Hello snails and humans! I’m Shelloise (“shell-oh-ease”), and I am super excited to be writing my first blog post of the summer. Podette and I have so much fun here everyday, and I can’t wait to tell you all about our adventures at Amherst!
This weekend, Podette and I visited the Amherst farmers’ market. Each Saturday from late spring to fall, the town of Amherst holds a farmers’ market from 9 AM to 1 PM, and tons of vendors gather there to sell local produce, artisan foods, and handmade crafts. It’s such a delectable, delightful way to engage with Amherst and the Pioneer Valley community.
The walk to the farmers’ market is very short, even for snails, and it is only a three minute walk from Valentine Dining Hall for humans. We enjoyed the walk across the park towards the booths. There were lots of dogs and human children playing in the grass. Sometimes, you can even see fluffy Angora bunnies!
We decided to take a look at all the booths before deciding what to buy. We saw vendors selling local honey, freeze dried candies, egg sandwiches, fresh cut flowers, handmade soaps, kombucha, and so much more.
Here are some photos we tried to take. They are a bit blurry because it is difficult to focus the camera with my foot.
We eventually decided to buy some breakfast from a plant-based bakery called Twisted Bakery. The owner was so sweet! She complimented our beautiful shells and recommended that we get pastries that looked like us. I got a basil pesto twist, and Podette got a raspberry chocolate spiral bun.
Do you see the resemblance??
The pastries were so delicious. I even had to fend off a golden retriever who tried to take the last bite of my pesto twist! If you are ever at the farmers’ market, I would highly recommend Twisted Bakery, especially if you are a snail or a plant-based human.
While eating, we ran into some friends who were gathered at a picnic table in the center of the market and we sat down with them to finish the rest of our breakfast. There were a lot of yummy treats on the table, including kombucha, crème brûlée, egg sandwiches, and edible cookie dough.
Before coming to Amherst, I was apprehensive about being in a small town, and I thought I might get bored on the weekends. But there is something wonderful about living in a town like Amherst where the community is so tight-knit and friendly. There’s so much to do in the local area, and I can’t wait to take you guys along on our adventures!
Podette and Shelloise is a new blog series run by Finley Liu ‘27, the human roommate. Podette and Shelloise are two crochet snails that Finley got from a very talented artist from the class of 2024. You can send any and all snail mail to fliu27@amherst.edu!