聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 The Arcola Craft Show hosted 62 vendors this year on Saturday, Sept. 19, which was up by 10 vendors from last year. Continuing to grow over the years, having started in 2003, it has become a great way to offer local vendors a venue to showcase their products.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Organizer, Gwen Taylor, said, 鈥淚t's been very busy since we opened the doors. We have 62 vendors this year, which is up 10 vendors from last year. We've had good reviews. It's a nice way to give smaller businesses a chance to share their times and it's a little low key which people enjoy.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Vendors came from as far as Wynyard, Stoughton, Regina, Estevan, and Manitoba.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚t's nice to have variety, we never have a lot of something and we hardly have any doubles,鈥� Taylor explained.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Taylor took over the show in 2010, and explained that the craft show raises money for the Prairie Place Complex.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 One of the new vendors at the Arcola Craft Show included Main Street Fudge based out of Wynyard. Karen Buller first began making fudge 15 years ago when the opportunity to obtain the equipment arose. As she began making fudge, she says she decided to quit her work and focus specifically on her business, which has been a success.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Caroline Puffalt, with her daughter Lanita, with SaskGarlic from Kipling, explained how their family entered into growing garlic.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲e grow three acres of hardneck garlic,鈥� Caroline explained. 鈥淭he hardneck bulbs have a hot, stronger flavour than softneck. We make garlic jelly, powder, and have bulbs.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭his is our sixth planting season, you plant garlic in the fall, we started in the fall of 2010 and our friends in Alberta encouraged us to diversify the farm. We already pasture grazed chickens, lamb, turkey, and this seemed like a good enterprise to add on.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Their garlic is in fact certified and is found for retail at certain grocery outlets. While they sell seed garlic across Canada from Halifax to Vancouver.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淧eople enjoy the hot flavour of the crop and it's a very healthy food for you, and it's also something our family can do together,鈥� Carolline added.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淐heap food is not healthy food and that's our biggest struggle, educating shoppers. Garlic is a super food and is a prebiotic.鈥�
