It's Here! Opening Day, The Freeport Community Market!

Hello Casco Bay Soap Co. Fans!

Today, May 28th, is the opening day of the much anticipated Freeport Community Market! Hope to see you throughout the season.

Rain or Shine at 3pm on Friday May 28th the tents will go up transforming the Moose Parking Lot and Discovery Park on the L.L.Bean Campus for the Opening Day of the Freeport Community Market.

Come peruse the market arena for our diversified Maine products. Locally grown, organic and all natural produce, grass-fed meats and farm fresh eggs abound. Choose your own mouthwatering Maine lobster plucked just hours before from our coastal waters. Imagine your patio bedecked with hanging pots of cascading flowers, sweet and savory scented herbs and potted heirloom vegetables.

Specialty desserts, crusty breads, handcrafted cheeses and yogurts; smoked meats, fish and poultry; custom spice blends and Middle Eastern Naan will be there for your selections and meal planning delights.

Toss a salad of fresh greens and plump tomatoes in a bowl turned in “Herbie” wood, garnish with Greek Olive Oil and learn about the Maine family that has brought their product to us. Don a vintage apron while you prepare supper, wash up with old fashioned soap or pick up a sculpted glass tray for easy, yet elegant, entertaining.

Quality Maine crafts add splashes of color and bold textures to everyday living. Select alpaca yarn for that luxurious sweater or add a felted doll to your collection. Organic dog biscuits, catnip candy and cookies for birds make a special treat for the pets in your life.

The Cumberland Farmers Market Association invites you to come and enjoy Maine, the Way Life Really Is, and sample it at our market. Our 2010 pledge to you is to take time for family this summer and, “Leave the Weeding to Us!”

The Freeport Community Market runs weekly on Friday afternoons from 3pm – 7pm, May 28th through Oct 8th.

My New Favorite Recipe Website

I stumbled upon this super cool recipe website. A collection of various artist draw/sketch/paint recipes in the most creative ways. I enjoy visiting every day to see what's new. Check it out when you have a minute.

THEY DRAW & COOK

"Casco" Bay Rum Soap

I sell a good deal of my spicy, sweet & woodsy "Casco" Bay Rum soap to make it among my top 10 sellers. It all started when my uncle Larry in Alaska said "hey there niece, do you make a Bay Rum soap"? I said, "nope, not yet....". And then I went forth to find the perfect Bay Rum to make him happy. My crafty, creative sister said "hey, you should call it CASCO Bay Rum, since you are CASCO BAY Soap"! I have been selling it for over 2 years now, it's a hit! Thanks to Uncle Larry and my sis', I have a winner! Here is some info. from another sight on the beginnings of Bay Rum.

Find my "Casco" Bay Rum soap here: "CASCO" BAY RUM

"For the uninitiated, bay rum is a fragrance that’s often used in aftershave lotion and shaving soaps. West Indies bay leaf, spices, and Jamaican rum, combine to give the bay rum fragrance its distinctive woody, sweet, and spicy scent. Because of its island flavor, bay rum is a great summertime scent, but it’s a fine fragrance to sport year round.

The history of bay rum is as manly as it smells. Sailors in the 16th century discovered that the West Indies bay leaf made a great perfume to freshen up and mask the stink they acquired while being stuck on a ship for months. To apply the scent to themselves, the sailors would rub the dry leaves on their body, thus leaving the fragrant oil on their skin. While sailors were rubbing leaves on themselves, farmers were cultivating boat loads of sugar to be shipped back to Europe. A few enterprising plantation slaves discovered that molasses, a by-product of sugar, could be fermented into a sweet alcoholic beverage. Brewers on the islands took the slaves’ crude recipe, distilled it, and made it 10 times stronger, thus creating the rum we know today.
Tired of having to rub bay leaves on himself like a weirdo, some sailor got the idea that rum would make a great liquid to steep the bay leaves in to extract their essential oils and make an easy-to-apply cologne. And with that, bay rum was born.

Islanders took this basic recipe and began adding their own olfactory flourishes by mixing in cloves, citrus rind, and cinnamon.

