of times a bee pollinates the pumpkin correlates to the
number of seeds that pumpkin has, Dave explains.
Honey produced by those bees is then marketed
through the store and farmers markets. Jams and jellies
are purchased from four different Amish families and
sold by the Reckamps as well.
The Reckamps aren’t unlike other Missouri farmers
this growing season. They’ve weathered their fair share
of the cards Mother Nature has dealt them.
“We’ve planted beans two times and still don’t have
a decent crop,” Gene pipes up.
Fifteen acres of pumpkins have also been planted
twice, adds Dave, noting, “Being diversified helps us
combat the ups and downs of the weather.”
“It has cost us more to put the crop in so we won’t
have as much of a net profit,” Marylin says. “But, as
long as we have a net profit, we’ll be all right.”
CUSTOMERS COME FIRST
When the customer talks, the Reckamps listen.
“When we started growing tomatoes,” Marylin
says, “we grew about 15 different varieties.”
After dividing those varieties into separate boxes
for sale, the Reckamps asked customers to tell them
which ones were keepers. “We’ve whittled it down to
five varieties now,” she explains.
That’s just one example of how the Reckamps
continually strive to keep customer satisfaction a top
priority.
“You can’t be at (the farmers market) one day and
expect something,” Dave says. “You’ve got to be there a
month, so the customers recognize your face.”
Marylin adds, “They also know our product is
good. That’s very important.”
The Missouri transplant knows positive feedback
from their customers is paramount, but she also
encourages patrons to share when they get an
unsatisfactory product. “We have to know,” she states.
In fact, Dave has left sweet corn standing in the
field before because he didn’t like it, she adds.
Often, Gene and Marilyn will taste test different
vegetable varieties and pork products before marketing
it to the public.
“If it’s just okay, we won’t sell it,” Marylin says.
It’s a simple philosophy that has served the
Reckamps well over the years. “Your name gets out there
that way and the customer trusts us,” she says. “That’s
huge. They trust us to produce good, quality food.”
Although not certified organic, the Reckamps
work to raise their produce as naturally as possible and
maintain that presence up-front with their customers.
Produce is picked fresh the day it goes to the farmers
market as much as possible.
In their early days, the Reckamps only sold basic
cuts of pork. Today, specialized cuts can be ordered in
advance to suit a customer’s needs.
“We listen to what our customers are telling us,”
Dave says. Take last summer for instance. He explains
how pork roasts were a hot commodity for them. This
year, however, smoked pork chops and brats are in high
demand.
The Reckamps turn waste product from a noodle factory in St. Louis into feed for their hogs. Though not free, the practice has been a
cost effective feed alternative.