When life gave Carol Roper a bunch of wild blackberries, she decided to make jelly.
Roper is not a stranger to hard work. She works her five gardens every day, made 364 jams and jellies just in May and June, and stays busy, showcasing her items and a variety of produce at the Pea Ridge Farmers Market.
She also sells some veggies and jellies at a spot outside the Short Stop in Garfield, mainly in the late afternoon.
Roper has gained her farming and gardening experience through a series of trial and error, she says, laughing.
But hard work and a determined spirit have resulted in a variety of new friends, loyal customers and a growing base of clientele for the Pea Ridge Farmers Market.
At this point in the season, many neighbors are seeking fresh produce to put on the dinner table. Roper can barely keep up with the demand.
"People just beg me, 'Please bring us corn and tomatoes.'"
The spot outside the Short Stop helps provide a stopping point for folks who are coming home from work and want to buy some produce, she said.
Roper also works diligently to build her base of vendors at the Pea Ridge Farmers Market. As organizer, she tries to arrange for a diverse offering of products and goods that appeal to neighbors and friends.
With meat, eggs, jams and jellies, baked goods, and an ever-expanding variety of produce, the market is doing well. The Sunday market recently expanded to Thursday, too.
Roper is hopeful that the season will continue to build as more produce continues to become bountiful.
A wild starting point
Roper's daughter bought the house and acreage in 2001. After her daughter moved out later, Roper and her other daughter moved in. They didn't want to see the house vacant. Roper soon discovered that the acreage had bunches and bunches of wild blackberries, and she decided to take full advantage of what nature had provided.
She placed a sign at the road, offering blackberries for sale. Stu Drizner came by on several occasions, purchasing blackberries and then invited her to join the Eureka Springs Farmers Market.
Somewhere along the way, someone suggested making jams and jellies and Roper relied on her experiences of making jelly when she was a new bride in 1973.
Since then, she has launched into several farming and gardening endeavors, growing hot cherry peppers, sweet potatoes, Lima beans, baby corn, squash, asparagus, several different types of tomatoes, carrots, jalapenos, potatoes and more.
Late this fall, after the market season concludes, Roper will work on establishing a place in her metal shed on her acreage to provide a "produce stop."
Roper has a refrigerator and freezer on hand, so she can sell J.D. Hudson's eggs and meats.
When the produce stand is open, she'll post a banner or sign on her privacy fence along U.S. Highway 62.
Roper would love to keep the "produce stand" open all winter long and believes there will be enough demand for such, as well as produce from other vendors, to do so. This fall, Roper plans to harvest broccoli, peas, purple cauliflower and cabbage.
In the meantime, Roper will continue to sell at the Pea Ridge Farmers Market and by the Short Stop in Garfield. She'll soon begin planning more in-depth for the produce stand. She believes people will continue to seek fresh, homegrown produce year-round.
"If something doesn't work, something else will," she said.
Ideas Abound
The jelly lady has a variety of jams and jellies, some "hot" and some "not." One of her best-sellers is the raspberry jalapeno, which began as a suggestion from a customer. The jelly can be used as a glaze for grilling meats.
Perhaps Roper's success can be attributed to experimenting with farming and gardening, and finding a way to make it work.
Like any gardener, she fights weeds constantly. She puts down cardboard and straw to try to reduce weeds. And she works by hand, pulling weeds and using a big pick ax to do her work. She doesn't drive a tractor or use other machinery. Roper definitely gets her hands dirty in her endeavors.
Though she's not necessarily interested in the label of "organic farmer," as it takes seven years to achieve that title, Roper doesn't spray with pesticides. Instead, she tries to garden as naturally as possible. She does spray a concoction of garlic, rotten eggs and other ingredients which keep the deer at bay, but is not harmful. They simply avoid anything with that scent.
Her success is met with a lot of enthusiasm for providing others a homegrown source of delicious and nutritious produce.
Gardening is definitely her gig. She loves to see the first sprouts.
"It's fun to see them pop up above the ground, they're fun to pick, it gives you a feeling of accomplishment," Roper said, "and there's no politics in it!"
Community on 07/26/2017