From the West Indies the scent spread to the rest of the world and became popular among men as an aftershave scent. Barbershops in America developed their own unique version of bay rum aftershave to slather on their patrons so they walked out smelling awesomely manly after getting their straight razor shaves. And if you check the medicine cabinets of men born before 1950, there’s a good chance you’ll find a bottle of bay rum in it".

http://artofmanliness.com/2010/01/21/diy-bay-rum-aftershave/

Homemade Granola Bars

I love granola bars, and I try to choose bars that are much more on the healthy side but that can be a problem, once you look into all the ingredients listed on that bright shiny package.

I set out to find a recipe and to make my own granola bars, thus eliminating high fructose corn syrup, fractionated palm kernel oil, added colors and flavors and all other weird unnecessary stuff. This recipe was just perfect! The bars came out a bit crunchy, a bit chewy and I put in them what I wanted. I found a bag of what was called "women's mix" trail mix. It had cranberries, blueberries, cashews, almonds, pumpkin seeds, soy nuts and much more. I added in this trial mix instead of purchasing separate bags of fruits and nuts. Next time I will stock up at the bulk food bin at the health food store, I just wasn't' sure how this was going to go. I also was out of wheat germ but had ground flax, so I used that. I also used 1/2 honey and 1/2 agave. I packaged them up in little snack size ziploc bags and put them where I keep (kept!) my other bars, I will be able to grab and go! Try a batch of your own.

Granola Bars

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup honey
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown.

Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.

Wedding Shower Favors

I had a special request for soap. Wedding shower favors with custom labels for a bride-to-be in New Jersey. I was happy to accommodate them! Simply changing the labels to Say "Thank you, Kristins' Bridal Shower 2010" was easy enough. I sent off the soaps and they have safely arrived in N.J. in time for the shower this weekend.

If you have a special event, please contact me. Not only can I create your personalized label, but I can give you a reduced price on bulk ordering of soaps.

Headed out to Bailey Island

I brought my soaps out to this darling little gift shop that is opening up on Bailey Island. I had the most wonderful drive, over hill and dale, as I headed out to the island.



Bailey Island is at the end of a small chain of islands off of Brunswick, Maine. You pass through Great Island, than Orr's Island then Bailey Island. All connected by bridges. I smiled as I saw old farm house, lobster traps piled high in yards, lilacs in full bloom all backed by the sparkling waters of the Atlantic ocean. What a wonderful drive!


The two woman that are opening Sea Side Creations, Betty & Cindy (mother & daughter) were a delight to talk with. They are very excited to offer jewelry, stationary, artwork, and of course SOAP! They even have a little front porch for customers to sit with a cup of coffee and enjoy. I will post some picture of the gift shop, a work in progress, soon.

Black Dinah Chocolatiers

When at Farmers Fare last weekend dropping off soaps, I picked up the most beautiful box of chocolates. Made by Black Dinah Chocolatiers in Isle Au Haut, Maine, this beautiful box held 4 lovely chocolates. I shared them with the Captain my mom and dad. Had I been alone, I probably would have eaten them all myself. No, not probably. I would have for sure. You can count on that.Inside this sweet little box, we found four delicious chocolates to choose from: Chocolate Gingerbread (topped with crystallized ginger), The Varietal (pure dark chocolate decorated on top with a beautiful little piece of artwork), Bees & Flowers (orange blossom honey and orange zest, also decorated on top with artwork - bees!) and 0-20 Degrees Latitude (dark and milk chocolate ganache with coffee and real gold leaf on top).

WOW, we all loved our chocolates! Visit the website here: Black Dinah Chocolatiers. AND they were in Martha Stewart magazine back in February. Very cool!

Just a little shout out to another local business. Support your local business when possible, they make the world go 'round.

Inside Bessie's Farm Goods

I'm at the front door, looking in....

Turn around and from the porch you can see that outside, Kathy and Deede are hard at work planting the gardens.

Love the way the yarns are displayed in cube's on the wall!

Yummy baked goods. Granola, Ginger Cookies, Crackers, Chocolate Chip Cookies...I bought the Chocolate Chip cookies and they were delicious.

