The Fairy Tale; Part One

Once Upon a Time.....

"Once upon a time."  Isn't that how all fairy tales start?  Fairy tales sound fantastic, but when you break them down there is always a wicked stepmother, a nasty wolf or some other kind of creature that dominates the plot line and steals the scene (or at least gives it a really good shot!)

All of the Berries right in a row.

My husband and I love to garden.  We plant a huge garden every year, growing everything we possibly can; from three foot long purple beans to okra to delicata to hundreds of varieties of heirloom tomatoes.  It is in our Jeans..:)  We have apples, berries, grapes, and any number of plants and flowers.  Needless to say, we love fresh food.

About eleven or twelve years ago I met this kid named Devin who was moving into a house around the corner from me.  He knocked on my door because we had a huge garden plot and asked if he could use some of it to start his plants.  "Sure thing!"  He built a green house on part of our garden, got his seedlings going, eventually moving them to his Dad's farm to transplant.  He saw our garden and told us about the Cache Valley Gardener's Market, suggesting that we take our produce and sell it.  I was hesitant as I canned almost everything I grew, but I did.  It turned out to be a great thing!  We started Butcher's Bunches, selling fresh wonderful produce at Garff Garden's in Logan, UT.  My first booth was between Tom & Skip, the eggplant guys and Christina, the gourd lady (my 12 year old daughter slept under my table while I worked.)  The first year I went I don't even think there was a Crumb Brothers Booth, but I may be wrong. There was a Volkers, and Penny Trinca was there, the Hubbells, and a few of the Market Standby's.  It was small and friendly;  everyone knew everyone and it was so fun!  There was this great guy who's wife made these fun purses... Anyway.

Berries by the Bay, Willard, UT

A few years later, the economy took a nosedive and the market exploded.  It outgrew Garff Gardens.  There were farmer's and crafters crawling out of the woodworks.  All the farmer's took a hit when "new generation" local backyard gardeners' were willing to take a quarter for tomatoes that many farmers had been growing for fifty or more years, seeding and replanting year in and year out, while working the soil and literally their fingers to the bone.  A quarter?  WTH???  No way!  I will go home and can them and feed my family for a year or two!  My time standing at the table selling is worth more than a  few quarters and my pride in growing a quality product will NEVER sink that low!



Biggest, Best Black Berries in Utah.
Picked fresh for me.

I rehashed what to do, over and over again.  There is a great product on store shelves, Windmill Farms Salsa's and Jams.  They started here in Logan at the Cache Valley Gardener's Market.  Then they took their business to a factory in Wyoming because of the demand for their product.  They outgrew the market!  Woot Hoot!  A dear friend suggested that I take their place and be the new jam maker.  Hmmmmm... now that's a thought.  I played around with a few recipes, made them unique by NOT adding sugar and by sourcing my fruit ONLY from the farmers I already knew in Utah.  I also played around with fun ingredients like Amano Artisan Chocolate and fine liqueurs. 

I got lucky.  I got noticed.  I started living a fairy tale.  I just never dreamed I would live a real fairy tale. 

Part II:  The Wicked Stepmother and/or The Big Bad Wolf
(coming soon to a PC near you)