Lucky 16 on the homestretch

  We managed to get between the raindrops this weekend of the October 2nd and 3rd for a great fall weekend of selling.  The product line is far different in just a few short weeks.  I have a wish that if I could sell cantaloupes and corn all season I would move around like a migrant farm worker and just sell.  Maybe think of going to sell in Florida and Texas for the winters.   I don’t think it is a real viable idea, but it makes sense in my warped concept of what I would like to do. 

  Last week saw some of the worst rainstorms in a long long time.   We had rain from Wed-Fri. That made for a ‘wait and see’ attitude about what to do for selling last weekend.  We got the weekend in, but it started raining again on Sunday night and is raining this week as well.  This week should not be nearly as bad, if you listen to the predictions.

  What we had this weekend were pumpkins of many variety.   Part of our vision of selling is to educate and engage our customer as well.  We started that with only selling locally grown, in season, picked fresh, pesticide and chemical free vegetables and produce.  It has taken a bit of time to get across to some that is what we do.  We may not and are not the cheapest produce, but we are a fair price for what we sell.  There is a competitor at the market that is very up front about the fact he goes to the Philadelphia docks for his product.  He buys as floor prices produce that has not been accepted by the distributors or wholesalers or markets.  He buys items that have very little shelf life left.  He buys regardless of country of origin or method of growing.  He can sell for the lowest price because by Sunday much of his product is rotting on the stand.  We chose NEVER to be that type of operation, even if it means always being a bit smaller.

   The second area we hope to engage and educate is that there are hundreds of varieties of most vegetables.  The easiest one this season to do that with is pumpkins.  Everyone, given the first glimpse, sees a pumpkin as the one we grew up with making Jack-O-Lanterns out of.  However, that is only one type.  There are pumpkins of all colors, sizes, shapes, textures.  Much like the potatoes which have the same variety, the U.S. market has focused on only selling one or two types with mass production and advertising and marketing so that we all believe that is the only type of pumpkin or potato we want.  We have blue pumpkins, pumpkins with what looks like peanuts attached to them, long neck pumpkins, goose neck pumpkins, Cinderella pumpkins and more.  We don’t even scratch the surface of what is available in variety.  That is a goal for 2011 and beyond to do more of that.

   We have only two more weekends to go for the market, but are already planning for next year.  This Saturday, at the T&R Farm Shack, Chuck will be demonstrating weaving techniques.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

The 12th Weekend and the Countdown Begins

  We start weekend #12, The Labor Day weekend and plan a really great weekend of fresh produce sales.  The weather is forecast as being as nearly perfect as weather gets.  They highs are going to be in the mid – 70’s and the overnight lows near 60.  There is little to no forecast of rain, though the remaining part of Hurricane Earl is making its way up the coast toward New England tonight and tomorrow.

  Bought in both Kutztown and Lancaster this week.  Tough buying.  The prevailing wisdom is that buyers from the “Jersey Shore” are buying where they can retail corn back out for $10.00 dozen.  A seller told me today she sells corn this season for $1.00 ear and $10.00 dozen.  She can buy wholesale higher than we can sell retail.  That makes it tough on the local sellers.

  We do have some corn and cantaloupes.  If I could sell just corn and cantaloupes all season, that is all I would carry.  We do better on those two items then anything else.  Not even close third to these two items.

  We have three variety of apples.  Macintosh, Gala and Free Red.  All are great apples and we will do well for the season of apples.  We have squash, cucumber, corn, cantaloupes, peppers, tomatoes. 

   Many of these items are likely the last week we will have them.   For those wanting farm fresh, in season produce, picked to fresh sale and NO chemicals or pesticides….. THIS IS THE WEEKEND. 

   Buy Fresh, Buy Local, Buy from US !!!!

… and then the rains came !

  We had a great weekend, even with the ending rain.  We had the largest selection of PA locally grown, freshly picked, chemical free produce we have had all summer.  13 varieties in all.  We had corn, watermelons, tomatoes, several types of squash, eggplants, onions, potatoes, peaches, apples, zucchini, cucumbers.  I think that is it.

  Friday at T&R  Farms we had a great day.  That very small farm market has picked up very well for being pretty much its first year.  We go in there with low expectations, but are always surprised at the number of people that show up to buy.  It is not the easiest place to find in Kunkletown.

  Saturday was decent.  No records set, but a great day at Saylorsburg.  We went into Sunday in the profit margin which is always how we like hitting Sunday.

  We expected big things on Sunday and we were not disappointed.  The problem became that it started to rain just before noon.  That is right before out end of day push where we do really well.

