We like to have a little fun at the Country Folks Grower offices when certain holidays roll around. Check out our silly April Fool’s Day stories.
Grow your own legacy with GreenStar Cooperative
Imaging planting the seeds of a legacy and watching it blossom over the years. With GreenStar Cooperative, you can turn this dream into a reality.
In addition to custom labels and trusted wholesale products for your farm market, GreenStar Cooperative is now offering something truly exclusive – grown-to-order apple jelly and apple butter.
This unique offering invites customers to embark on a journey of growth, memories and cherished traditions.
Apple seeds come in packs of 15 for $8.95. You can buy as many as you like. GreenStar Cooperative will plant them for you and send you a map of where your trees are located. There will be a plot fee and an annual care fee for watering, pruning and fertilizing by expert farmers. You can create memories with your family over the years. Visit your growing trees, have picnics under their shade and watch as they flourish.
In 10 to 15 years, GreenStar Cooperative will harvest the apples and make small batch apple jelly and apple butter using the juice from only your trees. With your custom label design to top it off, your truly exclusive product will be treasured by family and friends (eventually).
Plant the seeds of your legacy today with GreenStar Cooperative’s grown-to-order apple jelly and apple butter – a gift that keeps on giving.
by Becky Vegetable
The waltz of the … tomato?
Consultants with Tomato Tango offer salsa dance classes for tomatoes, peppers and all of your garden’s bounty, teaching them to “sway to the rhythm of Latin music” while they grow.
Looking to give your vegetable crop a little extra kick? Looking to add a little spice – a little “zing!” – to your tomatoes, your peppers and onions?
Look no further than Tomato Tango, a unique dance studio staffed by licensed growers who also happen to be talented dancers. The company’s consultants offer a personalized approach: visits to your property to meet your plants and assess their environment, followed by a several-week-long gauntlet of individualized dance classes, staged in your fields and greenhouses. The process is ended with improvement assessments so that you as the client can see how your plants have grown.
“It’s a clinically proven process,” said the company’s CEO, Calesita Baldosa. “We know that music helps us thrive. We know Mozart is good for babies and what-not. We’ve seen plants respond well to music on its own – why not take it a step further and add the power of dance?”
Cara Bartelly of Bartelly’s Acres in Twilight, PA, has been a client of Tomato Tango for several years now. “We just love them. The care is evident in what they do. They are consummate professionals and they are passionate about seeing your plants thrive and maximizing your harvest’s potential,” she said.
Wyatt Hinkelhatz is a regular customer of Bartelly Acres, purchasing vegetables wholesale for his bistro. He noticed the change almost instantly after the partnership with Tomato Tango.
“You just can’t help but notice the strong, sun-kissed flavor and the lovely spicy kick. I tell Cara all of the time – ‘You can never go back,’” he said, laughing.
Interested in partnering with Tomato Tango? You can attend any of the company’s regular community workshops or you can contact one of their consultants for a free survey visit at any time. Information is available at tomatotango.net.
Legacy scarecrow manufacturer takes things ‘back to basics’ for Fall 2024 collection
It’s April. As a farmer, your immediate focuses are on planning your season and getting out to prepare your fields. Before you know it, you’ll be beginning your spring planting.
However, some would argue that there is a crucial piece of the equation that you might be missing: a quality scarecrow. Though they are known as a part of fall festivities, a good scarecrow has a pivotal role to play in your fields as it guards your crops.
Farmer Kevin Thatch (Thatch Farms, Silverton, NY) was a reluctant scarecrow user. “I thought all of the fuss about scarecrows amounted to nothing more than an old wives’ tale – a legend that my grandfather used to tell. We purchased our first scarecrow about 11 years ago, and I was blown away! Our yields doubled overnight and I don’t know – the … vibes … were just good, you know? Like he was out there looking out for the farm.”
Choosing the perfect scarecrow is a weighty decision and a significant investment, and long-time scarecrow manufacturer Crop Couture wants to make sure farmers know they don’t have to settle. “We want to provide a product that’s a step above – something for the discerning eye, the farmer with taste,” said lead product designer Barbara Provender.
The company has a big job to do this year. Though they have certainly seen their golden era since they opened their first production house in 1982, Crop Couture has seen their star dim in the new millennium and stocks have fallen considerably in the last decade or so with the rise of anti-scarecrow skepticism. The arrival of new CEO Sam Silage in 2023 brought hope for change – and this year’s collection was the first opportunity to make a definitive mark.
This 2024 collection, titled “Vogue Vegetal,” is all about getting back to basics for the company, Provender said. With collaborations from a who’s-who of both the ag industry and the best of the fashion industry, the collection centers around tried-and-true materials: durable American denim, hearty plaids, light breathable linens – and the best hay that money can buy. The color palette consists of deep, rich earth tones that will be visible for miles.
Two models will be available for purchase: the Alexander Hayworth, a male build, and the Scarlett Strawfield, a female build, both with clothing customizations available through the company.
“Let us set the tone for your harvest season – and honestly, for your entire farm,” Provender added. “Crop Couture scarecrows make a statement: ‘This farm is a cut above.’ Let us help you stand out and to show the world how special you and your farm are.”
Silage was equally vocal about his excitement: “Look, we’re a legacy brand and fashion house in the world of scarecrow couture, but we’re still here when so many competitors have fallen away and I think our longevity speaks to what we bring to the table. We’re learning and evolving and I’m really excited about what we have coming with this collection. Let us help take your farm into the next decade.”
Learn more at cropcouture.org.
