A Little Feast Drama

Second Post of the Day

Thursday, my day of two good/two not so good things had another good thing happen that I forgot to mention.

I received my official confirmation that I had been accepted as a 2026 Feast participant!

There was some bad news, too, but I was already aware of it. In fact, I had even met with Brooke, the Feast coordinator, to share my concerns and see if there was a possible work around for me.

I can't sell maple cakes at the Feast.

The clause below about prohibited sales items which has always been in the Feast application but has never included maple cakes, now does.

Brooke shared some of the reasons behind the change with me. Some made sense and were reasonable. But banning everyone for problems caused by the sales of a few doesn't seem right. 

I shared with Brooke that I had already taken orders from past customers who come to my booth for them every year. (Remember the woman who bought a bunch for her grandkids' Christmas stockings only to find her husband had gotten into them? She's one I was thinking of.)

Brooke agreed to let me fulfill those orders but asked that I be very discreet about it and to not advertise that I have maple cakes. I appreciate that bit of grace.

Maple cakes are a big seller for me. I usually sell 400 - 500 at the Feast. But, they are not huge money-makers so my bottom line won't be hurt too badly.

They DO bring in a lot of business, though. Many people see that I have them, stop by, and then wander through my tent, finding other things to purchase. And now I am losing that incentive.

I hope that this is a temporary ban and only applicable to this year. I will be monitoring what other vendors who have sold maple cakes in the past are selling this year. If they are still selling them and there are no consequences from Feast officials, then I will bring it up with Brooke again.

I am a rule follower and will follow the rules. But if those rules are broken and the consequences listed in the Feast application are not applied, then that is unfair and not right.

 Just a little drama as the 2026 Feast of the Hunters' Moon approaches.

 

A Maple Cake Oops

Second Post of the Day

This week I received an email from a woman who had bought maple cakes from me at the Feast in October. I don't know her, and she must've picked up one of my cards and thus had my email and could contact me. 

She wrote,

Good Morning,

My family attends the Feast of the Hunters Moon yearly and my granddaughter's main goal each year is to get a maple cake.  We attended this year and I bought 10 maple cakes.  Half were given to the grandkids to eat then and the other 5 put back for Christmas.  My husband found the cakes and ate one before I noticed what he was doing.  Needless to say, I'm one cake short for Christmas.  Do you sell and ship these?  If so, what is the cost and is there a minimum for an order?  

Sincerely,

CH

Oh, my goodness! I laughed, but I also could imagine her frustration at her husband having eaten one of the grands' maple cakes and thus leaving her short for Christmas!

I did a quick count of what I had left - I was saving some for my own grands' Christmas gifts, too. Luckily, I had one extra maple cake - just one! (Actually, I sorta kinda did have my eye on it for me.)  I replied to CH, got her mailing address, and sent the maple cake out this morning.

CH wrote me one more time to thank me. And in that email she said,

I will hide it with the surviving 4 until Christmas. LOL.  We will be sure to visit with you next Feast!  Happy Thanksgiving and have a blessed Christmas.

Sincerely,

CH

Needless to say, I look forward to meeting her next October. I sold so many maple cakes this year, too many to remember everyone's faces. (Er, except for the boy who "didn't die." I think I'd know him! LOL)

It will be nice to put a face to the message. And maybe I'll meet her husband, too. He'll get a free maple cake on me if he's there! LOL

A Feast Mish Mosh

Here's a mish mosh of Feast happenings - things that I want to remember or share. Enjoy!

The Scout Who "Didn't Die"

Late afternoon Saturday, two older teenage Scouts came over and asked about maple cakes. One wanted to know if they had peanuts in them.

I double checked the list of ingredients and assured him that they did not but said that I could not tell him that the kitchen they were made in had had no peanut exposure. I didn't think so - you never see peanuts at an 18th century event, but still, I wasn't sure.