A corner for reading or knitting.

Wonderful spinning wheels! Both Deede and Kathy spin there own wool into yarn.

My display of Laundry Detergent and Dryers Sachets. The soap is in another area of the store.

Above are a few pictures from inside Bessie's Farm Goods. They opened on May 3rd, and have been busy ever since. I already have a repeat order from them! What a sweet little place, quaint and full of neat treasures. All these times are for sale, and made by the talented craftsmen and women of the local Freeport area! I bought some delicious and huge oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that barely made it home, and I live only about 5 miles away!

Fresh Soaps Delivered To Farmers Fare

A peek inside Farmers Fare, Rockport.

(A view of the tables, holding all sorts of goodies. Jams, pickles, coffee, yarns, knit items, teas, chocolates and SOAP! All local, Maine Made items.)

(Wonderful fresh veggies, displayed in the coolers.)

(They only had 4 of my soaps left! They were put by the door in a "Gift Suggestions for Mothers' Day" area. I do like the little wooden berry box...that just maybe an idea for the future....)

(Here is the Laundry Detergent and Dryer Sachets. Again, this is all that they had left. Good think I made a speedy delivery! )

I dropped lots of fresh soaps off at Farmers Fare in Rockport this past weekend. I took a few quick pictures of the inside and a few quick pictures of my soap and laundry detergent. Sorry to say that they were almost sold out of my soap. But this is both good and bad. Good because, it's selling! Bad, because I sure wish I had brought them some sooner.

Did you miss....

I had the anniversary giveaway listed for over a week and kept it on the top of the page...you may have missed a few little posts:

The New Freeport Community Market, word is getting out!

Working on some new labels, happy to work with Print Your Party.

Bessie's Farm Goods, over on the other side of town, is open!

Yarmouth Clam Fest 100,00 Visitors!?

Okay, so I have been getting ready for the Yarmouth Clam Festival, which is a massive festival held for 3 days, mid July. I wrote a bit about it here: Clam Fest Application. I have set a very, very big goal for myself. Very big. In order to reach that goal, I need to make soo much soap, it is almost laughable. But, goals are made so you can reach far and prepare and plan. I can do it! I have made charts, I have little boxes to check off, I have ordered supplies, I have begun making soap!

Goal ~ A goal or objective is a projected state of affairs that a person or a system plans or intends to achieve—a personal or organizational desired end-point in some sort of assumed development. Many people endeavor to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines.

Here's is a bit on Clam Fest:

YARMOUTH, Maine — On July 16, 17, and 18, the normally quiet New England village of Yarmouth, Maine, will swell to 15 times its size, as over 100,000 visitors flock to the 45th Annual Yarmouth Clam Festival. In 2009, attendees who registered for contests came from 13 countries and 32 of the United States.

Admission to Yarmouth Clam Festival events is free. Proceeds from food booths and parking lots support Yarmouth’s non-profit student, sporting, music, church, and community-service organizations.

And The Winner Is...

I used the handy dandy Random Number Generator to choose the winner of the 4 pack of soap....you can't really see much about the Random Number Generator, but I will blog more on that that.

And the winner is: comment # 18, Andi-Brown Bee Studio

Thank you all for entering and helping me celebrate 3 years in business. I would like to offer all those that participated free shipping on my website. Just enter code, BlogFS. This coupon is good for one month. Thank you all.

Soap Giveway!

To celebrate our 3rd anniversary, we are giving away a 4 pack of YOUR favorite soaps!

It's easy to enter:

Just become a follower of the Casco Bay Soap Co. blog (click "follow", over there on the right). Leave a comment after this post ~ simply tell us that you are now a follower of our blog and let us know what soaps you would like (find them here : http://www.cascobaysoap.com/soaps.html ) if you were to win.

Be sure to include your name and email address, so we can contact you, when entering the giveaway.

The giveaway will run for 1 week, from May 1st to May 9th, with the winner announced on May 10th.

That's it!

Thanks for stopping by and helping us celebrate our anniversary.