Casaba Melons & Coffee Beans

I have not blogged much about Bryanston Organic Market even though we've been going there quite regularly since we moved here last December. In addition to the beautiful fruits and vegetables, artisanal cheeses and breads, specialty butchers, prepared foods and the all-important Italian delicacies purveyor Graziella, there is also a sizable craft market. Very good quality and very low pressure to bargain. I like that!

It was at Bryanston where Vince first found the Violet Moon Paper and Gourd Craft stall. We had been looking for a seagrass container to hold our cache of  coffee bean bags on the kitchen counter. But when he saw the carved, and in some cases painted, casaba melons and gourds at Violet Moon, our search took a different tack. The straw basket is probably better suited to bread anyway; the casaba melon will be more airtight, he reasoned whilst coveting one.



So we set about ordering up the right size casaba from the artist Mariette Erasmus. She thought she had one drying at home that would be both the perfect size and shape. We talked design, decided on a price and we were done.







To see pictures of Mariette making our casaba coffee holder and to see the finished product, like and check out her Facebook page. Search for Violet Moon Paper and Gourd Craft.