Shaker Woods, Here We Come

As July slowly comes to a close, we are turning our thoughts and attention to August and The Shaker Woods Festival. It is difficult to believe that in a mere three weeks, we will be at our little shack in the woods, sharing our products. Although live shows are a challenge, we genuinely enjoy The Shaker Woods Festival, the audience, our neighborhood, and our neighbors. We appreciate the opportunity to participate in a show of this magnitude. As we sat chatting on the porch the other night, we revisited our first year at The Shaker Woods Festival.

Lana and Rob, the directors and coordinators of The Shaker Woods Festival, organized an incredible show. The hard work that goes into prepping the grounds, promoting, organizing, putting out fires, and working with 150+ vendors and the public is a job for a small army. One of the many things that impressed me about this event was that you saw Lana and Rob everywhere, every day, at all hours. We go out to the woods when we have our building pressure washed. The pressure washing can occur anywhere from a month to a few weeks before the show. I have never been in the woods where I didn't see Lana planting flowers, raking gravel, cleaning up branches, or working with vendors. On the weekends of the show, she is on the grounds from sunup to sundown. In public, she embodies calm, cool, and collected. However, she has a boss vibe, and I would not want to be on the receiving end of her anger or disapproval.

My roots make me appreciate someone who is willing to work alongside their workers and isn't afraid to get their hands dirty. My dad thought nothing of jumping in a truck to move equipment or running equipment if he needed to get a job done, even in the later years of his career. After a lifetime of hard work and success, he never believed any job was beneath him. Last year, there was a minor debacle with the care of the outhouses at Shaker Woods. By the middle of the first day, many were out of toilet paper. Rather than pass the buck, Lana acted. She personally drove to the dollar store and all the surrounding stores and restocked the toilet paper in the outhouses. Many show producers would have looked at that issue and blamed the outhouse company (which I'm sure she did, and rightfully so), but rather than wait for someone else to act, Lana jumped in and fixed the issue. This act earned my respect for this hard-working woman who does her best to carry on her family's legacy and dream. I can get behind that one hundred percent.

Our first year at the festival was overwhelming. Talk about feeling like a fish out of water. Some vendors make a lifestyle of traveling across the country to various high-magnitude, high-end shows. These vendors are pros. They drive large, elaborate RVs, have personalized large trucks and trailers, and have crews to help them set up. Now, imagine this: here come the Smays with our white pickup truck without a logo, packed up like the Clampetts, trying to look like we belong in this realm of handmade professionals. We were so overwhelmed by the sheer size of the show and the crowd's volume that we didn't have time to meet our neighbors. It was a lot to take in. I pride myself on professionalism, but The Shaker Woods Festival puts that all in perspective. We are minnows in the pond of handmade professionals.

Last year was better because we knew what to expect. We were better prepared and more organized, developed a system we knew worked, and were able to enjoy the event, the crowd, and our neighbors. As a teacher, I would tell my students that knowing what to expect from a teacher or a test and understanding the process and procedures was half the battle to success. This advice holds true for all situations. Once we knew what to expect, we could focus on customer service, making connections, and enjoying the moment. I am hopeful this year will be even more enjoyable and successful.  

This year, we are not only sharing our standard inventory of soaps and moisturizers and our fall line-up of products, but we are also sharing six of our holiday soaps. Sharing Christmas and winter scents with our Ohio family is something we hope they enjoy. Of course, we also make soap and moisturizer exclusively for The Shaker Woods Festival. Our Into the Woods soap and moisturizer will be available exclusively at The Shaker Woods Festival. The Shaker Woods Festival is among the best if you love a good festival. There is an impressive collection of handmade professionals, live music, and fantastic food, all in a beautiful, scenic setting. The crowds are BIG, but the festival is truly impressive. We always enjoy a friendly face, so I gently encourage you to come for a day or a weekend.

On this lovely summer day, stay safe, be smart, enjoy the waning days of summer, plan to attend The Shaker Woods Festival, and keep washing your hands.

Foodie Friday: Stuffed Tomatoes

How is it Friday already, dear reader? This summer is flying by, and I don't know where the time goes. In Western Pennsylvania, it is the start of tomato season. My bib overall-wearing buddy enjoys a good homegrown tomato. Last night, we celebrated our twenty-first wedding anniversary, and he was thrilled that Luigi's Restaurant is now offering its seasonal tomato salad. A few staple meals must be made during tomato season, or my bib overall-wearing buddy considers it a crime against nature. One of these meals is stuffed tomatoes.

There are many recipes for stuffed tomatoes. I have found recipes for tomatoes stuffed with beef or sausage, rice or quinoa, a combination of grains and meat, or mushrooms and cheese. However, GramBarb has always made tomatoes stuffed with traditional bread stuffing and cheese. GramBarb, or GB, as we call her, does not have an official recipe that she follows. Like most good cooks, her recipes are committed to memory, and they are a pinch of this, a dash of that, and no real measurements.

I try to replicate her stuffed tomato recipe every summer, but I fail miserably. This year, instead of trying to replicate GB's recipe, I went rogue and made my own. I was pleasantly surprised with how well they turned out. The Bibbed Wonder ate all the tomatoes, so I consider this recipe successful.

As is the focus for my Foodie Friday blogs this summer, all the ingredients were purchased at The Ligonier Country Market. The tomatoes were purchased from Jeff's Produce. The sourdough bread used to make the stuffing came from Seasons of Sourdough. The cheese is from Pleasant Lane Farms. The onions came from Yarnick's Farm. The spices were purchased from Nature's Life Spices, and the butter is from Lone Oak Farm. I am thrilled to support all the local farms and vendors. It's easy to eat fresh and local when surrounded by such quality producers.

