.......being very diversified

I had a thought.....years ago....about making jams from our farm's fruits that we grow. Just another simple way to make a buck or two. One must diversify.... if one is to succeed ....on a farm. Goat milk soap....dried fruits...perhaps making pies. I had many thoughts in fact.

One thought was to plant many types of fruiting trees. From Blood Oranges to the Pluots.....what a smart decision that was. We have fruit sales 10 months out of the year. One must learn about the fruit tree before digging a hole and throwing in a young whip (a single branch-less starter tree)....more to it than you might think. We have eleven types of trees...being very diversified..

So.....I decided to produce jam and jellies....to be even more diversified (there's that word again!). Making fruit into jams should be easy I assumed. Oh no no no!

I did have a question or two about all those fruit filled glass containers that one will find at the higher end stores...or the local Farmer Markers. What the heck is fruit butter to conserves? Preserves is not jam? Fruit spread ? They all look the same....... fruit crammed into a glass jar. Tall jars. Fat jars. Fancy and the not so fancy jars. They all tend to taste the same when spread on toast or a bagel. But there must be a difference between them all........... right?

The difference between these many fruity accoutrements lies in the form of the fruit contained.....as I finally educated myself ....after days on Google. After a few headaches.....

The real point of this post is is this: to make your farm more than just growing a few tomatoes.....corn... some squash perhaps. Get some smart diversification going. Grow what others don't. Create what others don't. This way of thinking has been extremely successful with us....but with the price of a whole lot of time researching before pulling the trigger.

Oh.....we have our jam and jelly business nearly ready to start....this fall. A full diversify (there's that word again!) of flavors such as Prickly Pear jelly....Boysenberry-Fig jam....Cherry-Fig jam....and 7 other flavors.

Dried fruit is next on our diversity list (there's that word again!)