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Hello to all of our berry picking friends and
family –
  It is difficult to find the words to tell you
how beautiful Bailey’s Patch is right now. We did have a freeze after the
pulots and plums were in full bloom and it looks like we lost most of them. We
lost the blooms on my apricot tree also. We have not had any of the hail and
high winds that so many of you have had. It looks like a big part of Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma lost most of their fruit when there was a freeze two weeks
ago. It got cold here at the farm; but not cold enough to do anything. I’m
getting ready for all of you to come this berry season. Pearce and I planted
flowers in the flower cart and in a bunch of pots yesterday. They always make
such a pretty backdrop for all of the pictures that so many of you like to take
while you are here.
The blueberries had a really good bloom this
year. We had 23 bee hives brought in – so I know that they were well
pollinated. The blackberries didn’t really start blooming until the middle of
last week. They are COVERED with beautiful white blooms. We are expecting a
much larger crop of blackberries this year over last year. Of course, last
year’s blackberries were effected by the hail storm and tornado in 2006.
In March, I sent you a newsletter that listed
the entertainment that we have set up for this year. This e-mail includes the
information on the vendors that we are expecting this summer. Our NEW produce
vendor will be here every day that we are open. These people know what they
are doing and I know that you will enjoy everything that that they have.
Now let me list the other vendors that plan to
be here:
Jessica Poer is a Homemade Gourmet distributor.
She will be here on Saturdays beginning June 14th and will be here
for at least three (3) Saturdays. I just spoke with her and she is bringing muffins
for you to sample. We have had a Homemade Gourmet distributor here for a
number of years and I know that you will enjoy everything that she brings with her.
If you want to order some of her products before June 14th you might
want to go to her website:
HomemadeGourmet.com/jessicapoer825604
Pam Wendl, the owner of Sherwood Forest Herbs
and Heirlooms, will set up her stand on June 14th. Pam raises herbs
and organic wheatgrass and sprouts. Pearce and I were able to buy heirloom
tomato plants from her this spring and are looking forward to the wonderful
tomatoes that they product. Pam is trying to get her new business started and
I know that all of you will support her.
Bo Mueller, owner and soapmaker is the Vice
President of the Texas Soapmakers Association. Bo has started the Bohemian
Soap Company. While she has another job working in the advertising business,
she spends her evenings and weekends in her rural Denison soap-kitchen creating
soothing and luxurious soaps made with plant-based and herbal infused oils,
natural additives, herbs, cocoa-butter, spring water and pure quality essential
oils. We are really looking forward to having her here.
Terry Irvin, owner of the Grayson County Herbal
Tea Company, will be here at The Berry Patch every Saturday beginning on June
14. She has a line of wonderful handpicked herbal teas and beautiful tea
accessories. You will enjoy her teas yourself and they make wonderful gifts
for any occasion. You might try going to her web site GraysonCoHerbalTea.com.
Pearce and I met Pat Vineyard at a Master
Gardener’s Home and Garden show in Ardmore, OK in March. I fell in love with
the yard art that she makes. I am putting a couple of pictures into the
newsletter so that you can see my kind of art work. Pat and her husband live
on a small farm outside of Ardmore and, is an active Master Gardener and raises
beautiful flowers and wonderful fresh vegetables. Her love of gardening is
reflected in the metal sculptures that she puts together. Pat states that
taking an old rusty shovel, other tools and equipment and making them into a
metal sculptures that will fit perfectly in the garden is thrilling to her.
She is still amazed that rusty old shovels, rakes, and rebar can make such
beautiful works of art. Here are a couple of pictures that will give you an
idea of what she does. I want one and I know that you will want one also.
 More vendors Welcome!
If you or someone that you know would like to
set up on Saturdays as a vendor, please call me at (903) 564-6228.
Saturdays
are so much fun. By the way, if you didn’t get the last newsletter and want to
know more about our entertainment this summer, go to our web site – TxBerry.com – and click on the button at the top that reads “Calendar”. We are trying to
keep everything updated there.
Now just a few other things…..
We don’t know when we are going to open (just
yet). This Spring has been cooler and wetter than normal and everything seems
to be a little slow. I will keep you posted on when we are going to open as we
get closer to June. Call soon if you want to bring a children’s group to the
farm. We only book 1 group per day, never on Saturdays or Sundays and we are
filling up quickly. That doesn’t mean that you can’t bring a group on Saturday
or Sunday. That just means that we can’t assist your group as we would if you
came during the week.
