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Subject: Market Farming

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  • From: Marie Kamphefner <kampy AT grm.net>
  • To: market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Value Added
  • Date: Mon, 08 Jan 2001 11:41:52 -0600

Regards to the list:

This thread has certainly been informative!  Thanks!

Along with the vegetable and grain growing, hubby works in the city four days a week (200 miles a day round trip) and I sell wedding/birthday/special occasion cakes (cakesbymarie.com).    We have a health inspected kitchen and it was put together slowly.  We got the big ovens, the triple sink and a 20 quart Hobart mixer at auctions, bought the floor tiles new, built some of the cabinets ourselves and put it all in the basement where there is an outside entrance.  We got the Hobart at a school board auction in the city for $22. because it had a sign on it that it ran slow and didn't have a bowl and beater.  We spent about $200. fixing it up to like new.  The kitchen doubles as a cake kitchen and a place to clean and sort veggies.  We plan to build a walk-in cooler this year.

So far, the best money we've made on the farm is with organic soy beans but that's only in the rotation every four years.  I have purchased  a grain mill attachment for one of the Kitchen Aid mixers on eBay and plan to grind some of our open pollinated field corn to make corn meal.  I want to experiment with it before I try to sell any.  I haven't looked into the legalities of selling the corn meal yet, but I'm thinking about soy and wheat flours also.  Buckwheat?  I have heard that stone mills are best - does anyone have input about that and where to buy them?  There is no milling operation nearby that I'm aware of.

We have done a lot of canning for ourselves and our kids through the years and we've thought about doing that commercially too.  There is a small canning facility in the town nearest us and I understand they do contract canning.  This subject is on my "things to research" list this winter.

We would like to market on the internet and perhaps do mail order with the non-perishables.

Kevin, several questions for you:  What does IQF mean?  Would a vacuum sealer extend the shelf life of strawberries too?  Where can I find more information about the uses of a vacuum sealer?  What kind of dehydrator do you use?  Is there one source for help with labelling?  Do you use commercial canning equipment as opposed to a pressure canner and jars?  Is there one good source for information about canning procedures?  I notice you have LLC after your farm name.  We have an appointment with an attorney this week to talk about doing that instead of being a sole proprietorship.  Would you care to comment on that subject?  Thanks in advance.

Marie in Missouri
Strawberry Lane Farm


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