Farm Life

[JohnDB]

My wife and I just got back from South Georgia for the holiday weekend.
While we were down there I noticed that the land is really inexpensive but really fertile. There are farms everywhere growing just about everything from cotton to soybeans to corn and peaches. Lots of Pecan trees too.

So I got to thinking...
I can start a fruit farm and then in conjunction with this I know how to make jams and jellies from all of this produce.

I miss having great jams and jellies like I know how to make...but unless you get a great deal on the fruit it is way too expensive to make. And in order to make any money at making jams and jellies you really have to have inexpensive fruit to make it with. Most of the ones on the store shelves are barely over the cost of shipping and the jar that holds the preserves.

A glass jar costs at least three dollars...labeling is at least another dollar. Cardboard and shipping is another dollar per jar.
Thats five dollars before you even put in any preserves in the thing. (shipping and glass are both very expensive...just like fruit isn't cheap either these days)

But if this works out...I can get the fruit for the cost of some manual work on my part...and some pesticides and fertilizer.

So...
We started to think of what to call the place...
JohnDB's Fruit Farm?
no
JD's Fruit Farm?
nahhhh
Then it struck me...
This is going to require some awful high steppin...
And I am going to have to put my best foot forward in doing all this.
So...my good foot (instead of the bad one) is attatched to my leg that sits a bit taller than the other...one knee is higher than my other knee...and with all the high steppin...

High Knee Fruit Farm is born.

I was thinking about all the advertising too... because if we are going to sell unique jams and jellies we have to have extraordinary marketing to get this stuff to sell.

One of the things that is going to be unique is our grape jelly. Now if you carefully look at the grape jelly you buy in the store its a bait and switch type thing. It isn't made strictly from grape juice. They take a low flavored apple or pear juice to make up the bulk of the juice in the stuff.
Mine will be 100% pure concord grape juice...and the flavor difference is huge.
And unlike all these wineries around...we actually will grow and harvest the fruit that goes into our grape jelly. When we run out...we are out. If something happens to the crop...we don't have grape Jelly.

I was also thinking of Jalepeno Jelly, Persimmon Jelly, Blackberry Jelly, and some Strawberry Jelly...but I really don't want to pick strawberries...so I might just not do that one...maybe some pear butter instead. Of course we will offer tastings of everything there with a little store front of some kind.

But the star will be our Grape Jelly.

So...I had some Ideas for slogans...

Come See the vines growing in my High Knee fruit farm.
Come check out the clusters at my High Knee fruit farm.
My High Knee's butter is better than the rest.

Of course the difference of my Jams and Jellies verses all the others will be insane...people will become instantly addicted to the high quality of them. So I thought then about this:

Come to High Knee Fruit Farms...you will be a changed man if you do.

Of course we will be poor when we first start up...low cash flow until we get established for a few years...but the instant success will be in the flavor and quality of what we make. So I was thinking that I could give up some of my High Knee for various services and that way I wouldn't be expending cash and the "good ol boy" farm network could help with the situation.

Whatcha think of that?

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

Well,.. as Elizabeth Taylor probably said to all of her husbands,.. sure why not!? :wink

 

[JohnDB]

Read some of the slogans to your mom...see what she says

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

Read some of the slogans to your mom...see what she says

Umm,.. that depends, am I in trouble?

 

[JohnDB]

No...but your mom will start laughing.

 

[JohnDB]

Oh come on Not_Now.Soon ...
You got got...

It's just fine.
This thing looks great on paper...but radio ads are going to be tough

 

[Luminous_Rose]

Sounds like an awesome venture! Jams and jellies are so awesome when they are the real stuff!

I have seen some off the wall jellies and jams at the farmers.market. I got a delicious watermelon jelly once. It was amazing.

Plum jam is another that is delicious and harder to find here.

 

[JohnDB]

Sounds like an awesome venture! Jams and jellies are so awesome when they are the real stuff!

I have seen some off the wall jellies and jams at the farmers.market. I got a delicious watermelon jelly once. It was amazing.

Plum jam is another that is delicious and harder to find here.

The name and slogans are a joke but the retirement job and venture are for real.
And I've been looking at different fruits that do well in that sandy soil that seems to grow everything...the climate is the drawback as heat and humidity rule with very mild winters.

