Out of the kitchen and into the… outdoor kitchen.

This Saturday will be a banner day around our house. The boys are participating in their second Farmer’s Market of the season. I’m getting in on the fun by doing a live mozzarella making demonstration at the market while the boys man their table. Or should it be ‘while the boys boy their table?

Our local good things market, the Angelica Farmer’s Market, is kind and clever enough to offer children’s vendor tables the third Saturday of each month. They provide a platform to teach kids about the entrepeneurial spirit, marketing, the cost of business and working for your money. 

Last time around my kids learned a difficult but valuable lesson. The jewelweed they spent hours packaging and labelling and selling was indeed a wonderful product, but it grows like the weed it is around here and most people can procure it for free. A few kindly souls pity-purchased from my fuzzy-headed, big-eyed boys. While they didn’t make anywhere near as much Bionicle money as they hoped, they did get the privilege of educating people as to the myriad uses of the humble jewelweed. And let me tell you, it took a while for the gentle glow of that accomplishment to sink through the disappointment of not getting Kopaka, Toa Nuva, and Hewkii.

The boys, after learning I was doing a mozzarella making demonstration, decided to sell mozzarella making kits. I think they have a better shot at their goal of a $50 profit this time. They’re as busy as little bees behind me right now assembling the kits. They’re including rennet tablets, citric acid and recipes in a resealable container. They’re laser focused on those Bionicles, I tell you.

The Evil Genius and I invested in the boys’ business to the tune of rennet tablets and citric acid. Whether I cash in that ‘I.O.U.’ from the boys depends on their success tomorrow. If they make enough, I’ll have them repay their investors (namely their Dad and I.)  If they don’t get such a great response, I’ll probably be too big a softy to insist they repay me. What kind of mother am I?

If you all are in the Angelica, New York area tomorrow between 10a.m. and 3p.m. (or sooner if they sell out), come watch my mozzie demo, pop on by the boys’ booth, and please, for cryin’ in a bucket, buy one of their kits… Teaching lessons the hard way stinks.