Gas is going up but Berry Prices to hold this year....
I know that you are feeling the increase in the
cost of gasoline. We are too. So much of what we have to get, as far as
supplies, have gone up. Pearce and I have decided THAT WE WILL NOT INCREASE THE PRICE OF THE BERRIES THIS BERRY SEASON. THEY WILL REMAIN $12 FOR
A LEVEL BUCKET. We will be charging a $6 minimum for a partial bucket (less than
½ a bucket). If you have a family that doesn’t pick much, be sure to pour all
of the berries together! If your three children pick, pick 1/3 of a bucket of
a piece, then the cost will be $12 if you pour them together or $18 if you keep
them separate.
The plastic bags that we give you to take the berries home in
have really gone up. If you think that you would like to split a bucket,
please bring your own zip lock bags.
There is going to be a charge for catfish
food this summer. The price of the food has almost doubled. We will sell a
cup (coffee cup) full of food for $1 and there will be two $.25 vending
machines down by the pond. FYI – BLUEBERRY LEMONADE will still be $1.
If you have any questions, it’s not any
problem…..just call me at (903) 564-6228.
Once the season starts, I will keep a current
announcement on the answering machine. I have 1 request: Please don’t call
between 10 pm and 5 am. Pearce takes his hearing aids out every night – but
every call wakes me up and I am NOT going to answer the phone during these
times.
We are Changing our Hours
Please tell everyone! We will open at 8 am (NO EXCEPTIONS – CRYING AND SCREAMING WON’T
DO ANY GOOD. We are going to put a chain across the gate and Pearce will take
it off at 8 am.
On a Personal note...
Now there is something that I need to address
that is very personal. (I have prayed a lot about putting something this
personal in a newsletter.) Yes! We do have the farm for sale. When we
started Bailey’s Berry Patch 10 years ago, we had no idea that it would be the
successful business that it is. We thought that it would bring us in a
“little” extra income and be a wonderful hobby. Many of you have asked why the
business is for sale. Well, folks, it’s not a hobby any more – it’s a
wonderfully successful business. We feel like the mules being dragged along by
a wagon. This is a business that needs to expand. It could be done by adding
a restaurant and/or being open other time of the year for other things such as
spring and fall festivals. The Berry Patch could be a pumpkin patch, have an
Easter egg hunt, or a wonderful place to have weddings and birthdays.
Pearce
and I have a consulting business called Texas Ag-Direct Consulting (see TxAgDirect.com.) We speak all over Southern Oklahoma and North Texas. We also
consult with any person or farm that wants to get into agri-tourism or
agriculture direct sales. This is the future of the small farmer and Pearce
and I are proud to be part of it. If you want to see a web site that is very
interesting go to LocalHarvest.org and enter your zip code. You will be
looking at many farms that might be of interest to you.
Why are we leaving now (since everything is so
wonderful)? So many of you have sent e-mails to us; so I think it’s time to
tell you. Pearce will be 77 years old in September. He had hip replacement in
2007 and cannot do everything any more. I lost a kidney to cancer in
January. I am doing VERY well – but we will be watching it from now on. God
has been so very good to us….but it is time that we retired for a second time. We will continue our consulting business – there are so many wonderful
people who need us. Most of our time will be spent enjoying each other,
working with our Church and playing bridge with our friends.
It’s very important to both Pearce and to me,
that we sell the farm to people who want to keep it open and will enjoy all of
you as much as we have enjoyed having all of you here. If you know someone who
is interested, please have them call Brian Smith at Country Connections. His
telephone number is (972) 588-8300 and his web site is CountryConnection.com.
Berry Season is just around the corner....
Now that it’s closer to berry season, I will be
sending out newsletters more frequently. Forward this to your friend so that
they can sign up to get them. Be sure and tell them that I always send out 2
great recipes for them to try using their berries. One of the recipes is for
Sugar ‘n Spice Blueberry Muffins and the other one is for Blueberry Nut
Crunch. Try both of them and let me know what you think! (Click HERE for Recipes)
It won’t be long now before you are here. We
are really looking forward to seeing you this year.
Hugs –
Ann Bailey
"The Berry Lady"
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