Unity Gardens

July 7, 2009 auction news

July 7th Auction news;

Prices have fallen for the 3rd session in a row.  We should be able to get excellent quality tomatoes for less than a dollar a pound.  In addition, sweet corn arrived by the wagon load, rather than just a few sacks.  Small lots of new potatoes, onions at cheap prices, slicing cukes and  pickles by the box full as well as yellow squash and zucchini at reasonable prices.

Good product still maintaining good prices as expected, but with a possibility of a reasonable markup.

I have found an orchard that is non-amish which sells wholesale(mostly apples) and also near the auction is the egg farm which raises the exclusive pasture raised eggs.  Shortly, non cage raised pullet eggs will be available from the Stanberry Amish and we will need to discuss if this is a product we want to handle.  We can probably get these for less than 50 cent a dozen and they are natural enough that the yolks are high and firm.  For those who are not familiar with the difference, cage laid eggs with only prepared feed will have a pale yellow yolk which breaks easily and sits low like the whites.  Hens that are allowed to range on pasture will pick up bugs and other natural feeds and their good omega levels are much higher.  Of course, the strictly range feed hen will not have any feeds that are prepared and will not have processed ingredients preventing the organic label. The strictly pasture feed eggs are in demand and will run expensive while the non cage eggs will still be high, just not as high.   When the hens begin to lay, they are called pullets and the eggs, pullet eggs.  They are small, but two will still make a good healthy breakfast.  To small to be saleable in the stores, they are a discardable items, but I can get them for a 2 month period and they will be carded(examined inside), cleaned and boxed.  They will make a good item to explain to people what they are and to work in why cage free is better than non and to lead them into learning about the full benefits of pasture raised hens.  Although the cost of a pasture raised hen egg may  be 2 or 3 times more than a cage raised egg, the difference for a breakfast will only be around a quarter--What a way to start the day.  I think most  experts will agree that the pasture raised egg is just as healthy as Sammon fish contray to the impression that a cage egg may be bad for our health.

gary

Additional Note on Auction before Mother's Day

I will be starting a calender of actions to be taken, but for now am putting some of this info in the auction news. 

By now, Mother's Day at the latest, we should have cool weather crops coming in.  Some such as green onions and radishes should have already been on our table to sale and probably greens, etc

pete

Auction News /week before Mother's Day

Prices on hanging baskets were near retail and in some instances above retail.  A large number of buyers came in buying for self and or neighbors and friends.  This creates a problem for retailers trying to buy wholesale, but made a good selling market for those in the wholesale business. 

About a dozen boxes of early tomatoes were available and they went for around 2.50 a lb.  These were excellent tomatoes and probably did not end up on a retail shelf.

In addition, tomato plants sold singly in 4 in pots at $1.50.  It seems that all bedding plants repotted into 4,6 or 8 in pots increased their value sometimes 10 fold.  The average cost would be the nickle that it cost to raise each bedding plant plus about 10 to 20 cents for the pot and extra dirt(which could be our own compost as that is the way I repot mine.  A mixture of potting medium and home made compost will cut cost on mums also and my Amish neighbor had some of the best looking mums around using this method).

We should definitely have our own early tomatoes by around this date and maybe a little earlier as KC is in a warmer zone than No MO.

Another Amish auction is opening just across the IA line, definitely within driving distance from KC and while establishing their customer base, will probably have some good prices.  Supply may be a concern so we will not be able to depend on them, but may be able to pick up some bargains in time.

By this time next year we should have hanging baskets, the larger the better, pots with arrangements of live flowers, bedding plants both by the 4 or 6 pak(8 paks are popular this year with out individual compartments), bedding plants in 4, 6, and 8 in pots including flowers and flower arrangements.  Assortment is very important.  We should investigate the cost of cow pots to make our product both green and to give a better result to our customers.  Being able to plant the pot will help on transplant shock and give the customer a quicker result.

Aside from the auction, we should have already had tulips and other bulb spring flowers selling.   Calidiums also sell very well in all sizes, from barely up to large pots with 2 or 3 bulbs in them. We can also have bullbs, strawberry plants and even roses and trees available for sale.

pete

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