August was a busy month for me! I spent the month working in the kitchen and the office, selling at the farmers market, and representing OlyKraut at various events, and I thought I would share some highlights of the late summer.

                * Helsing Junction Sleepover:  On Saturday, August 16th, OlyKraut transformed for one day from food processor to snack shack. We set up our krauty snack booth down at the farm for the festival and peddled various treats involving sauerkraut all afternoon while sleepover guests enjoyed music, hot sun, swimming, and a literary showcase of Northwest writers. There were some other pretty delicious food vendors, including Isaac’s hot dog stand featuring OlyKraut as a condiment, Constellation Farm’s beautiful booth with equally beautiful salads, and several others. Valerie from Helsing Junction Farm was a great host, and it was fun to hang out in Rochester where some of our favorite farmers live and work. A couple of folks from Wobbly Cart farm stopped by on their lunch break to take advantage of the unusual presence of so many food vendors in the neighborhood.

                *Taste Of The Market:  On Tuesday, August 18th, the Friends of Olympia Farmers Market put on their annual Taste Of The Market dinner fundraiser, where different restaurants from the area all bring delicious food, and attendees walk around to all the booths collecting morsels to fill their plates. Sash and I were there, providing a few different sauerkraut-based hors d’oeuvres, which were a great hit. We also got to sample some of the other offerings, which was very fun and very tasty. The Olympia Farmers Market is a huge support for OlyKraut, and for lots of other local farmers, food processors, artists, and craftspeople, and Taste Of The Market is our chance to show up and help support the market in return.

                * Tacoma Food Coop Open House: On Sunday, August 24th I took my sampling cups and some sauerkraut and camped out at the Tacoma Food Coop for the afternoon. I had a great time meeting some of the coop staff, board members, and member-owners, handing out samples and chatting with the other vendors. I was sitting next to Louise of Laughing Goat dairy from Roy, WA, and Terry of Purely From Scratch baking mixes in DuPont, who were great company, and we all had fun talking up each other’s products and giving out lots of samples. Because I was in the store for a few hours, I got to see how lucky we are to have our sauerkraut in the Tacoma Food Coop, and how supportive they are of OlyKraut. They carry our products both in packaged pints, and in bulk, which is really cool because it allows people to buy exactly the amount of sauerkraut they want- just enough for their sandwich, or enough to last through the month. OlyKraut is so grateful to TFC for their support, and I personally can’t wait to spend more time exploring Tacoma. So far, I am charmed.

                *OlyKraut Beach Party:  On Monday, August 25th, some of the crew met up at the kitchen, where we always spend our Mondays, but instead of strapping on our aprons and hairnets and heading into the fermentation room, we slipped into our swimwear and headed for the beach. We got out the camp stove and cooked up some hot dogs and not-dogs, and spent the afternoon snacking and splashing around in the waters of Totten Inlet. My swimming skills were too intimidating for everyone else, so I had to race the dogs, but I beat them to the stick, so at least I got to enjoy a victory. We also ran into Sash’s mom at the beach, which was a lovely surprise. Hi, Anita! Sadly, the whole team didn’t make it to the beach, so I guess we will just have to plan more parties around here.

                It’s been great to spend so much of August getting out in the world and engaging with some of the communities we are connected to through food preservation, and to spend some time with my coworkers when we aren’t elbow-deep in a crock of fermented vegetables. Now I am ready to gear up for an equally exciting autumn.