Eddie’s Energy Bars Blog

Aside from today being absolutely beautiful, the farmer’s market was great once again. The number of vendors is growing every week, and I think we’re on tap for a fantastic rest of the summer. There were a couple of new products at the market I would like to highlight, including our brand-new mustard!

So, as clearly stated above, we branched out into the mustard market, with a homemade recipe of ours. The original recipe came from one of my dad’s co-workers, but then we twisted it to our liking. This mustard was initially just a test to see if people liked it. Well, they most certainly did. All of the jars that we brought sold out within an hour and a half. I was shocked, but it gave me a great segway into marketing the mustard as the “sell-out mustard”. That got a lot of people trying it, and the word of mouth spread like wildfire. We received multiple orders for energy bars and for jars of mustard.

A couple spaces away from us, there were burgers and pizza being made by the Boyden Farm. I enjoyed a burger for lunch, and then got the idea of giving them a sample jar of our mustard for other customers to put on their burgers. Forrest, the guy with the burgers gladly accepted, and it will now be a weekly addition to their line-up–a great way to get free publicity for our mustard.

Last but certainly not least were the maple creemees from Comeau’s Maple Syrup. Not only was it a great idea, but it was the best maple creemee I have ever had in my life…only $2! Nice and creamy with a pretty strong maple flavor–not wussy at all!

So, I highly suggest to head over to the market next week and give these vendors a try, buy some energy bars, and some mustard, and I guarantee your life will be so much better.

Michael Adams, Owner
Eddie’s Energy Bars and, future proprietor of Vermustard.

I’m coming to you live from our home bakery in Richmond, Vermont, where we just got back from our first farmer’s market EVER!  We signed up to do the Williston Farmer’s Market, which turned out to be a load of fun.  Sadly, I had some technical difficulties in getting pictures onto my computer, so I will take some next weekend so you guys can see the wonderful time we had, and the almost twenty vendors that displayed their goodies and crafts.

One particular thing I enjoyed about this farmer’s market was the ability to meet so many interesting people, and talk to them about my company.  It certainly helped to have my parents there to handle the crowds.  Many times we encountered a line of people waiting to try our homemade energy bars, which is always a good thing (if you can handle customers efficiently).  Many customers gave us a lot of ideas of flavors, retail stores, and just overall ideas of how to further the success of Eddie’s Energy Bars.  A concern of about half a dozen people was a tree nut or peanut allergy.  We are currently looking into making 100% nut free energy bars, which is extremely hard to do with our home bakery right now.

If you were unable to make it to the farmer’s market this morning, we will be at the market every Saturday through the summer except for two Saturdays when the family and I are taking a little vacation to Steamboat Springs, CO.  It is from 9-1 behind the library on route 2 in Williston if you are interested in coming.

Remember, taking a risk can always pay off!

Michael Adams
Eddie’s Energy Bars

It’s that time of year again, when fruits and veggies are available all throughout the nation for your tantalizing taste-buds to enjoy. Also, they are at a much cheaper price than during the winter months, so take advantage of that and use them in your meal preparations for dinner, or throw some in a bag for a mid-day snack.

I love using seasonal fruits and vegetables because they not only taste better and look better, but if you buy them at the market like I do, you are buying local and supporting your local economy. At many farmer’s markets you can find delicious fruits and veggies. If you have no idea where a farmer’s market is around you, I found this awesome site with a listing of local markets by state.

I know you are reading this, and wondering what my favorite summer fruits and vegetables are. Well, I love blueberries and strawberries, along with fresh pineapple, and pounce on fresh green peppers whenever I can.

What is your favorite summer fruit or vegetable? Leave a comment below and let me know how you use your favorite produce items.

Michael, Owner
Eddie’s Energy Bars

My last delivery every Thursday is Sweet Clover Market. I usually pick up something new every week to try for dinner. I had a conversation with Suzanne, a very nice employee there, about the butcher’s handmade hot dogs, made with meat from Jericho Settler’s Farm. He is one of two butchers in New England that actually makes his own hotdogs. A little expensive, but I highly recomend them for your 4th of July BBQ.

Today, I decided to give the handmade sweet and hot Italian sausage a try, as I am a huge fan of Italian sausage because of all of the flavors. Everything I have bought over at SCM has been incredible, and I am ready to try this amazing sausage.

Give Sweet Clover Market a try–just about everything is handmade and local!

Michael
Eddie’s Energy Bars

I recently saw a clip on the Channel 3 news about the restaurant scene in Burlington, VT. They mentioned that food service is responsible for 10% of the job-force in Burlington, and account for $5.5 million in tourist dollars each year.

This amazes me, but at the same time it doesn’t. The man interviewed went on to mention how the culinary scene in Burlington has a higher bar than other “urban” hubs because of recent New England Culinary Institute graduates opening up restaurants with incredible food. It is like we, as Vermonters, expect more from local eateries, and we most certainly get it.

There are over 90 places to eat in Burlington, and I haven’t been to all of them, but I have sure been to my fair share. I love local food. It is incredible. I would rather support a locally owned restaurant than some friggin’ huge chain, frankly because the food is different and a lot of the time better for you, with local ingredients and local restauranteurs running the place.

So, get out of your house, and go enjoy some of the many places to eat in Burlington. Don’t live near Burlington, VT? I am sure there is a great town full of places to eat and shop…although, I don’t think anything beats Church Street and the Waterfront.

Have fun! I’m going to the Chew Chew Fest tomorrow! WOOHOO!

Michael, Owner
Eddie’s Energy Bars