Plum jams and jellies are a definite possibility.

I'm looking at somewhere between 30-70 acres of rich farmland with access to a creek and a well.

There's a lot of trash on the place with old farm equipment that doesn't work anymore... some might be salvaged but most (combine) won't be.
Like I said...I am going for unique and special and high end stuff. Persimmon, pure grape juice jelly, and the like. Ought to get better than average dollars for it.

FDA approval is going to be the difficult part in the beginning.
The high end gourmet grocery distributor will be the second most difficult thing to accomplish. Mostly because there are a lot of people doing this on a small scale. But usually it's high prices and lousy labels that keep their sales down. We eat the label first...then try the product. Then if you have a truly superior product (at a "value" price) you might get one dedicated customer out of 50 sales.

Then if you can get a few high end restaurants to pick up your line for the table service...you just won the race. You are on your way to having a brand name that is saleable. And then you go to Disneyland.

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

No...but your mom will start laughing.

Sorry, went geocaching and I couldn't respond right away. Anyways, I was picturing in my head that's what you did. Looks like I've been left off the hook a couple times today. Of course it's because the devil made me do it and you and everybody else on here knows that in actuality, I'm a little angel. :halo Btw, Disneyworld is better than Disneyland in my opinion. :biggrin

 

[Luminous_Rose]

The name and slogans are a joke but the retirement job and venture are for real.
And I've been looking at different fruits that do well in that sandy soil that seems to grow everything...the climate is the drawback as heat and humidity rule with very mild winters.

Plum jams and jellies are a definite possibility.

I'm looking at somewhere between 30-70 acres of rich farmland with access to a creek and a well.

There's a lot of trash on the place with old farm equipment that doesn't work anymore... some might be salvaged but most (combine) won't be.
Like I said...I am going for unique and special and high end stuff. Persimmon, pure grape juice jelly, and the like. Ought to get better than average dollars for it.

FDA approval is going to be the difficult part in the beginning.
The high end gourmet grocery distributor will be the second most difficult thing to accomplish. Mostly because there are a lot of people doing this on a small scale. But usually it's high prices and lousy labels that keep their sales down. We eat the label first...then try the product. Then if you have a truly superior product (at a "value" price) you might get one dedicated customer out of 50 sales.

Then if you can get a few high end restaurants to pick up your line for the table service...you just won the race. You are on your way to having a brand name that is saleable. And then you go to Disneyland.

Sounds like a pricey start up, but hopefully the venture will be exciting and well worth the time =)

I can't say I know a whole lot about farming, but it does sound like a productive way to spend time.

 

[JohnDB]

Sounds like a pricey start up, but hopefully the venture will be exciting and well worth the time =)

I can't say I know a whole lot about farming, but it does sound like a productive way to spend time.

Well all between my In-laws (parents and grandparents) they own 4 farms. And then there are a few aunt's and uncles who would love to get rid of their farm lots.
So actually the land will be inexpensive.
I am a construction worker (electrician... commercial and industrial)
So a lot of the construction I can do myself.

The tractor and the processing equipment is the most expensive part.

 

[Luminous_Rose]

Well all between my In-laws (parents and grandparents) they own 4 farms. And then there are a few aunt's and uncles who would love to get rid of their farm lots.
So actually the land will be inexpensive.
I am a construction worker (electrician... commercial and industrial)
So a lot of the construction I can do myself.

The tractor and the processing equipment is the most expensive part.

That must be useful to be able to do most of your own construction! I can imagine the money and possible grief it can save.

I have looked at tractor prices...really not pretty lol. Not to mention if it breaks down or needs new tires.

 

[Not_Now.Soon]

You did get me. Fair and square. Sorry for deleting my comment. If this is a real wish then I wish you the best of luck sir.

However there is one thing I should warn you. I only know this because my father in law has his own garden and has experience farming. He's said that it takes a few years for grapevine to start producing grapes. There might be a shortcut like buying grapevine that are already mature or close to mature, or perhaps that rule for grapes only applies in Colorado and similarly dry states.

Either way it's just a heads up for grapes to be prepared for a long haul before you get anything in return. Maybe start with other fruits first and give the grape vines a chance to grow and mature.

Again good luck.

