Determined not to get caught short of bread at this week’s West Lafayette Farmers Market, I upped production 20 percent compared with the previous week. As I’d feared, the weather took a turn for the worse, leaving me with gloomy visions of returning home with armloads of unsold bread. Although the forecast had called for scattered thundershowers, it was raining steadily when I got up before dawn, and it rained on and off into the afternoon as great armies of heavy clouds slowly marched overhead looking for farmers markets to pillage.

When I arrived at the market site just before 2 p.m., the normally bustling site was mostly empty. Several vendors had cancelled; others must have been watching the skies because they rolled in later than usual. Still, when the opening bell sounded at 3:30 p.m., many of the stalls were empty. Soon after that, the smattering of rain turned into a downpour. This lasted a few minutes, or long enough to fill the popup ceiling with pockets of water before tapering off.

Despite the rain, turnout was slow but steady and we were able to keep the bread dry and satisfy several returning customers and a few new ones. During the dry spells we were able to chat with fellow vendors who’d obviously been through such storms and who likewise were grateful that the day was not a washout.

While the rain fell several market-goers took shelter under our tent, giving us a chance to captivate them with the wonders of our products. A few bought bread while waiting to move on. Moreover, I learned just how hardy sourdough lovers are. Returning customers came equipped with hats, rain jackets or umbrellas, and shopping bags.

The rain let up about the time my wife, Kathleen, got off work and arrived to help with sales. When the closing bell sounded, we were left with about 15 loaves out of 55. Some of the products were sellouts, giving me a taste of what I could use more of in the future (and what perhaps to cut back.) A surprise best seller were the Kouign-Amann, hand-sized laminated pastries, some of which I filled with a jam made out of farmers’ market strawberries.

After unloading our tent and other supplies at home, Kathleen and I went downtown for a bite, taking the leftover bread with us. While downtown we ran into some folks we knew and sold a few more loaves. We also sent out messages on social media to anyone interested in buying. By the following afternoon most of the unsold bread was gone, although at discounted prices. All in all it was a good market and a learning experience for Smittybread.