Kendra,

Where at in Kansas are you located. I will be willing to help you out as I live in Kansas too.

Let me know.

Jay

You might just have to show up at your local farmers market. Some of the markets around here don't have any paperwork, just show up and sell. As far as selling from home, it would depend upon your location. You could also put an ad in your local paper, or post it on a bulletin board, either online or at some local stores.

Kendra -
Put an ad in CraigsList to sell the fruit.

Visit some farmer's markets in person and find out what pricing is like this year, and ask for the market manager.

Why didn't you spray? Are you deciding to go organic or conventional?

FYI - some areas the orchards need to be taken care of even if you do not plan on marketing the fruit. It's to protect the orchards. Don't know about Kansas but the PNW is pretty strict about it. Just don't want you to get in trouble over it.

You may want to get a cider press and sell cider. Value added brings in $$$ more than the produce. - and you don't need the apples top quality to juice them.

Thank you all for the advice.

Jay, I'll email you my information, I see from your posts that you sell at Farmer's Markets I'd like to know how you got started. Thanks for the offer to help!

I would love to go as organic as possible since the trees are in my back yard and I have little ones, but we have not decided yet. We wanted to see how things were going to turn out this year with minimal care. We were too late to spray a dormant oil, we did get to spray some Serenade and we might still spray with Surround if I can find a good reliable source. I learned about bagging fruit so I did a few. I've been a gardner but this is my first time dealing with fruit trees. The trees were in bad condition so we spent most of our time cleaning up and prunning.

I'll look into cider pressing. Thanks!

As far as selling the cider, check your regulations. I know in Indiana, to sell cider you must have the cider pressed by a certified presser.

Raw cider is pretty risky due to its bacteria content. Pasturized is much safer.

Taking out appropriate liability insurance to protect your assets is not a bad idea.

Hi Kendra,
I'm in Kansas too. I'm a board member for the KCK Greenmarket in Kansas City, Kansas. E-mail me if you want some other ideas too. From reading Jay's posts, I think he has a lot of experience and knows what he is doing. But, let me know if I can help.

Our local CSA has a "fruit share" that they sell separate from the regular, vegetable/herb share. You could try partnering with an established CSA.

It should be simple to show up at a couple of farmers' markets, ask for the manager, and obtain the sign-up paperwork. Around here, joining a market is usually very inexpensive, and there's often no obligation to show up every week. Your agricultural extension may be able to suggest which markets are most active or would likely have the most interest in a new fruit vendor. They often have marketing contacts (with restaurants, etc.) as well.

I'd also ask around and try to find a well-thought-of local orchardist. He or she can probably give you good advice about spraying and culture in your area, and would probably be willing to come out and look at your trees (possibly for a fee) and advise you on pruning, renovation, pests, etc.

Hi Kendra,
I forgot to tell you to contact your local county extension agent. These people work with Kansas State University (our Agricultural College) and they can be a big help. I have attended a couple of their fruit seminars they put on periodically.