Our Story |
I purchased my first home in the summer of 2009 in Oak Park, Ca. It was July and around 109 degrees when I got the keys. With no A/C, I promptly went to the movies. Later that weekend, I discovered that I had a 30 year (+/-) producing Pecan tree shading my home. What Fun!
I made a large swing to hang from one of the massive limbs and took notes on the how the tree produced that first fall. It was while on that swing that I noticed several Pecan trees of a similar age in the surrounding yards. I did a two mile loop around the neighborhood in my convertible the next day and counted over 40 mature trees. They all seem to be on fence lines and in forgotten corner lots where people didn't mow. All planted by squirrels and all very different as pecan seedlings, they don't bare true-- just like apple seeds. I sent letters offering to buy the surrounding pecans instead of allowing them to be eaten by squirrels-- or worse, thrown out with the leaves from the yard! Season Two in California saw 100 pounds produced and another 100+ procured through my neighborhood outreach. I had five distinct trees, five distinct pecans. All of multiple sizes, varying colors, different shell thickness and oil content. All were delicious! Late in 2010, when I was home visiting my folks for the holiday, I begun thinking about planting in Virginia and making my way home. My father, Bill Collins, has always been a fan of Pecan trees and knows where just about all the producing trees in the county are, but more importantly-- which ones are not picked up after. He has been planting large Pecans from several of these trees around their property by first planting them in the flower bed to be transplanted at a later date. The first tree that I planted for the Oak Park Pecan Company is one of those seedlings. I believe it came from the parking lot of my parent's church in Waverly, Virginia. Several of his trees are now of a producing age and we are witness to the alternate bearing that is associated with a local native variety. The Oak Park Pecan Company has grown in size and scope since that first harvest in California. Upon my return to the RVA (branded while I was away), I bought a run down ol' house and have been living in it-- renovating as I go. I managed to meet and marry a wonderful woman, who true to her spirit of adventure, helped me lay in the 2014 Pecan tree planting. We hope to grow the business and our family because once the trees are producing, they won't quit for 80 years. We need a long term plan! We are City Mice with Country Mouse cred. Many different ideas about how to bring the farm to life are being tested. There is time left till the trees will demand a great deal more of our effort and attention. We'll be building our story as we go with Test Kitchen adventures, other items to Grow/Sell, and anything else we can think of to do with such a wonderful resource at our fingertips. We hope you follow our journey and enjoy the fruits (NUTS?) of our labor! Hugs and Tickles, The Gentleman Farmer |
