So…  the first market day at ALMH Market was May 12th.  It was my first day doing a market in Lincoln and I had no idea what to expect.  What I knew?  There was a bread lady, a cheese guy, a smoothie lady and a ton of farmers who seemed to know so much more about farming than me.  That morning I loaded the truck.  I had the beginning stages of Addie’s Pepper Patch products, some beautiful perennial flower plants  and herb plants.  Mother Nature ensured I had no fresh produce…  I arrived at the fairgrounds at about 5:30 and waited for the market manager to arrive so I could set up for the morning.  I had no idea what to expect…  I think I said a small prayer on my drive in, hoping…  just hoping.

So… having a farm based business is interesting.  The question I get asked more than anything is:  Do you pay sales tax?  And this is often followed by comments along the lines of suggesting my farm business is a hobby… which makes me wonder why.  At every market or farm stand I set up – I am a single, middle-aged woman standing in front of a sign that reads “Thompson Family Farm” and I offer stuff for sale…  produce and a whole host of pepper-related products that are not only made by me, the recipes are mine as well.  I have always been a “fly by the seat of my pants” cook.  I just finally took the time to write things down so I have consistency in my products. 

What is the tipping point between a hobby and a real life, genuine business?  Is it the number of hours logged?  The amount of money earned?  How much you’ve invested in start-up costs for your business/hobby?  So..  a peek into a typical week for me.  As a matter of interest – this is the past 6 days and today.

Sunday: Up at 5:30.  Take care of things in the greenhouse (plants I’m planning to over-winter so I have fresh peppers for the winter markets), feed my cats, have some coffee and grind peppers that have been in the dehydrator for the past couple of days.  Shower, get dressed and head to my PT job that allows me to pay my health insurance premium and a few of the household expenses since I’ve chosen to invest revenue into my farm vs taking a paycheck.  Get home from this job at 7:15.  Clean and put more peppers in the dehydrator.  Spend a couple of hours getting labels on product.  Find my way to bed around 11:45.

Monday:  Up at 5:30. Take care of things in the greenhouse.  8:30 - head to the other PT job I have followed by the first PT job.  Get home around 9:00p.m..  Spend time cleaning the house so I’m not totally mortified to have someone in my house on Tuesday doing an annual termite inspection.  Remember from a previous blog…  house cleaning has taken a back seat to getting things done in my field.  Get to bed at 1:00.

Tuesday:  Up at 6:00.  Take care of things in the greenhouse.  Work on labels for pepper product until the inspection is done around 10:00.  Head to my farm.  Pick green tomatoes & peppers so I can make salsa – since it’s now allowed under my Cottage Food license.  Till and plant some fall crops:  radishes, turnips, beets, spinach.  Get annoyed because I can’t find my Kale seeds!  :-/  Spend time in the field picking peppers so I can get more dried for the spice mixes.  Get the peppers into the smoker (on the farm).  Head home around 8:30.  Grind the dried peppers that have been in the dehydrator.  Finish the labels on the product I need for this week’s markets; including printing the labels for the salsa.  Did I mention I'm a little behind on labels.  lol!  Get to bed around midnight.

Wednesday:  Up at 6:00.  Take care of things in the greenhouse.  Mix seasoning blends and get them in the jars.  Shower and head to PT job. After work at 8:30p.m. – collect the peppers from the smoker and get them in the dehydrator.  OH MY GOODNESS – they smell amazing.  Check the product line for what’s needed for Thursday’s market and refill most of the boxes.  This is an early night.  I’m in bed by 11:30 this night.  Yay!

Thursday – it’s market day.  Up at 5:30.  Take care of things in the greenhouse.  Head to the farm.   Get the last of the cantaloupes picked – since the squash bugs have now wiped out most of the melons.  Pick tomatoes, peppers, eggplants…  head home with all the produce, get everything washed and ready for the market.  Make sure I have all the samples made, signs made and everything else I need for the  market.  Shower and head to the market at 1:30.  Arrive at 2:00 and begin set up.  Complete set up around 3:30, smile, chat and sell what I’ve brought to the market.  I get home around 8:30.  Unload the truck.  I’m done with this around 9:15.  Finish labeling the salsa jars that I didn’t finish on Wednesday.  Head to bed around 11:00…

Friday – Up at 4:30. Take care of things in the greenhouse.  Head to PT job at 6:15. Finish job and get home for 9:30 call which lasts until 10:30.  Head to farm.  Make the decision to destroy all the squash/melon plants in an effort to reduce the bug problem.  Ask my dad for help.  It’s too muddy to till – so we make the decision to mow them over.  While he begins this process, I’m collecting all viable melons and try to make sure my dad doesn’t see me cry…  I can’t believe how quickly the bugs wiped out such a large amount of plants.  Finish this and discuss options for next year to ensure this isn’t repeated.  Pick produce for Saturday’s market:  tomatoes, peppers, kale, eggplant.  Head home, wash produce, get it ready for the market and into the cooler.  Load what I can in the truck.  Grind the smoked peppers that had been in the dehydrator and put more in.  Shower and into bed by 10:30….  But I can’t sleep…

Saturday – Up at 3:30.  Take care of things in the greenhouse.  Finish loading the truck.  Head to the market at 5:15.  At the market until 12:30.  Head home, unload the truck.  Grind peppers in the dehydrator and put more in.  Have lunch with my parents.  Out to the field to collect more produce for the market on Sunday… head home, clean the produce and get everything ready for the market – loading what I can in the truck.  While cleaning produce – also watered things around my messy patio…  and saw monarch babies on my milkweed…  so I took some time to enjoy…  This particular milkweeds is a tropical. I got the seeds my a dear friend who lives in Florida.  It’s hairy balls milkweed.  One of the caterpillars was on the seed pod.  It made me smile.  I have 3 babies.  Yay!

This is one of the millions of reason I don't use chemicals on my farm...  this, right here.  We have done such a good job of destroying our eco system and I'm hellbent on doing what I can to fix it.

Technically my work week is over…  at 6:30 on Saturday and if the Farm Gods are on my side, I will get to bed by 10:00 after the advil has kicked in so I can get some sleep…

Next week?  Mostly the same…  except I have to find a way to get 4 batches of pepper jelly done, two batches of salsa, get one of them to the lab (an hour away) to be tested and drop off a donation to Illinois Stewardship Alliance – for their fundraiser.

And every day when I'm doing something in my field, I'm usually praying for one day...  just one day to get EVERYTHING picked... or one day to get caught up on weeding - because I weed by hand.  And this week I want two.   Two days which will have to be squeezed into everything else and I'll work out what is most important and get done what I can. 

So…  to answer the question.  Yes.  I pay sales tax.  Every month, on time, without fail…  So, you tell me.  Is this a hobby business?  My world revolves around farming; either growing things or making things from the things I grow.  This isn’t my hobby.  It’s my business and I intend to find a way to my a living doing it.