My recipe is relatively simple. The tomatoes are ready in under an hour, making a simple, delicious meal. My bib overall-wearing buddy was happy with a full tummy, and I am not guilty of committing any crimes against nature this tomato season. I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients:

-6 Large, fresh tomatoes cored with seeds scooped out and pulp set aside

-1 Loaf of sourdough bread

- 1 Large onion, chopped

-2 Cloves of garlic, minced

-1 Cup butter, divided

- 2 Teaspoons Italian seasoning

-1/4 Teaspoon salt

- 1/4 Teaspoon pepper

- 1 Cup grated mozzarella cheese

- 1/2 Cup parmesan cheese

-Set oven to 400 degrees and lightly coat a 9x13 baking dish with olive oil.

-Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a skillet over medium heat, then add the onion, garlic, tomato pulp, salt, pepper, and Italian spice mix.

-Sautee until fragrant, about 6 minutes.

-In a large bowl, tear the sourdough bread into small pieces.

-Add the cheese to the bread crumbs,

-Pour the tomatoes, onion, and garlic mixture over the sourdough bread. Melt the other half cup of butter in the same skillet over low heat. Pour the melted butter over the bread, and, using your hands, mix thoroughly.

-Create small, loosely compacted balls of stuffing and fill the tomato cavities.

-Place the stuffed tomatoes in the baking dish. Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil.

-Cover loosely with foil, and bake for 45 minutes in a preheated oven.

-Allow to sit for five minutes before serving.

I served this meal with a small salad. The meal was simple, fresh, and delicious. It tastes even better if you can source your ingredients fresh and locally. I hope you enjoy this recipe and can take advantage of the growing season.

On this lovely summer day, stay safe, be smart, eat fresh, local produce, enjoy simple summer meals, and keep washing your hands.

Thank you to our friends, fellow vendors, and producers from Ligonier Country Market.

Making A Hard Decision

The porch is often the spot for our tough decision-making meetings.

Welcome to Thursday, dear reader. This morning, the birds are singing, everything is damp from a brief rain storm, and everything looks a bit greener and refreshed. Although there was not as much rain as needed, the small amount we got perked up everything on the farm. Running a small business is a lot like farming. As farmers, we must rely on circumstances beyond our control, like the weather. As small business owners, we, too, have to rely upon outside elements that dictate our choices.

The Bibbed Wonder and I have been fighting an uphill battle. The Smiling Goat Soap Company began in 2016. We made the uncertain and frightening jump to run our business full-time in 2019. My values for this endeavor have been straightforward: provide superior-quality products made with simple, clean, high-quality ingredients, treat our goats as family, treat our supporters as family, and demonstrate transparency in all we do. My commitment to upholding these standards is unwavering. So, today, I will share a tough decision we have reluctantly made and explain why.

After almost nine years in business, we have fought hard not to raise our prices, and to date, we have maintained that. However, as you all well know, everything, absolutely everything, has increased excessively. When I began making soap in 2016, I paid $17 for a gallon of olive oil, $50 for a five-gallon pail of coconut oil, and anywhere from $15-$60 for a pound of various essential oils. Now, dear reader, I pay $35 for a gallon of olive oil, $160 for a five-gallon pail of coconut oil, and $30-$450 for a pound of various essential oils. That list is just an example of the price increases we are experiencing, but every ingredient in our products has almost doubled, some tripled. Also, it doesn't factor in the increase in feed and supplies for our goats. That, too, has increased exorbitantly.

I refuse to lower the quality of my ingredients. For example, I could use overly processed coconut oil or olive pumice instead of olive oil. I could also switch to fragrance oils instead of essential oils. All of these changes would lower my overhead, but they would also reduce the quality of my products. I refuse to lower the quality, end of story. We have made choices to lower costs in areas that don't necessarily affect the quality of our products. For example, I have chosen a different supplier for my boxes and labels. I now buy labels in bulk to lower the cost. I notice a slight difference in the quality of the packaging, but as for the quality of the product itself, I refuse to budge.

As my soap family, you consciously choose to support small, family-owned, farm-based, and, in some cases, we're a local business. You could shop in big box stores, buy from discounters, or shop mainstream, but you don't. For this, I am eternally grateful. When we say we appreciate you, truer words were never spoken. I am astounded by the support, love, and care you all demonstrate. Because of you, I commit to creating the best products, focusing on simplicity, purity, and quality. You can pick up chemical-laden garbage from any of the discount stores, but you choose us. The power of that does not escape me.

With trepidation, I now share with you that on August 1st, we have no choice but to increase our prices. Effective August 1st, our price list will be 4.5 oz. bars/$9, 3.5 oz. round bars/$7, 8 oz. moisturizers/$14, and 4 oz. jars of scrubs and masks/ $14. This is not a decision we have made lightly. Believe me, if we could avoid this, we would. However, our costs and overhead are not showing any sign of lowering, and the cost of living continues to increase. Because of you, our soap family, we have worked hard to keep costs down without sacrificing quality. However, dear reader, we feel as if we are stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place.

Your support has grown, and your commitment to helping our small, farm-based family business succeed has been substantial. My hope is that by sharing this tough decision, you will understand why we have made this choice. All I can say is I hope you do, indeed, understand and can continue to support our small, family farm endeavor. Please allow me to finish by saying we appreciate you and your support over the past eight years. We look forward to serving you for many years to come.

On this cooler, overcast Thursday, stay safe and be smart; thank you for your support. I hope you understand our decision, and keep washing your hands-hopefully, with great goat's milk soap.