Hello #marketfriday addicts, it's Friday again, so here I am with another entry although 
Today I'm going to post photos I took at the craft fair organized not long ago in my city. I've been looking forward to this event as it's one of my favorite but this year it wasn't what I was expecting. Usually there are a few craft markets organized each year, open to any artist or company interested but this year the city has decided to allow only local craftsmen and producers to help them grow. While I understand the initiative, for me as a photographer wold have been a huge loss. Unfortunately I wasn't home and thus could not attend the event. However, there was another event, an autumn event that I could attend.
I used to go to those markets and come home with 300 - 400 photos. Now I believe I came home with 1% of those photos. This is life, I can't change it but I'm hoping maybe in April or May next year the city is going to organize a huge fair again and accept every crafter from the country.
Here you could taste and buy a few types of vines and fruit syrups. I don't really drink alcohol, so tasting was out of the question from the start and buying as well as these unbottled drinks could be kept in the fridge for a limited time. I loved however, how the products were displayed. It gave you the autumn feeling. When I was a little kid, there were fairs organized each fall, called Harvest Day. That was a real paradise for me, there were so many products, fruits, vegetables and products made of fruits and vegetables. This display reminded me of those days.
This lady was selling all kinds of handmade products, from jewelry to tapestry etc. It's an interesting art for sure. Some of the jewelry is simple and the "handmade" term is referring to manual beading but there are some that are really handmade of crochet pieces or using some kind of fabric that was also handmade.
The two bags you see on the table and hanging on the display are made of homespun fabric. That type of fabric was used in each household for clothes and for household items like tablecloths, bed covers, pillowcases etc. This type of fabric was the only one they had, sometimes they made it more thinner for delicate use.
This is Paradise for those who love craft jams ans syrups. I'm one of them but because I'm always making my own, I'm rarely buying anything from these displays. These products are different though as are without added sugar.
Here you could see all kinds of products, from wooden items, embroideries, paintings, hand painted ceramics, toys, candles etc.
I was happy to see these bags but at a closer look I saw the design was printed and not hand painted on them.
Honey is a product that is always present, no matter what market you go to. You can always find a great variety of honey of all kinds.
Lavender is the other product that is always preset ant the markets. Dried lavender is little canvas bags, these are always available to use as air freshener. You can also find all kinds of tinctures and soap. Lavender however is too strong for me, I'm not a great fan. I have lavender tea at home but I'm mixing it with other teas and lavender is only 5%, always.
Painted wooden plates and trays. I'm not sure these are hand painted though. You can also see some costumes and scarves as well.
There were all kinds of things here for each category. Jewelry, painted wooden keepsake boxes (these seemed hand painted), egg holders you put on the table to serve fried eggs, mugs, wooden combs finely decorated, kitchen utensils, different fabrics and finally wooden toys.
Wooden toys are sought after because many times the plastic ones you can buy on the market are toxic due to the material or the paint used. May parents prefer wooden toys because these unpainted toys are more healthier and durable as well compared to plastic. The price is a bit high but for a family with a two or three kids it may be a good investment.
This is another heaven full of goodies if you're a jam fan. I'm always tempted to buy some and occasionally i gave in choosing some I don't have at home but not as often as I'd want. Truth is, I'm always making my own jams and have three times as much as I need, so ... buying more is not smart :)
This was my first stop, when I saw sage and tea I knew I'm going to leave some money in the guy's pocket. Since I swapped coffee for tea, I'm trying to taste as many as I can and surprisingly there's always a new one I've never heard of or tasted or it offers some benefits that I need. Sage is a tea that I'm drinking regularly but the guy also had hyssop that has been unknown to me. It turns out it's excellent for indigestion, cold, cough, flu, asthma, joint pain, herpes and dermatitis. I bought it for flu and cold as winter is coming. It's better to use homemade remedies.
You can also see lavender, hyssop and sage syrup, dry lavender, propolis tincture, honey, air fresheners and different beauty products.
More honey products and a huge bear with a beehive in its hand.
And even more honey products. This was my second stop, I mean where I bought something. Although have my own honey supplier, a trusted source, I bought a jar of colza honey because according to the lady that's the only honey type that is not increasing stomach acid. This is extremely important as stomach acid can cause serious health problems if goes untreated. It tasted very different from what I'm used to but it's good, I'm satisfied with it. I used to buy poly-flora honey or acacia, which is more expensive.
Surprise, surprise, I've saved the best for last. More honey products but these are special. These are honey creams of different flavor, I've never heard of these.
Here's the variety you could buy there: sea buckthorn, cinnamon, cocoa, blueberries, cranberries, poly-flora, lavender, propolis, pollen. There were some nice displays made of wood if you wanted something special for a gift for example, and candles as well as tinctures. These products were 100% organic and one honey cream has won a Gold medal at product competition in Bratislava.
This is what I came home with. The small box contains pollen granules. It's a very modest selection of products as I've learned to control myself at these markets :)