The young men began arguing as to whether or not he should eat a maple cake. "Dude, you're gonna die!" the friend said. "Naw, I'll be fine. They aren't made with peanuts."

Each boy bought two, bit into them (and groaned in delight), and then walked off. I'll admit, I was a little nervous.

An hour later, they came back to my tent with big smiles. The one with the peanut allergy stepped up to the maple cakes table and his eyes twinkled as he said, "Just wanted to reassure you that I didn't die! Thought you might want to know." And off he walked. 

I was glad he'd stopped by!

Those Fire Starters Really Work

Most people know that 18th century folks could easily start a fire with flint and steel, but few know that they also used "fire starters," heavy glass domes that were used to focus the sun's rays on the tinder or kindling.

The booth across from me and next door to the Beignet Girls had a table set up just outside their tent where a couple of teens were demonstrating the fire starters.  Apparently they left the table unguarded for a bit with those fire starters sitting directly in the sun, and sure enough, the tablecloth was soon on fire.

It was a small fire and soon was put out, but it added a little extra excitement to the day, too. And those teens learned to never, ever leave a fire starter on something flammable in direct sunlight.

There is Only One & Two Want It

I had a very angry lady in my tent this weekend. According to her, she was looking at this shirt, and another woman, who looked at it after she did and KNEW that she was going to buy it, bought it out from under her.

At least, that was her story. 

I'd seen her looking at it, but she'd walked away from the rack without saying anything to me about holding it for her or even taking it with her. The other woman, who had been waiting behind her to look at the trade shirts had then stepped up, took it down and looked it over, and then asked to buy it.

The first woman was still in the tent and watched the transaction without saying a word. When the other woman left, she fumed as she expressed her anger at the other lady, claiming she'd deliberately bought the shirt that she had wanted so that she couldn't have it.

What??

Honestly, when she'd stepped away from the rack and walked away from the shirt, I'd thought she didn't want it, either, and saw nothing wrong in the other lady's actions.

She took my card and asked if I could find out if I could get more of the fabric and make her one. It's been almost a week and she hasn't called me, but I don't have good news for her - the fabric has been discontinued and that was the last of it.

The Shirt Off My Back

One of my own bedgowns is made from a very popular fabric. I've made and sold several of them and finally stitched up one for me.

See my new pins? Rick made them. I love them and didn't get poked once all weekend! (My arms are often covered in scratches after an event.)

A living history friend, Pat, saw me wearing mine this weekend and came over to look at it more closely. She loved how it made up into the bedgown and has asked me to make one for her out of it, too. No need to buy the fabric; she already has it at home. 

She sent me a photo of that fabric yesterday. I cringed when I saw it - it's old and been washed many, many times. It is not a good candidate for a new garment.

Pat is sending the fabric to me this weekend and I will see what it looks like in hand. It very well may be that she wants the look of a well-worn garment for her persona. Or, it may be that she isn't aware of how her fabric looks. If that's the case, I'll tactfully see if I can replace it with a new piece.

And with that, Feast 2025 is in the books. Financially, it was my best ever - I sold almost every item of clothing I'd made, nearly all the maple cakes, a lot of sleeve buttons, and half of the blackened beeswax ornaments.

Physically there were challenges, especially the long, long walk from the parking lot to my tent.

I was pleased and surprised that my stamina held up - I came home tired each night, but not the exhausted-crawl-into-bed kind of tired.

Everything is unpacked, inventoried, and repacked for Kalamazoo in March. My Feast clothes are at the dry cleaners and I'll pick them up Tuesday.

Feast 2025 was terrific and I am still feeling that Feast glow.

Now to get started on all those custom orders for clothing that I took...

Stay 'tooned!

 

A Day of Shopping

Yesterday Belle and I went shopping to get the things every horse owner needs. Tylenol, bandaids, ice packs  brushes, hoof picks, curry combs, and more.

We shopped for four hours and did we ever have fun! We may even have bought matching cowgirl tee shirts, too. 

