My name is Ruben Amaya... owner, gardener, and jam maker with over 35+ years in the grocery produce retail business currently working for a major grocery retailer in Texas.  Back 40 Gardening started off as an attempt at gardening as a stress reliever in the Spring of 2018.   My initial garden started off with 6 plants that I planted using the 5 gallon container method, along with a couple of habanero plants that my wife, Diana, planted in an old raised bed in our "backyard".  What started with 6 containers eventually grew to as many as 30 containers, growing things like tomatoes, squash, melons, cucumbers, herbs, beans, along with sweet and hot peppers.  While I had success with all my plants it was the hot peppers that flourished the most...so much that I shared our abundance of peppers with family and friends.  After a while I would ask them, "What did you do with the peppers?" and their reply was mainly, "We froze them because we don't know what to do with such hot peppers as the habaneros."   

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My first thought of making sweet and spicy jams came when I came across a YouTube video showing how to make a Strawberry Jalapeno Jam.  Shortly after, our habanero peppers come into production and I decided to make a Peach Habanero Jam.  The intent for our jams was to share and give to our friends as gifts, but soon after it was their sharing of our jams that the requests to buy our jams started and this is what got us into business.

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So you can't have a business with out a name right?  When coming home from work I would immediately go into my backyard to work in my garden, but not before telling my wife, "I'm heading to the back 40!"... an old ranching/farming saying.  Hence...Back40Gardening was born.

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We are a home based business following Texas Cottage Laws in producing our Hot Jams.  After 35+ years in grocery produce retailing I've learned what using quality products mean to the end result.  I am also very well versed on good food handling and sanitation practices which I apply during any Hot Jam production in our home kitchen.  As obligated by TX Cottage Laws we must state..."This food is made in a home kitchen and is not inspected by the Department of State Health Services or a local health department."

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