I’m amazed that the chillie plants are looking their best at this time of the year! In the little plot pictured, I’ve got 7 varieties growing happily oblivious that we’ve entered Autumn and about to usher in cooler climes. These chillies will make their way into the condiments that I sell at the markets. It includes the Naga/Ghost and Carolina Reaper  that I saved and raised from seed (yaay!!) We’ve got a friend in Mandurah, WA who loves to grow these varieties just for the sake of seeing the beautiful fruit and often mails a bagful to us for our sauces. Since he can’t handle eating anything too spicy, he’s asked a coffee or two in return. A bargain for sure:)

I use glass jars and bottles for the condiments at the markets but I’m looking for lighter options (vacuum sealed & flat packed?) for my online customers to reduce postage and handling costs. In trying to minimise the use of plastic, it is often a challenge to find alternatives and often requires creative options. So, I’ll keep you posted. If you have any suggestions, feel free to share.

The strange collection of wooden boxes that you see are old Jarrah wooden floorboards that I saved up. I decided to put them together with my limited DIY handyman skills into moulds for my future lot of soap. I’ve lined them with an shower curtain that I knew would come to use in some way or the other. So, my next batch of soap Henna shampoo bar will be more rectagular in shape (much like the conventional ones around) rather than my present chunkier cube-like bars. This development comes after suggestions from my regular customers who have noted the convenience of the former shape to the latter. So thank you Simon and Andrew.

It was possibly my last Dunsborough Central Markets yesterday in keeping with my decision to stop travelling too far (45 mins or more!) from home. It was a pleasure to come across the many travellers passing through this popular holiday town. The joy expressed by a visitor from South Africa who purchased one of my eucalyptus dyed eri silks certainly made my day and ended it on such a lovely note.