My shopping day wasn't over when I got home. The last offering of the 2025 Vintage Club had dropped!

Pioneer is the Western Pony done as a clock to pay homage to the original Western Horse clock.

The annual free Stablemate, Man O'War, will be shipped with Pioneer. Mine is ordered and should be here soon. (Photos by Breyer.)

And, I found another shipping notice when I got home. My maple cakes have shipped and should arrive tomorrow. Part of me is so excited to check that off the Feast prep list, while another part of me is thinking, "How am I gonna stay out of those for the next three weeks??"

Trust me, I'll figure it out. Hah!

Kalamazoo 2025: Loincloths, Maple Cakes, Friends, & Other Things

Ever gone to church with a man in a loincloth? Or a western mountain man in buckskins? An 18th century parson and women in petticoats, stays, and caps? Neither had I. Until this past Sunday.

Sunday's early church service at the event was quite an eclectic gathering but it was still a lovely service.

The man in the loincloth was portraying a Roman centurion. Loincloths are common at events, but his was the most modest I've ever seen. 

He told us later that normally he would not be wearing a shirt but for modesty's sake and to respect that he was in church, he slipped one on. Nice man and very devoted in his faith (despite those knives that he wielded later. Hah!)

Sundays are always much more relaxed and less hectic in living history events. Getting out of our hotel was a different story - all the hotel's computers were down and needing to be rebooted. A line began to form, but the manager just let me hand in my key and go, thank goodness.

I learned a nifty trick this trip - hook the handle of your suitcase over the arm of the walker and the walker will easily pull it along, leaving a hand free for other things!

On Sundays you have more time to interact with those around you.

Long time friend and tinsmith Chris Hagemann came over for a visit.

A few years ago I wrote about a generous gift Chris kindly made for Lukie after Lukie helped set tent stakes for me at The Feast of the Hunters' Moon. 

About an hour later, Linda, Chris's wife came around to say hello. Lovely people who came all the way from Nebraska!

Saturday afternoon it was clear that I did not have enough maple cakes to get through Sunday's sales. My supplier was at the event and I asked if he had any more that I could buy, but he did not.

The last two maple cakes sold just before noon.  I have none for Feast in October. I hope my supplier can make another batch for me. (He is an older gentleman and is having health issues; we shall see.)

Two interesting stories about maple cakes...

 - Saturday a woman came by and argued about price - she thought I wasn't charging enough. ($1.50 each.) She claimed that I should sell them for at least $5 apiece and maybe even $7!  No idea who she was or why she thought that, but I am not going to charge that much for them.

- A gentleman had a sheepish grin on his face as he asked me for several pieces. As I put them into a bag, he confessed that he had given up sweets for Lent. "But I'm okay," he assured me. "I have a cheat day once a week and this week I am having maple cakes!" And off he went, bag in hand. Allrighty then! LOL

Rick brought some of his trade beads to sell. See the feather beads second from left? And the watermelon beads third from right? So, so lovely.

Speaking of beads, I had a near disaster with my Ouiatenon cross on Sunday. It was my mother's and with its connection to her and to Fort Ouiatenon, I treasure it.

I was helping a customer when I felt something slide down my front. Quickly I grabbed whatever was falling and was dismayed to see that it was the cross! The old jump ring holding it had broken; had I not felt the cross go and caught it, most likely it would've been lost forever.

There were other near disasters/issues over the weekend. Friday evening and night the whole area was on the watch for tornados and storms. (We had high winds, but luckily no tornados.) Then, on Sunday, we were inundated with snow! (Which melted before everyone had to pack up and leave the building, thank goodness.)

An outdoor cigarette disposal can in the parking lot caught fire but fortunately was quickly put out. And a man had a diabetic issue in one of the Expo halls and caused a bit of a stir as he was given aid. (He was okay and back the next day.)

