Kathryn (Kat) Crawley and her husband Ken are fairly new to farming, but they have jumped right in and found great success with both growing and making on Turkey Foot Farm in Cataldo, Idaho.

Kat says, “We reside on top of a pristine mountain in the northeastern panhandle of Idaho. There has never been farming in the area so there has been no pesticide use. What we grow is enhanced by the bees that we keep. For that reason, we cannot and will not ever use anything considered harmful to them or the environment.”

In addition to bee-keeping, the Crawleys grow a wide variety of fruits and vegetables as well as raise chickens and catfish; and both animals participate in their soil fertilization.

Kat and Ken have been working on value-added products for about 2 years now. In addition to selling their honey, they use honey by-products to make salves, soaps, lip treatments, and lotions. They make sourdough breads from the non-GMO grains they grow and grind themselves, which they will sell with their low-sweetener jams and jellies at their farmer’s market stand.

Kat’s twin brother is diabetic, so she grew up eating no sugar and low sugar foods and found the aftertaste from sugar substitutes to be awful. So she was thrilled when her husband discovered Pomona’s Pectin in 2010. She says, “I made my first batch of blueberry jam with Pomona’s and from that point, I was sold! I have been using it ever since.”

Kat’s Creative Process

According to Kat, her creativity with making comes from experience over the years in various food industries, especially with individuals who shared their secrets. She also watched cooking shows and wrote down key food preparation concepts.

She explains, “I have learned that using fresh ingredients, herbs, and spices makes something taste completely different . . . Continue Reading Here.

Kat’s Advice for Getting Started Making Farm to Table Products

First, Kat says, “Do your homework; research the internet. Talk to people who are already doing it. Get pricing on all the ingredients you will be using in your value-added products. Contact your local health department . . . Continue Reading Here.

At Pomona's, we say: If you want to make jam or jelly to sell, consider Pomona’s Universal Pectin. Besides giving you the ability to make healthier, lower sugar products, Pomona’s is available to jam manufacturers at wholesale prices, starting with a 1 pound bag that can make up to 320 half-pint jars of jam. Pomona’s jells reliably and keeps indefinitely – so you have nothing to lose by trying it. Visit the Wholesale page of the Pomona’s website or call 413-772-6816.

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