Many things get canceled, others don’t.

There’s an element of confusion sown by the pandemic. Decisions on whether to shut down an event or not are often forced to be made at the last minute as conditions change.

And so for weeks Janet Eckler wondered, even as people answered in the affirmative, “are we really going to have a Christmas market?”

Eckler, who lives on a farm between Martinsburg and Wellsville, is a fixture at Mexico’s farmers market, where she sells vegetables. She also has more than 100 chickens and a number of regular customers for eggs. And she’s a quilter, someone who loves to sew.

“I have a problem – I’m interested in too many things,” Eckler said with a laugh. “I have worked for so many years I don’t know how to quit.”

Another problem? The eventual cancellation of the Winter Wonderland Stop & Shop left her with a lot of goodies she had worked on.

For the market Eckler crafted 20 tea towels that look like miniature aprons, as well as trays of candy – peanut butter balls, peanut clusters, cherry cream, fudge and more. She even whipped up a concoction known as heavenly hash.

“The towels I could keep until next year,” she observed. “But the candy …”

Eckler brought two of the tea towels to The Ledger’s office. Both were snapped up quickly by a staff member (and a suggestion was made that she drop by with some candy, as well. But she decided to advertise her stock instead).

The idea for the unique tea towels came during a visit to Versailles for a quilting seminar. Eckler spotted them at a nearby shop and she picked up the pattern. Making candy was something she took to after joining a club. One of the members prepared treats and Eckler learned from her. And the eggs – well, she’s lived on a farm all her life, shrugging “I tried to get off the farm, but I didn’t.”

For the record, Eckler has 100 laying chickens currently, plus 150 chicks that will soon join the flock.

“I wasn’t keeping up with demand,” she said, again laughing.

Eckler believes farmers markets – as well as holiday markets when they happen – are an important part of the shopping landscape. She points out that she hasn’t purchased meat from a grocery store in some time, preferring the selection at Mexico Premium Meats, Heart Song Farms and others.

In the summer Eckler peddles vegetables at the farmers market. The winter months she devotes to candy and sewing.

But all a craft producer can do for now is adapt.