When you have more time to chat with folks, you find out all kinds of things. One thing I learned was that there were vendors there from 18 states including Vermont, Connecticut, New York, Missouri, Texas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, and more!

Three horsey ladies: Carol (aka "Maggie") who had Halflingers that she used to drive, me, and Millicent, an author from Vermont with horses that have shown on the big circuits.

Maggie had to go help a customer so we ended up taking a second photo without her - Leslie is an experienced horsewoman, too. (She is celebrating her retirement from leading the show by wearing a crown.)

All too soon, the show was over. I don't have a time lapse of take down, but I had help packing up and we were done and ready to go within an hour.

Once again, Gretchen had to attend the wrap-up staff meeting which meant I was there, too.

Leslie insisted that I be in the staff photo but I declined. Ethan, who is the new owner of the show, came over to my walker, held out his hand and said quietly, "Please come." And so I did. (I'm on the far left.)

Leslie and Rick had their last huzzah and the 2025 Kalamazoo Living History Show was in the books.

Home Again

First Post of the Day (I Hope)

I'm ba-ack! And instead of writing this morning, I've recorded a brief video update for you all.

After watching my video, I had a Jane Jetson flashback. 

I need a Jane Jetson morning mask! LOL

Making Maple Cakes

 The Kalamazoo Living History Show is coming up in just a few weeks. Sewing-wise I am in good shape and anything I make between now and then are extras that are nice to have but are non essentials. 

Last year for the first time ever I sold maple cakes, an 18th century delight. (A 21st century delight, too. Trust me on that.) I have 35 dozen on order from a friend who makes them, but I wondered if I might be able to figure out how to make them, too.

It was surprisingly easy.

Maple cakes have one ingredient - pure maple syrup. 

You pour two cups of pure maple syrup into a heavy pot and bring it to 235 degrees, stirring occasionally.

I tested and then used two candy thermometers - the temperature of the syrup is very important. Get it wrong and you ruin the batch. I wanted a back up candy thermometer to make sure that didn't happen - that half gallon jug of maple syrup cost $34.

I also used an old, heavy, and rather ugly cooking pot. But, it's Club Aluminum and cooks things very evenly. I often prefer to use it over my shiny, modern cookware.

I also had my silicon molds ready to go. When the maple syrup was ready to mold, I would have to move fast because it would harden quickly.

The syrup came to a roiling boil and climbed the sides of my pot. I was a little concerned that I should've used a bigger pot - I did not want it to boil over and onto the stove. What a mess that would be to clean up!

By stirring more frequently I was able to prevent the boil over and soon the syrup was ready to cool. It needed to sit until it cooled to 175 degrees, and then I had to beat it with a wooden spoon for five minutes. That was the tricky part - beat it a shade too long, and it would harden before you could get it into the molds.

Which is what happened. I felt the syrup suddenly stiffen and I frantically began pouring it into the molds. Just by looking, you can see how quickly it hardened and that it became very difficult to pour. I ended up scraping it out of the pot in bits and pieces at the end. 

Maple cakes should be flat disks about a half inch thick. These are not flat and they are most definitely thicker than that! But, they tasted just as they should and were the right consistency (translate that as, not going to break anybody's teeth.) 

I've got enough maple syrup to make three more practice batches. At this point, I don't plan to make them to sell; by making this batch and seeing the yield as well as the time it took, I would barely break even if I did start selling my own. But, in a pinch and with a little more practice, I could make them if need be.

Now I need to make some more blackened beeswax ornaments. Like the maple cakes, they too have proven to be big sellers. (Photo by Brooke Sauter)

That may be today's project or I may wait until next week. I'm in the middle of making another wool cloak (hunter green this time) and some 18th century pocket hoops.

Me with Teacher Daughter Lisa's class demonstrating pocket hoops and explaining why women wore them. (I have them on, too.)

Finally, and just for fun, here is a picture I took yesterday morning around 4:00 AM.

Isn't that moon pretty? One of the perks of being an early morning riser!