Ag Alert is the newspaper of the California Farm Bureau Federation, reaching Farm Bureau agricultural and collegiate members. Agricultural members are owners and decision-makers on California farms and ranches. The California Farm Bureau Federation is a non-governmental, non-profit, voluntary membership organization whose purpose is to protect and promote agricultural interests throughout the state of California and to find solutions to the problems of the farm, the farm home and the rural community. Farm Bureau is California's largest farm organization, comprised of 53 county Farm Bureaus. Farm Bureau strives to protect and improve the ability of farmers and ranchers engaged in production agriculture to provide a reliable supply of food and fiber through responsible stewardship of California's resources.
The art of the wine label revealed, Page 16
Walnut-loving Lab wins farm dog contest, Page 12
L.A. chef shares spring recipes, Page 32
March/April 2021
Field-to-glass B R EW I N G Rice is the secret ingredient, Page 6
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March/April 2021
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Features
4 From the editors 5 A la carte 11 Now from Nationwide
12 Constant companion
Duck-hunting, walnut-loving Jade earns farm dog award.
21 Book reviews 37 Name game 40 Ask a farmer 42 Take 5 44 Gardening
16 The art of the label
Visual storytelling reaches broad and niche markets.
22 The power of pecans
Nut shows versatility beyond the candy counter.
26 Personal growth
One woman’s “grand experiment” to raise a vegetable garden during a pandemic.
The art of the wine label revealed, Page 16
Walnut-loving Lab wins farm dog contest, Page 12
L.A. chef shares spring recipes, Page 32
March/April 2021
32 Thoughts of spring
ON THE COVER: Bill and Kristin
Chef uses commute time to plan menus. 46 Preserving California’s farmland
Weller turn a hobby into a 10,000-barrel business. Story on Page 6.
Lifelong advocate of agriculture heads farm-protection program.
• •••• • •• • • •• • • • • • • • • • Rice is the secret ingredient, Page 6
Photo: Fred Greaves
californiabountiful.com 3
From the editors
VOLUME 44 • ISSUE 2
Karen Olson D , M /C D Dave Kranz D , P M R
Bringing their stories to light Welcome to the latest issue of California Bountiful magazine. Maybe you noticed something different this time around: We have a new logo! And, as with any logo, there’s a story behind it. Did you know California Bountiful is published by the California Farm Bureau? We’re a 102-year-old grassroots organization whose key purpose is to secure the future of family farmers and ranchers and the bounty they provide every day. It’s our hope that the logo demonstrates the relationship between this magazine and the organization that creates it for you. California Farm Bureau is made up of 53 county Farm Bureaus, together representing the people whose hard work and passion have made California the No. 1 agricultural state since the late 1940s. Farmers and ranchers here likely contribute to most meals eaten in the U.S., bringing to the table more than a third of the nation’s domestically grown vegetables and two-thirds of its nuts and fruits— not to mention a wide variety of meats, cheeses and other dairy foods, f lowers, forest products and more. We redesigned our logo to represent all California Farm Bureau and its members have to offer by incorporating a barn and imagery that evokes crop rows and water. Importantly, the light in the barn is on. In California, where there’s always something being harvested, there’s always a light on in a barn. When you subscribe to California Bountiful , you’re helping keep the light on by supporting the people who make California bountiful. We thank you.
Barbara Arciero M E Judy Farah A E
Kevin Hecteman, Ching Lee, Christine Souza, Tracy Sellers, Jolaine Collins, Pat Rubin W Manny Crisostomo, Lori Fusaro, Steve German, Fred Greaves, Paul Kirchner, Christian Parley
P Karin Bakotich D S M
Jessica Cook Paula Erath G A Margaret Rodriguez Darla Quidachay P Chris Tedesco M, B D
Subscribe: California Bountiful is available to
Contact us: California Bountiful, 2600 River Plaza Drive, Sacramento, CA 95833 916-561-5552 cbmagazine@californiabountiful.com californiabountiful.com associate members of county FarmBureaus in California and by subscription. To subscribe, call 916-561-5552 or go to californiabountiful. com/subscribe.
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California Bountiful ® (ISSN 0194-5165) is published bimonthly by the California Farm Bureau Federation, 2600 River Plaza Drive, Sacramento, CA 95833 (telephone: 916-561-5552). Non-pro t periodicals postage paid at Sacramento, California. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to California Bountiful, 2600 River Plaza Drive, Sacramento, CA 95833. e California Farm Bureau Federation does not assume responsibility for statements by advertisers or for products advertised in California Bountiful, nor does the Federation assume responsibility for statements or expressions of opinion other than in editorials or in articles showing authorship by an o cer, director or employee of the California Farm Bureau Federation or its a liates.
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March/April 2021
a la carte
sweet potatoes We’re sweet on
You could depend on them showing up at Thanksgiving dinner, but sweet potatoes continue to achieve year-round popularity. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports the nation’s per-person consumption of sweet potatoes has nearly doubled in the past 20 years. California is a top producer of sweet potatoes in the U.S., withMerced County contributing about three-quarters of the Golden State’s crop. Fun fact: A sweet potato is not a potato and actually comes from the morning glory family.
