Newsletter – April, 2008
Hello to all of our berry picking friends and family –
It is difficult to find the words to tell you how beautiful Bailey’s Patch is right now. We did have a freeze after the pulots and plums were in full bloom and it looks like we lost most of them. We lost the blooms on my apricot tree also. We have not had any of the hail and high winds that so many of you have had. It looks like a big part of Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma lost most of their fruit when there was a freeze two weeks ago. It got cold here at the farm; but not cold enough to do anything. I’m getting ready for all of you to come this berry season. Pearce and I planted flowers in the flower cart and in a bunch of pots yesterday. They always make such a pretty backdrop for all of the pictures that so many of you like to take while you are here.
The blueberries had a really good bloom this year. We had 23 bee hives brought in – so I know that they were well pollinated. The blackberries didn’t really start blooming until the middle of last week. They are COVERED with beautiful white blooms. We are expecting a much larger crop of blackberries this year over last year. Of course, last year’s blackberries were effected by the hail storm and tornado in 2006.
In March, I sent you a newsletter that listed the entertainment that we have set up for this year. This e-mail includes the information on the vendors that we are expecting this summer. Our NEW produce vendor will be here every day that we are open. These people know what they are doing and I know that you will enjoy everything that that they have.
Now let me list the other vendors that plan to be here:
Jessica Poer is a Homemade Gourmet distributor. She will be here on Saturdays beginning June 14th and will be here for at least 3 Saturdays. I just spoke with her and she is bringing muffins for you to sample. We have had a Homemade Gourmet distributor here for a number of years and I know that you will enjoy everything that she brings with her. If you want to order some of her products before June 14th you might want to go to her website – homemadegourmet.com/jessicapoer825604.
Pam Wendl, the owner of Sherwood Forest Herbs and Heirlooms, will set up her stand on June 14th. Pam raises herbs and organic wheatgrass and sprouts. Pearce and I were able to buy heirloom tomato plants from her this spring and are looking forward to the wonderful tomatoes that they product. Pam is trying to get her new business started and I know that all of you will support her.
Bo Mueller, owner and soapmaker is the Vice President of the Texas Soapmakers Association. Bo has started the Bohemian Soap Company. While she has another job working in the advertising business, she spends her evenings and weekends in her rural Denison soap-kitchen creating soothing and luxurious soaps made with plant-based and herbal infused oils, natural additives, herbs, cocoa-butter, spring water and pure quality essential oils. We are really looking forward to having her here.
Terry Irvin, owner of the Grayson County Herbal Tea Company, will be here at The Berry Patch every Saturday beginning on June 14. She has a line of wonderful handpicked herbal teas and beautiful tea accessories. You will enjoy her teas yourself and they make wonderful gifts for any occasion. You might try going to her web site – graysonherbaltea.com.
Pearce and I met Pat Vineyard at a Master Gardener’s Home and Garden show in Ardmore, OK in March. I fell in love with the yard art that she makes. I am putting a couple of pictures into the newsletter so that you can see my kind of art work. Pat and her husband live on a small farm outside of Ardmore and, is an active Master Gardener and raises beautiful flowers and wonderful fresh vegetables. Her love of gardening is reflected in the metal sculptures that she puts together. Pat states that taking an old rusty shovel, other tools and equipment and making them into a metal sculptures that will fit perfectly in the garden is thrilling to her. She is still amazed that rusty old shovels, rakes, and rebar can make such beautiful works of art. Here are a couple of pictures that will give you an idea of what she does. I want one and I know that you will want one also.
If you or someone that you know would like to set up on Saturdays as a vendor, please call me at (903) 564-6228. Saturdays are so much fun. By the way, if you didn’t get the last newsletter and want to know more about our entertainment this summer, go to our web site – txberry.com – and click on the button at the top that reads “calendar”. We are trying to keep everything updated there.
Now just a few other things…..
