North Texas Daily

Anjulie Van Sickle | Staff Writer

@anjuliegrace

Small businesses and locals come to the Denton Community Market each Saturday morning. Brightly-colored fruits and vegetables, shiny handmade jewelry and organic honey line the tabletops.

Near the back of the market, one booth offers a spread of things other vendors don’t, such as crossbows and jalapeño jelly.

Rows of peach, mint, watermelon and wine-flavored jellies sit atop wooden crates at the 5G Farms booth. A knife sheathed in lizard skin rests atop burlap potato sacks.

The farm’s homemade jelly is Tricia’s favorite product. Jordan’s mother makes the jellies using her family recipe. Meagan Sullivan | Associate Visuals Editor

It’s Jordan and Tricia Grimes’ first year at the Denton Community Market, and the response has been more than they had imagined.

“We sell out every weekend,” Jordan said.

Located in Shady Shores, the fifth-generation farm was founded by his family in the early 1900s.

“We settled out there originally,” Jordan said. “My grandfather let the land fall into neglect, but we still had our orchards and stuff intact. So we were trying to preserve the land and bring it all back to its former glory.”

They raise donkeys, pigs, goats, chickens, quail and turkeys. Throughout the year, they sell fresh herbs, lettuce and other vegetables and fruits.

“Our main priority is feeding ourselves, and whatever extra we have, we bring up here to sell,” Jordan said. “That’s why a lot of what we have to sell are preserves and jelly and jams.”

They sell fresh produce during certain seasons and make jewelry and knives during the winter.

“Everything we have here we make ourselves, so it’s usually out of necessity,” Jordan said. “I had a folding knife and the handle broke, so it closed on my hand and cut across all of my knuckles. I wanted something I knew wouldn’t nail me. So I started carving my own knives.”

Jordan and Tricia live on the 11-acre farm in a large house with Jordan’s parents Charles and Mindy, his sister Ashlea and her two kids Maddy and Ellie .

“It takes all of us,” Jordan said. “My nieces go out and pick the eggs every day, so it really is a family thing.”

While running the booth, the newly-married couple divides and conquers the crowds of people wanting to know more about what 5G Farms has to offer.

As Jordan explained the different bows to Imanol Miranda, a visitor from McKinney, she pulls the 45-pound string taught. The bows come with survival kits built into the handles.

“It’s $275 for the coyote jawbone knives, and those are truly unique,” he said to a customer looking over the knives. “The only other guy in the country who does those charges about $6,000 per knife.”

Jordan Grimes assists a customer in choosing one of the farm’s hand-carved knives. Meagan Sullivan | Associate Visuals Editor

Tricia hops from one side to another, focusing on the jellies and the quail eggs.

“I love converting people to pickled quail eggs,” she said. “I’m not allowed to help make them anymore because I will eat them all. They don’t even tell me whenever they make them.”

She hands a jar of jalapeño-and-wine jelly to a costumer.

“We came for the farmer’s market, and we didn’t realize it was so big,” said Teri Bassinger, a UNT graduate holding the plastic sack containing her purchase. “We’re definitely coming again.”

Biology student Jill Sampson and her husband bought topaz rings, handmade knives and bows from 5G.

“We love the music, the food trucks and the social interaction,” she said. “It’s good to be able to interact with people and also support local individuals.”

The family is expecting to start tours of the farm next year.

“Denton is a great community for anyone who’s trying to do it themselves,” Jordan said. “We’ve been to every farmer’s market within two hours of here, and it can’t compare.”

Featured Image: Jordan and Tricia Grimes, owners of 5G Farms in Shady Shores, pose for a photo at this weekend’s Community Market. Meagan Sullivan | Associate Visuals Editor