Flea Market Fairs and Fried Pies!

The Maine House is preparing to welcome long time friends from Texas. We experienced many great travel trips with this delightful couple. So often, our little excursions became a tradition. We made dates for Friday night dinners, our yearly weekend in December of the Christmas Holiday of Homes tour and spending the day scouring the antique booths at First Monday in Canton, Texas. This brought to mind that I wanted to seek out great flea markets around the country that we could possibly visit.

If you have never experienced First Monday, then please make plans to go! This is the largest flea market we have ever been to and it is well worth the trip. This enormous monthly flea market often attracts 300,000 visitors to Canton, Texas, where up to 7,500 vendors fill 28 miles of tables stocked with everything from antique jewelry to farm equipment to tube socks. In addition to some of the best deals you will ever receive, Canton offers some of the most delicious food. You will find yourself going back for their fried pies, hamburgers, tacos and turkey legs. Perhaps it just tasted better out of doors among the fair!! Canton Trade Days are held the first Monday of every month, but it actually begins the Friday before.  

The Marburger Farm Antique Show Industrial art, architectural remnants, and 19th-century antiques abound at this popular, 350-plus dealer show in Round Top, Texas, which kicks off a few days after summer's official close.

 

 

The Raleigh Flea Market is known for its reasonably priced antiques, collectibles, and treasures-in-the-rough, this 600-vendor market takes place at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds every Saturday and Sunday.

Plan a trip to Atlanta, Georgia to attend one of the gigantic indoor shows held by Scott Antique Markets. Held monthly, Scott's boasts more than 2,000 vendors and loads of hard-to-find antiques from a variety of eras and regions.
This is held the second weekend of each month.

If visiting the New Hampshire Antiques Show, you will find admirers of fine American antiques — Federal sideboards, Windsor chairs, Chippendale sofas — won't want to miss this small (68-vendor), carefully curated exhibition in Manchester, New Hampshire.

The Brimfield Antique Show is held along a one-mile stretch of Route 20 in Brimfield, Massachusetts, and this legendary event boasts 6,000 dealers specializing in everything from affordable Bakelite bangles to high-end Victorian parlor furniture. The giant Brimfield Barn overflows with old lighting fixtures, estate silver, and Early American furniture. I can't wait to experience this one!

The Country Living Fair is held in Columbus, Ohio’s charming Ohio Village, and is an annual festival which plays host to some 200 vendors. Meet the artisans and craftspeople, listen to live music, and  attend cooking demos.  This year their fair dates are September 16-18th, 2011 in Columbus, Ohio and Oct 21-23 in Atlanta, Georgia.

 

 

Best Country Apple Fried Pies

2 tablespoons butter

4 McIntosh apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 (8-piece) container refrigerated flaky biscuit dough

Estelle's uses Grand Biscuits

To Prepare the filling, add the butter to a large saute pan and melt. Add the apples, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice and cook over medium heat until the apples are soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. When the filling is cool, roll the biscuits out on a lightly floured surface so that each biscuit forms a 7 to 8-inch circle. Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of the filling on 1/2 of each circle. Brush the edges of the circle with water. Fold the circle over the filling to make a half-moon shapes. Seal by pressing the edges with the tines of a fork. Heat a deep fryer or a deep pot halfway filled with oil to 350 degrees F.

Carefully add the pies to the oil, 1 at a time, and fry until golden brown, turning the pies as necessary for even browning, about 5 to 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with sugar while hot.