It was chilly, sunny and windy at the Olney Farmers and Artists Market last Sunday. Some of the artist vendors had to take their tents down because of the wind, but in between gusts, the sun shone down. Between the brilliant blue sky and the red-brown oaks, our last Market day of the fall was beautiful!
There was a lot going on. In addition to the usual vendors, we had a visit from the Washington Animal Rescue League and some very adoptable dogs.
Take Me Home!
The Pat O’Brien Band kept it lively with an infectious beat. Several couples were inspired to dance.
Dancing – Band View
Dancing – Market View
Wandering among the artists, I noticed that both our glassblower Ryan Eicher and the Terrapin Pottery had turtles on offer.
It’s Turtles All The Way Down
Is it a thing? Or a theme?
Pati Jinich, host of the public television series Pati’s Mexican Table, cooking teacher, food writer and chef of the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, D.C., was a wonderful guest chef for our final demo. She prepared Triple Orange Mexican Wedding Cookies while regaling us with the history of the cookies as well as her own experience with them. Originating in the Middle East, the cookies migrated to Spain with the Moors and then landed in Mexico with the Conquistadors.
Despite growing up in Mexico City and attending many weddings (including her own), she had never heard of “Mexican wedding cookies” until she moved north of the border – where she got numerous requests for them. She realized that these mysterious cookies were really an everyday affair in Mexico, sold in every bakery, called “Polvorones.”
The recipe for them can be found in her cookbook, Pati’s Mexican Table: The Secrets of Mexican Home Cooking.
Orange Peel Goes In The Cookies
Kneading The Dough – Not Too Much!
The Audience Watches Closely
Rosario from Canela Bakery watched Pati’s demo and then introduced herself. They got on like old compadras! (In Spanish!) But I do know Pati signed a book for her. She sold some others as well.
Rosario and Pati
Turid Knutsen let me take a picture of her sweatshirt. She is one of the “regulars” in the chef demo audience. She received the sweatshirt when she retired from NIH. How cute is it?
Mouse-roscope of NIH
We finished up the 2013 Market season with the traditional rendition of “Country Roads” by the volunteers.
Y’all Sing!
The Holiday Market will be held December 8 at the Old Hospital Grounds, and then the indoor Winter Market season will start on January 12 at the Sandy Spring Museum. Don’t be a stranger!
