Got a really late start today, thought I would just check a few e -mails and phone messages and just got sucked in for a couple hours. I checked a new vendor today in Richmond, Missouri. Keith and Rita Calvert were vendors at the Market many years ago when the River Market was known as the River Quay. At that time the City Market had a pretty bad reputation and the Calvert’s decided to sell their produce to large processors and grocery stores. They grew a variety of produce but grew mostly green beans. Over the years they have downsized their operation and currently farm 38 acres, in two separate locations. I found Rita and Keith in the field when I arrived, they were checking on their corn crop. Like all the farmers I have visited in the past few weeks the Calvert’s also plant all their crops in succession so they will have produce throughout the season. Some of their sweet corn was ready to pick so they might be at the Market this coming Sunday. In addition to sweet corn, which is their main crop, they also grow tomatoes, cantaloupes, watermelons, squash, eggplant and pumpkins. Keith told me they were lucky enough to get some rain on Monday but they also got hit with a burst of small hail, which damaged some of the plant’s leaves. I find it very interesting what farmers do in addition to growing produce. The success of any given year is always dependent on the weather; very seldom does a farmer have a perfect year. Calvert’s Produce is the first farm I have ever visited that operate a skeet shooting range, a bird hunting preserve and breed hunting dogs and Yorkies. You do whatever you can to make a living doing what you love.
I only checked two farms today, the second stop is a farm I tried to visit last month but could not get past the gate. Today I called Ivan and Ludmila Guban before I left the Market so they could let me in. The Guban’s have been vendors on the waiting list since 2006. The first time I checked their farm they had a few peach trees and grew produce on their property closest to the river. This land is always great for growing produce but is the first to flood. Since 2006 Ivan changed course and puts all his efforts in growing peaches and table grapes. They currently have about 350 peach trees consisting of various varieties such as Red Havens, White Peaches, and Donut Peaches. The Guban’s are the only vendors who actual grow their own peaches; all of the peaches you see at the market are purchased from Waverly, Missouri. I really enjoyed walking through the peach orchards today and learning about what it takes to grow peaches. I didn’t know that you have to knock some of the blossoms off the trees to thin out the peaches; this gives each peach more room to grow. When the first peaches start to ripen you need to cover the trees with netting to keep the bird away. Apparently the flock sends out a bird to scout out the food supply, when the peaches are spotted the scout informs the flock and they can wipe out a peach crop. The average peach tree takes about 5 years before it really starts to produce but you will see some peaches after the second year. Each tree needs to be toped each year to keep the tree from getting too tall and to protect the branches from breaking. Who knew! The Guban’s have also added to their vineyard with a larger selection of table grapes. The plants are in various stages, some have been planted in the spring and others are a few years old. Ivan showed me how he grafts a shoot from a vine to an existing established plant and once the shoot takes hold he cuts off the existing vines and can totally change the variety of grape. Very cool! Each bunch of grapes needs to be protected from the birds so are covered with a mesh bag, the grapes have not yet started to turn but are beautiful. Much of what is grown at Pink Blossom Orchard is not for resale. Ivan and Ludmila are pretty much totally sustainable. They built their own home, collect rainwater for daily use, freeze or can all their food and have put in a pond which is stocked with fish. Last year Ivan built a log chicken coop which is one of the nicest coops I have ever seen. They are raising a type of broiler chickens for their own use, these little chickens eat constantly and must be processed within a certain number of days or they will have a heart attack due to the amount of weight they carry. Crazy right? I was so impressed with what they have accomplished and really hated to drive back into the city.
Next Thursday Deb Churchill, Property Manager for the Market and I will be going to Lawrence, Kansas to visit a lavender farm. They are harvesting the lavender so it should be very cool to see.
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