Lana McCullough
Hi from my spot on the Ganges Harbour
for the Salt Spring Island Farmers Market!
June is here! It definitely is a wetter year than last here on Salt Spring Island. The grass needs more mowing, rain days/stormy weather is happening and just an overall feeling of it being a bit cooler than last year. But it's still wonderful and lovely and everything amazing that Salt Spring is!
My schedule on the weekends is kind of full as I'm up early on Saturday filling the farmstand (open 8 am to 6 pm), heading over to the market to sell from 9 am to 3 pm and then home to bake and make for Sunday's farmstand (open 8am to 6 pm). Weekdays are dedicated to restocking and filling online orders.
This week's NEW news is that I am opening my realm to include classes in the near future. Listening to and reading the customer and their needs as well as what I wish to be doing in today's economy, my business will be going off in a new direction of teaching people the self sufficiency of creating your own candles, lip balms, soaps, bath bombs, etc and showing how to source your supplies for premium quality for your own making. My farmstand is also taking me in the direction of baking and writing/offering my own cookbook which will translate into lessons in baking unique items in the future as well. All of my offerings will be available online as well as in person on Salt Spring Island. It's an exciting and somewhat different direction than I thought the business would evolve into but I am excited and looking forward to it! It will be about passing my skill set onto others to give them the ability to make for themselves and loved ones. What a wonderful new era to be in!
I do know that I have been going through a metamorphsis of baking my own pizzas, breads, buns, treats like chips, marshmallows, doughnuts and cupcakes, jams, pickles and more over the past year. Salt Spring is without corporate businesses and fast food joints which means when I want a pizza, it is much more economical and healthy to learn how to make one myself. We used to have a go to a pizza joint that we loved in Winnipeg and just yesterday, it was concluded that my homemade pizza was even better than that. It took some time and practice and ingenuity to get to this point but I am achieving these types of results with all sorts of food products where we are finding we can create our own healthier versions that are indeed tastier and more economical too. I look forward to being able to share this insight and my tweaked recipes with others! And while I am doing all of this creating it has occurred to me that the thirst for the hands on instruction to help one learn all of these making skills is real. It's not just for food but for all things handmade. I know for years people have been asking about how to make my brand of candles. And now they even want to know how to make soaps themselves so they can not only save money but also create something personal and useful that is made for their needs. I am currently in works on putting this offering together and will start small with personalized small group classes and grow it into weekend retreats over the next year. The long term ideal will be to grow it into my own acreage where the stays are onsite and offer an all encompassing Salt Spring Island experience. It is suffice to say that I HAVE PLANS! And I'm working on putting everything into place to share it all with you!!
In the meantime, thank you so much for your continued support as all of my growth is because of your support! This whole year has been a year of regrowth and figuring out how to move forward. Your continued support is giving me the ability and confidence to continue to work hard and figure out how to still offer what I have done in the past while also sharing new learning experiences. Many a time I have wished for a wise teacher who has been making something for years to show me the ropes and teach me instead of having to be so very brave and start from a place of knowing nothing and learn through trial and error. That's such a hard way to learn things. I'm looking forward to making learning new skills easier for people while also enjoying Salt Spring Island....so many ideas are dancing in my head!
In the meantime, if you do have the chance to get to Salt Spring Island, you can find me at the local Farmer's Market and I'm always available online. Thank you so very much for your support! It seems like every time I post a gratitude post, I think things are tough but could be so much worse and then the next hurdle to overcome appears. My little business appreciates your support more and more each time I post. I am so grateful for you choosing to shop with me and fill each product with as much love as I possibly can... just for you! It's such a joy creating for you! Thank you!!
Until next time! Sending all of my love!
Lana