We don’t know when we are going to open (just yet). This Spring has been cooler and wetter than normal and everything seems to be a little slow. I will keep you posted on when we are going to open as we get closer to June. Call soon if you want to bring a children’s group to the farm. We only book 1 group per day, never on Saturdays or Sundays and we are filling up quick. That doesn’t mean that you can’t bring a group on Saturday or Sunday. That just means that we can’t assist your group as we would if you came during the week.
I know that you are feeling the increase in the cost of gasoline. We are too. So much of what we have to get, as far as supplies, have gone up. Pearce and I have decided THAT WE WILL NOT INCREASE THE PRICE OF THE BERRIES THIS BERRY SEASON. THEY WILL REMAIN $12 FOR A LEVEL BUCKET. We will be charging a $6 minimum for a partial bucket (less than ½ a bucket). If you have a family that doesn’t pick much, be sure to pour all of the berries together. If your three children pick, pick 1/3 of a bucket of a piece, then the cost will be $12 if you pour them together or $18 if you keep them separate. The plastic bags that we give you to take the berries home in have really gone up. If you think that you would like to split a bucket, please bring your own zip lock bags. There is going to be a charge for catfish food this summer. The price of the food has almost doubled. We will sell a cup (coffee cup) full of food for $1 and there will be two $.25 vending machines down by the pond. FYI – BLUEBERRY LEMONADE will still be $1.
If you have any questions, it’s not any problem…..just call me at (903) 564-6228.
Once the season starts, I will keep a current announcement on the answering machine. I have 1 request. Please don’t call between 10 pm and 5 am. Pearce takes his hearing aids out every night – but every call wakes me up and I am NOT going to answer the phone during these times.
We are changing our hours….. please tell everyone. We will open at 8 am (NO EXCEPTIONS – CRYING AND SCREAMING WON’T DO ANY GOOD. We are going to put a chain across the gate and Pearce will take it off at 8 am.
Now there is something that I need to address that is very personal. (I have prayed a lot about putting something this personal in a newsletter.) Yes! We do have the farm for sale. When we started Bailey’s Berry Patch 10 years ago, we had no idea that it would be the successful business that it is. We thought that it would bring us in a “little” extra income and be a wonderful hobby. Many of you have asked why the business is for sale. Well, folks, it’s not a hobby any more – it’s a wonderfully successful business. We feel like the mules being dragged along by a wagon. This is a business that needs to expand. It could be done by adding a restaurant and/or being open other time of the year for other thing such as spring and fall festivals. The Berry Patch could be a pumpkin patch, have an Easter egg hunt, or a wonderful place to have weddings and birthdays. Pearce and I have a consulting business called Texas Ag-Direct Consulting (see txagdirect.com.) We speak all over Southern Oklahoma and North Texas. We also consult with any person or farm that wants to get into agri-tourism or agriculture direct sales. This is the future of the small farmer and Pearce and I are proud to be part of it. If you want to see a web site that is very interesting go to localharvest.org and enter your zip code. You will be looking at many farms that might be of interest to you.
Why are we leaving now (since everything is so wonderful)? So many of you have sent e-mails to us; so I think it’s time to tell you. Pearce will be 77 years old in September. He had hip replacement in 2007 and cannot do everything any more. I lost a kidney to cancer in January. I am doing VERY well – but we will be watching it from now on. God has been so very good to us….but it is time that we retired for a 2nd time. We will continue our consulting business – there are so many wonderful people who need us. Most of our time will be spent enjoying each other, working with our Church and playing bridge with our friends.
It’s very important to both Pearce and to me, that we sell the farm to people who want to keep it open and will enjoy all of you as much as we have enjoyed having all of you here. If you know someone who is interested, please have them call Brian Smith at Country Connections. His telephone number is (972) 588-8300 and his web site is www.countryconnection.com.
Now that it’s closer to berry season, I will be sending out newsletters more frequently. Forward this to your friend so that they can sign up to get them. Be sure and tell them that I always send out 2 great recipes for them to try using their berries. One of the recipes is for Sugar ‘n Spice Blueberry Muffins and the other one is for Blueberry Nut Crunch. Try both of them and let me know what you think
It won’t be long now before you are here. We are really looking forward to your being here.
Hugs –
Ann Bailey
The Berry Lady