Yep! It’s a glass carrot! And you know you want one!
I dug a zillion carrots out of the soil last year when working on the farm in Ann Arbor as part of my volunteer work. Every week there were more to pull, they just kept growing and growing while the farmers just kept planting more and more to last the whole summer season. It really put into perspective what a staple carrots are in our diets.
I tend to juice my carrots once a week, mixed with other veggies. I find it’s a great way for me to eat my veggies on the go as I travel to and from the studio. The left-over carrot pulp, we turn into flax crackers or mix into the dog food as a treat.
While reflecting on our donation part of the spring show, the carrot came to mind. We did a few prototypes and liked the results. Customers started commenting, and staff all started picking out their favorites. We made big ones and little ones, orange and red carrots, tall and thin, short and fat. And suddenly, we all found a carrot we could relate to and we knew we had to make more to share!
The Glass Eggstravaganza is a fun show. It’s like an egg hunt for adults and a great platform to spread the word about the Power of Produce program. It's also a great way to shine some light on the farmers in our region while giving back to the community. You may remember that last year we donated one dollar per egg to the Dearborn Farmers Market from our Glass Eggstravaganza event. In the end, we raised our donation to a full $500 in 2019.
Our goal is to do more this year. So for each $38 dollar carrot sold, we’re donating $3 and for each $58 carrot, $5 will go to the Power of Produce club. This is a children’s program at the Dearborn Farmers market that gives a child a chance to buy real fruits and vegetables directly from the farmer. Each token gives a child an opportunity to buy some produce. It’s a great way for farmers and children to connect over healthy food choices!
There are also some fun facts about carrots. Did you know? In earlier times, carrots were stored in a root cellar to last the thru the winter months. Tucking the carrots into saw dust would preserve them so when the cook was ready, all they had to do was dig them out of the sawdust storage bin, clean them and eat!
So for fun, in the studio gallery, you’ll see our carrots displayed in some sawdust to open a dialog on some of these fun facts. Since our carrots are glass you can’t eat them, but you can display them in all sorts of ways: with a stuffed animal, on the windowsill, or my favorite; hanging from a wall with string like it was just picked from the garden!
Anyway you choose to do it, they are lovely and iconic! Be sure to come to the Glass Eggstravaganza to pick out your very own carrot! You might even want a whole bunch!