Sunshine’s Confections
Organic Interpretations of Chocolate Bar Classics
by Torrey Douglass
Sometimes all you need to turn your day around is a bite of something lusciously sweet, a decadent indulgence that revs your previously sputtering engine and gets you back on the road. In moments like those, you can do no better than to seek out Sunshine at the Willits or Ukiah farmers markets.
True to their name, Sunshine brings a little light into people’s lives. Their farmers market tent includes offerings to refresh and nurture: herbal tinctures, a seasonally-inspired drink, and a delightful selection of hand crafted chocolate creations based on—and much better than—the standard big-name candy bars you usually find in the grocery store check-out aisle.
The herbal remedies, both single herb and formulas, are created with herbs grown on the farm outside of Willits where Sunshine lives. Produced under the name Medicinal Allies, they are designed to aid with sleep, respiratory issues, reproductive concerns, stress, immune strength, and more. Besides the tinctures, many of the blends also utilize “succus,” or fresh juice of the herb, and are preserved with alcohol.
“I’m very blessed to live with people who have a lot of herbal and farming knowledge,” Sunshine remarks. Those herbs can show up in the seasonal beverages Sunshine sells—refreshing quenchers like Raspberry Limeade or Rose Lemonade in the summer (both sweetened with maple syrup), and warming drinks during the colder months like hot chocolate or wild mushroom tea. Chocolate confections can seem like an incongruous addition into the herbally-inspired mix until Sunshine explains, “I’ve always had a sweet tooth. I feel like it’s really important to have a balance of things to help cleanse the body and make it stronger, and to be able to indulge in things that bring us joy.”
Created under the name “Sunshine’s Confections,” the chocolate treats are inspired by the classic candy bars we all grew up with. There’s the “Snickers” option: date nougat topped with peanut maple caramel, sweetened with maple syrup and local honey and using 70% semi-sweet chocolate chips. The “Twix” equivalent has almond meal and coconut flour shortbread with a maple syrup caramel on top. And the “Butterfinger” doppelganger uses crushed-up cornflakes sweetened with organic fruit, caramel from maple and coconut sugar and coconut oil, and organic peanut butter. Every bar is frozen before it’s dipped in chocolate and graced with a topping like sea salt or bee pollen.
At a recent gathering, a particularly busy farmer was overheard praising Sunshine’s chocolates for putting some spring back in her step at the end of an especially hectic couple of weeks. Since almost all the ingredients are organic and only alternative natural sweeteners are used, these delicacies are ideal for satisfying the hankering for something sweet without corn syrup or other processed sugars.
“Because I like to make a lot of different things, the farmers market is a natural choice for me,” shares Sunshine. And their booth does indeed offer all sorts of creations, from the herbal remedies, to feminist zines, to vulvas handcrafted from felt (in case you misplaced yours someplace and need a new one). But no matter what brings you to Sunshine’s table, you’d be missing out on some joy—and some extra rev in your engine—if you left without one of their magnificent chocolate confections.
Sunshine’s Confections are available at Willits and Ukiah farmers markets. For more of Sunshine’s work, visit them on instagram: @medicinal_allies
Photo by Lama Nasser-Gammett