Photo credit: Klee's Out on a Limb Acres
After living in the city of Racine for many years, Omer and Candy Klee wanted a change. Omer’s grandparents had a farm in Kentucky, and he felt a calling to the rural life. The Klees purchased a 12-acre farm in Caledonia—or as Candy described, “a little house with a really big backyard.” They started planting things they liked to eat, such as currants and gooseberries. The bounty of fruits eventually became too much for their personal use, so they started selling their produce, and Klee’s Out on a Limb Acres (4704 W. Seven Mile Road, Caledonia) was formed.
Klee’s you-pick model lets visitors pick their own currants, gooseberries, quinces, aronia berries, highbush cranberries, serviceberries, elderberries and pawpaws. There’s also an orchard of over 200 apple and pear trees. The farm is open Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. beginning in July. Customers can get fruit pre-picked if they call and order a couple of days ahead of time. People can also find homemade jam, jelly, honey and hand-carved wood utensils for purchase at Klee’s farm stand.
“We literally went out on a limb to purchase this place, and everything we grow is on some kid of limb. The name Klee’s Out on a Limb Acres fit,” Candy said. But the Klees are finding success with their unique fruit—the currants are popular, especially with people of Eastern European ancestry seeking currants for ethnic cuisines. Klee’s offers white, pink, red and black currants. Their selection of black currants includes the tart clove currant.
Health publications have generated a buzz about the antioxidant properties in aronia berries and elderberries, so the Klees have seen a demand for those fruits. Candy has also received many calls from winemakers seeking unusual berries, and she even started freezing some elderberries to have on hand for people who call after they’re in season; frozen berries can be used for making wine, juices, syrups and tonics.
Because Mother Nature often throws curveballs at Wisconsin farmers, Candy suggests calling ahead to check for availability. They also post on their Facebook page what will be ready each weekend. “It’s kind of a game to see what will grow and what won’t,” she said, noting that last summer happened to be a bad season for raspberries.
The highbush cranberries grow on tall bushes and resemble red currants. “You either like them or you don’t like them,” Candy said. “They have an odor, but they taste great in jelly or cranberry sauce.” A few years ago, the Klees had purchased serviceberry trees from Racine County. Also known as saskatoon, the edible landscape plant produces a wine-purple berry that has a balance of sweet and tart and can be eaten right off the bush.
The Klees took on the task of rebuilding an orchard after they removed broken and diseased trees that were originally on the property when they moved in. They consulted with UW-Extension to learn about rootstock and grafting, and they use integrated pest management, which circumvents routine spraying by instead using traps to catch nuisance pests.
They’ve found that the russet apple varieties, particularly the Hudson Golden Gem, are popular, especially with children. The crisp apple is a golden-brown hue with a sugary, juicy flesh. Candy and Omer go into the orchard with people and let them sample apples. “You only pick what you like,” she affirmed.
For more information, visit facebook.com/Klees-Out-On-A-Limb-Acres-256246607723537.
