My First Day at the Market

Today was the first incredibly rainy Sunday all summer. And, naturally, my first day of selling my frozen desserts at the Hunterdon Land Trust Farmers' Market.

I rewrote my chalkboard after a couple hours because the excessive moisture effectively erased it. We got downpours almost nonstop from 9, when we opened, until after noon, so the market didn't get anywhere near the foot traffic it usually does. But some diehards came out, including a couple of women who'd mentioned reading in an email or seeing on the HLT's website that I was going to be there with my FDs.

So I met some nice people. And I saw my buddy Will, who was a good friend of mine growing up, for the first time since we graduated high school; he brought his wife and stepdaughter to the market so he and I could catch up, I could meet them, and they could support my business. That was so cool of him.

And I also got reacquainted with Leslie, another friend from years ago, from back when I previously lived in Delaware Township in the early aughts.

I think I sold 13 pints. Lemon Verbena was the biggest seller, maybe because it's a flavor you can't buy commercially. Runner-up was the Mint Chocolate Chip, probably because it's a well-known flavor you can buy commercially.

It's good to have the first day under my belt. I know what to expect next week. And it will be either an easy week or a week off productionwise. I haven't decided yet what I'll do.

I rented a pickup truck and bought bungees and cargo bars to keep my ice cream cart from moving around in the bed and ramps to get it down to the ground. I'm hoping to have a less costly—and less potentially hazardous—method of getting my cart and products to the market before long.

That's a photo of dry ice sublimating in a pot of water back at home. Spooky! As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I had to use dry ice in my cart this week because a crucial piece of equipment that will enable me to freeze the reusable cartridges that came with my cart isn't arriving until tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone who played a part in reaching this milestone, especially my Tony, who's been incredibly supportive and helpful ever since I decided to become a frozen dessert entrepreneur.