 

[JohnDB]

You did get me. Fair and square. Sorry for deleting my comment. If this is a real wish then I wish you the best of luck sir.

However there is one thing I should warn you. I only know this because my father in law has his own garden and has experience farming. He's said that it takes a few years for grapevine to start producing grapes. There might be a shortcut like buying grapevine that are already mature or close to mature, or perhaps that rule for grapes only applies in Colorado and similarly dry states.

Either way it's just a heads up for grapes to be prepared for a long haul before you get anything in return. Maybe start with other fruits first and give the grape vines a chance to grow and mature.

Again good luck.

Yeah...
Grapes, persimmons, plums, and etc take time before they begin to produce.

But that will give me time to get the production building and house completed

 

[Bull of the Woods]

We have 22 acres. We have put up our own vegetables, canning with pressure cookers. We have apple, pear, plum and peach trees. Grape vines and blueberry bushes. We tap maple and walnut trees and make syrup. Walnut syrup is incredibly sweet and delicious. We have chickens and guinea fowl.
It takes a number of years to get from plantings to fruit. Assuming you start with buying six foot trees it will still be three to five years at best before you have reasonable production.
We sell extra eggs and give away extra stuff from our garden. Everything else we do is for our use and sharing with our extended family and some friends.
It's not an easy road to making a worthwhile profit on a farm.
We definitely enjoy our life and what we produce though. I always worked a regular job until I retired two and a half years ago. We had five horses for about thirty years but as they died st good old ages we did not aquire more.
Do your homework very seriously before proceeding. That's the best advice.

 

[JohnDB]

We have 22 acres. We have put up our own vegetables, canning with pressure cookers. We have apple, pear, plum and peach trees. Grape vines and blueberry bushes. We tap maple and walnut trees and make syrup. Walnut syrup is incredibly sweet and delicious. We have chickens and guinea fowl.
It takes a number of years to get from plantings to fruit. Assuming you start with buying six foot trees it will still be three to five years at best before you have reasonable production.
We sell extra eggs and give away extra stuff from our garden. Everything else we do is for our use and sharing with our extended family and some friends.
It's not an easy road to making a worthwhile profit on a farm.
We definitely enjoy our life and what we produce though. I always worked a regular job until I retired two and a half years ago. We had five horses for about thirty years but as they died st good old ages we did not aquire more.
Do your homework very seriously before proceeding. That's the best advice.

I was reading about tapping and cooking maple syrup the other day. I loved the concept.

I also read about tapping other trees as well...it's really about the temperature outside as to whether or not you can get sufficient sap to make it worthwhile or not.
Then you have to cook it all right away...or freeze it.

Real maple or walnut syrup is good stuff with unique flavor...

What I love is that the land is being used appropriately. So many small farms are going to pine trees or just left unused. Farmers markets aren't as big as they used to be. No customers and not much produce. But those markets used to be the place to get the best groceries...not Kroger or Albertsons. Sure the stuff didn't look as pretty...but the taste was far better than anything in the supermarket. And you could find unique things there like fresh peas. (Sold dried everywhere else)

Half of the people don't have time to cook and the other half don't know how today.

Understanding where our food comes from is a major accomplishment for most people. And how many small farm products are actually the cream of the crop. (Not always...but often)

When the man who grew it was there at the market himself... you knew it was the best there was. He was literally standing behind his peas, beans, corn, squash or whatever.
Doesn't happen often anymore.
*Sigh*

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

Oh btw, I got my Elizabeth Taylor slogan from a similar one off of Family Matters,.. ya know,.. did I do that? :wink

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

Oh and thanks for getting "Old Macdonald" stuck in my head John!

 

[for_his_glory]

There are many produce stands in our area tat do very well with jams and jellies plus all the fresh veggies they sell. Lots of hard work, but you already know that. Here is my advice, put God first place in your business and He will give the increase. Blessings on your endeavors.

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

Speaking of Old Macdonald, why is it that when it comes to a horse, cow, or pig we know exactly what they say,.. but when it comes to a dog it doesn't seem as clear? Examples: "Woof!" "Bark!" "Arf!" "Bow-wow!" Come on people make up your mind! Also, come to think of it, while we're on the topic, what does the fox say? :wink