  We were OK with ending a little early as we had to go to a party for our nephew, Josh, who is home from Pakistan and the Navy for 15 days.  His father gave a really great “Seafood Boil” party.  WOW, the food.

   Still have a couple good weekends left.  So we are set for them.  It is all to quickly coming to an end.

It ain’t over until it’s over

  This has been a strange selling weekend.  I guess we got a little cocky after Chuck did so well on Friday.  We never do that well on a Friday, so, of course, we were sure it would last all weekend. WRONG !

   Saturday was average or even a bit below average.  The weather was near perfect, the produce was fresh, had a variety, priced to sell, and ready to go.  So, what went wrong?  Who knows, but folks just were lukewarm about buying.

   We sold Sunday, though we thought on Friday if Saturday did really well, we would be sold out on Sunday.  The market was so full of vendors, they were turning them away.  Problem there becomes you may have twice the vendors, but not twice the buyers.

  Produce seems to be saved some from that, as there aren’t that many of us and very few who just come on nice days.  By the end of the day and the end of the weekend we were sold out.  Didn’t happen as cleanly as we hoped but it did happen.

First Full Weekend of August – WEEKEND #8

This is turning out to be a very odd and strange selling weekend.  We opted to only use farmers in Kutztown area on Thursday.  A gamble as the Amish of Lancaster had much better prices last week, than the Mennonite farmers did.  May end up a gamble that pays off.  We did exceptionally well on Thursday.

  Chuck sold Friday in Kunkletown (I took off first day in six weeks.  Needed a mental health day alone. )  Sold corn, squash, tomatoes, cantaloupes, potatoes.

  Surprisingly he nearly sold out on FRIDAY !!!!!  Means we head out on Saturday with everything we have left.  The stuff we were going to sell on Saturday, plus the hold back we normally keep for Sunday.  Plan is that if we do well tomorrow, we will not be selling on Sunday and take the day off. 

  Not exactly what we planned, but makes for a great plan if it works that way. 

Just When you thought it couldn’t get any better

We just ended selling for Weekend 7 and it was fantastic.  We had a decent day at T&R Farms on Friday.  We certainly didn’t set any records there, but was a quiet way to start the weekend.

  We had purchased on Thursday in Kutztown and on Friday hit Lancaster.  Chuck sold while my father and I drove to Lancaster to by Amish produce at Leola.  We came back from Leola with another 50 dozen corn and added 160 cantaloupe to the mix.

   Saturday at Saylorsburg was a good day.  The weather was really nice, not too humid.  We took half the cantaloupes and only had bi-color corn along.  We had the white and bi-color on Friday.

  Sunday became a HUGE ‘if’ day.  The weather had turned to possible rain and thunderstorms.  We took the chance that it would only rain in the PM.  We were right (for a change)

   Loading the rest of everything we owned for the weekend, we headed off.

   It could not have been better.  By the end of the weekend we had sold 86 dozen corn, 160 cantaloupes, all the beets, cucumbers, that we owned.  We had a box of hot peppers, a box of plums and a box of zucchini left out of two very full trucks.  

   The gross income was a definite record along with the weekend net income.  If this could only last for 52 weekends a year !!!!!!

WEEKEND 7, Near the Height of the Produce Season

  We are closing in on the end of July and for that mark, some of the items we have carried and sold all season are nearing an end.  The bright side is, however, some of our very best sellers are just making it to their stride; name cantaloupes and corn.

   We are pleased to be selling two different types of corn this weekend.  We have Avalon White which is a triple sweet corn.  Also as triple sweet is our Providence Bi-Color Corn.  So, which every is your favorite we have it a4t a remarkable $4.00 dozen.

   For the first time this season we have hot peppers ($1.00 quart)  and hot banana peppers at just 4/$1.00.  We have a seasonal favorite beets for $1.00 bunch, cucumbers and/or zucchini 2/$1.00, potatoes at $3.00 basket, heart plums at $2.00 quart, eggplants at $1.00 each.  It is likely the widest variety of items we have had all season. 

   The weather projections for this weekend are absolutely fantastic.  It is going to be seasonably hot, unlike VERY hot weekends of last few.  The humidity is projected to be moderate.  This is the perfect weekend to go to the markets and buy.

   We will be in Kunkletown at the T&R Farm on Kunkletown Road on Friday from 12-6 and at the Blue Ridge Flea Market on Saturday and Sunday from about 7:30 AM – 2:30 PM.  For the last 3 weeks we have sold out around noon on Sunday, so you want to get to us early for best selection.

   Buy local, Buy fresh, Buy from US !