Menasha Market

The Menasha Farm Market is a great place to be on a Thursday afternoon!

The atmosphere is relaxed and the vendors are terrific. My soap business is not only about selling soap but, more importantly, the relationships that you form with the other vendors. Panhia sells right next to me. She has 10 children - 6 girls and 4 boys! She is so tiny you would never beleive that she has 10 children!

It is a real joy to be next to her every week. She gives me all kinds of great vegetables like carrots, beets, mint, strawberries, raspberries, scallions and the best cilantro I have ever eaten.

She asked me to give her a print of these pictures when I see her this coming Thursday. Panhia is Hmong and originally from Laos. The Hmong are here in the United States as refugees from the Vietnam War. They were recruited by the US and fought against North Vietnam. In general, the Hmong people followed an agrarian lifestyle - much like our European ancestors. Because they fought to preserve their culture and would not be subdued by the communists, they were targeted for genocidal extinction.
The majority of  Hmongs have settled in Wisconsin, Minnesota and California.  The Hmong people are very family oriented and hard working.  I feel honored to have Panhia as a friend!

My next picture is Syd who is on the other side of me at the market. He also has a unique story. Syd is from Stephensville, which is very close to Shiocton. Syd sells old insulators, rhubarb, dried out gourds and maple syrup. We share the same Maple tree and we both benefit from its shade. Syd had his own farmer's market going at the Columbus Club in Appleton for a long time. Because of all the politics, he is not selling at the Appleton Market on Saturday mornings. He is a really nice guy - except for the fact that he eats too much meat. I am working on him, though, and hopefully before the summer ends I will have him weaned from his evil ways. Although he thinks that I am the one who is nuts.

Here are some pictures of my set-up at the market: