great things such as rain gauges, chip clips that I used to organize materials, and a frisbee. :D In addition to the swag, many vendors were offering discounts or sales on their stuff, and many had a prize drawing you could sign up for. Not junk, but really valuable stuff -- one place was doing $200 in store credit. It was just ... abundance.
There was food too. One booth out front had fried pies, a food truck had mini donuts, and indoors there was some sort of cafeteria going on. After we shopped, we got donuts from Mini Bronuts. They had a bunch of flavors. In addition to the usual cinnamon sugar and the occasionally available powdered sugar, they also had more elaborate toppings such as fruit crunch, cookies & cream, maple, and raspberry. We got 2 cinnamon sugar, 2 maple, and 2 raspberry. They were amazing. They were by far the best mini donuts we have had, and we like mini donut vendors. Next time we will buy a dozen, and we will not bother with the common flavors. We will get the maple and the raspberry and maybe try other gourmet flavors. I would snub funnel cakes to eat these donuts, and getting a funnel cake is one of my main reasons for hitting a street fair. :D
Two of the booths we bought from were also edibles. The Ultimate Harvest Freeze-Dried Fruits & Vegetables / Sunny Ridge Naturals had quite a wide selection. She's also the first person I've seen offering free samples, which is crucial because freeze-dried stuff is very hit or miss, people just like different things. The ice cream sandwiches and skittles were crunchier than I care for, the blueberries were okay, the apples were quite good, and the strawberries were excellent. So I got a small bag each of strawberries and apples for making hot cereal. The other was selling maple products, mostly maple syrup in everything from small bottles to big jugs to huge buckets. They also had maple root beer, which is what we bought. Specifically, we bough one cold can to share, and 10 minutes later I scurried back to buy a 4-pack. Plain maple soda is often too sweet for me, but the spicy and woodsy notes of root beer blended perfectly. Much the same as the butterscotch root beer we found on another occasion.
We also bought a portable air purifier. It has a HEPA filter, a UV light to kill microorganisms, can cycle a room's air 9 times an hour, and has a handle on top to carry it. The only non-basement purifiers I've seen previously have been bulkier, heavier things, not something the size of an overnight bag. So that's exciting.
There were a bunch of things that we didn't buy today, but did get contact info so we can follow up later. A couple different roof options. A tax preparer. A flowerpot with attached tomato cage that I definitely want to buy some. And some stuff that we just lusted after but may or may not be able to afford. That greenhouse. The 2-wheeled tractor with over a dozen attachments like a brush hog and a snowblower.
Some stuff was just fun to look at. A couple folks had quite large model buildings. A deck company had a deck with tiny lights inset in the steps and under the fence, that looked hilariously like eyeballs.
Also, it was just nice hanging out with Amish folks and allies. People were gregarious and helpful and smiling at each other. There were lots of kids underfoot. I like the actual family atmosphere of family businesses in Amish territory.
After the expo, we went up to visit Dad. I dropped of a batch of poetry for him. I also packed up a bag of Mom's old clothes to donate, so that's 1 of 3 rounds on that goal accomplished. \o/
We finished reading the current cookbook, 170 South African Recipes by Marti Loza. We found some of the recipes for foods that we saw in a recent TV show about soul food around the world. Happily, with multiple African grocery stores in town, we should be able to get most of the ingredients. :D
On the way home, we stopped for supper at Schwarma Joint. It is delicious. The menu is a little wider than Naf Naf. Some of the food is a bit different. We got a bowl with half hummus and half rice, chicken schwarma, Arabic salad, eggplant, and sumac onions. Doug said the sumac onions weren't quite as good as Naf Naf, but we agree that the Arabic salad is better. In addition to tomatoes, cucumbers, and cilantro it has a very tangy lemon vinaigrette. The eggplant chunks were soft, silky, melt-in-your-mouth good. So we are definitely going back there. :D
Then we wanted dessert. Well, Bombay Market was open, so we grabbed a box assortment of sweets. And some quick fix Indian curries to pour over rice.
Finally, we got groceries at Harvest Market. I picked up some grapes, a few pears, an acorn squash. I got some familiar yogurts and a new one to try that is passion fruit flavored, hopefully not eye-crossingly sour. The cashier was curious about the acorn squash, having never made it, so I described baking it with brown sugar and spices, so now she wants to try it. *chuckle* I'm such a hippie, I grew up with my parents swapping recipe tips at farmer's markets and it is still a habit.
We are so exhausted. But it was so much fun, and so productive. \o/
(no subject)
Date: 2025-03-08 10:11 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2025-03-08 07:19 pm (UTC)Yes ...
Date: 2025-03-08 07:47 pm (UTC)... I did eventually finish sorting the haul last night, but haven't had time to post the list, or even put away all the stuff. Some problems are nice to have.
(no subject)
Date: 2025-03-17 12:31 am (UTC)I freely admit I spent some time after that looking into freeze drying equipment ... which is, alas, not really available at regular kitchen scale. One of these years ...
Thoughts
Date: 2025-03-17 01:03 am (UTC)Our go-to favorite is the saltwater taffy, which melts in your mouth. <3 My partner Doug also adores Bit-O-Honey. I'm a fan of freeze-dried ice cream my itself, but the sandwiches were too crunchy for me. However, bashed up they would make a great sundae topping.
>>I freely admit I spent some time after that looking into freeze drying equipment ... which is, alas, not really available at regular kitchen scale. One of these years ...<<
I've been keeping an eye on it for years. It's coming down slowly. The lowest seems to be around $2000 which is actually getting into "major appliance" territory. But I'm still waiting.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2025-03-17 03:20 am (UTC)