Good news
for ag grads
College graduates with degrees in agriculture can expect strong job demand, according to an updated report from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Purdue University. The study estimates steady growth of about 59,000 job opportunities annually for agricultural graduates, and that employer demand for the available graduates will exceed supply. Although the study began before the pandemic, the report’s authors say they’re confident demand for agricultural graduates will remain “strong and steady.”
Survey shows strong trust in U.S. farmers
Trust in American farmers has increased during the pandemic, according to survey results released by the American Farm Bureau. The nationwide survey showed nearly nine in 10 respondents trust farmers, up 4% from a survey taken four months prior. The survey also gauged Americans’ attitudes about agricultural sustainability practices, and found nearly 60% rated farmers’ practices positively.
californiabountiful.com 5
Sometimes, a casual hobby can turn into a full-time endeavor. For farmer Bill Weller, brewing beer began as a hobby, using grains grown on his family’s Sacramento Valley farm. It started in his home garage and soon expanded to an old barn on the farm. But it didn’t stop there. Weller, a fifth-generation farmer, took his passion for brewing to a higher level last year by putting the finishing touches on his new Farmers Brewing Co. facility: a 25,000-square- foot operation capable of producing up to 30,000 barrels of beer annually. Weller anticipates brewing close to 10,000 barrels this year. The new brewery and taproom overlook his family’s rice and wheat fields—key ingredients in the lineup of Farmers Brewing Co. beers. Family-farmed almonds are also featured in some of Weller’s seasonal brews. The family has farmed rice, wheat, almonds and walnuts in Glenn County for three generations. “Our initial plan was to build a small brewery,” Weller said of the vision he shared with his wife, Kristin, who co-founded the company with him in 2017. “But that changed when I located the brewing equipment I needed at a brewery that had closed in Arizona. It took 18 truckloads to move it here.” It also took three years of retrofitting equipment, permitting and construction to complete the project from the ground up. “It was a lot of work,” Weller said. “But we have the equipment, and farmers are used to getting their hands dirty, so we did much of the work ourselves, including installing drainage and setting the tanks.” Weller’s goal has always been to use ingredients from the family farm to make Farmers Brewing Co. beers. “It’s very satisfying—both as a farmer and a brewer—to use our own rice and wheat,” he said. “It also provides us with a unique branding position: We’re a field-to-glass brewery.” Hobby turns into 10,000-barrel business Story by Jolaine Collins • Photos by Fred Greaves
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March/April 2021
Field-to-glass brewing
Medium-grain rice, planted in April and shown being harvested in September, is a key ingredient in Farmers Brewing Co. beers. The rice is grown on the Weller family’s Sacramento Valley farm, which is also home to their brewery.
Bill and Kristin Weller, left, started Farmers Brewing in
2017. Today, children Ryan and Lauren, above right, are learning the business. Visitors to the taproom can enjoy a seasonal lineup of beers and views of the brewery’s grain sources, above, or take home any of six styles available in cans, right.
process, then control every step in brewing to get the cleanest rice and wheat qualities. “People who visit the taproom can sip beer while looking out to our f ields of rice and wheat, and see where it all begins,” Gruntz added. He and the brewery crew share their pride in their Calrose rice by giving it a name: Calvin Calrose. The medium-grain rice is planted in late April and harvested in early September. A varied beer lineup Customers can choose f rom 12 beers on tap, including a revolving list of seasonal brews, in the new Farmers Brewing Co. taproom in Princeton. Four core beers in the lineup are available year-round. The most popular is Farmers Light, a low-alcohol light lager. Its name calls to mind the early-morning working hours of farmers. “It’s clean and easy drinking, and has more f lavor than mass-produced light lagers,” Weller said. A f lavorful, unfiltered wheat ale called 530 (a double play on the region’s area code and time of day when beer drinking is popular) is brewed with wheat farmed especially for the brewery by Weller himself. Valle, a Mexican lager named by the farm crew, pairs
Rice is king in these beers A main ingredient in beer is cereal grains, most commonly malted barley, used as a source of starch that becomes fermentable sugars during the brewing process. What sets Farmers Brewing Co. beers apart? Each contains at least 20% estate-grown rice as its grain component, which helps create beers that are light in style and hue. One beer uses only rice as its grain, making it gluten free. “Rice imparts a clean, crisp finish in our beers,” said Adam Gruntz, Farmers Brewing Co. production lead, who works with Weller to oversee the operation from field to packaging. “We aim to make traditional style beers that are incredibly refreshing and easy to drink.” Rice has been used for many years as a key ingredient in light and dry beers, including Japanese beers. American beer powerhouse Anheuser-Busch is the largest single buyer of rice in the United States, and uses rice in its popular Budweiser beers. Farmers Brewing Co.’s proximity to its grain sources, storage silos and well water helps ensure a fresh, quality product, according to Gruntz. “We create our beer from the ground up, working with it in the brewhouse before it gets to the glass,” he said. “We monitor the grains during the growing
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March/April 2021
Water, malted grain, hops and yeast. These four, basic beer ingredients are just the starting point for craft brewers who revel in creating new recipes that delight beer lovers with equally adventurous tastes. Although brewers typically use malted barley as a grain, What’s in your beer glass?
well with spicy foods. Sun Up ‘til Sun Down is a light IPA with notes of orange blossom and fresh lemon zest that uses untraditional hops. Its name is a nod to a farmer’s work ethic as well as its light, session IPA style. Special releases include Daughters Wit, a Belgian- style beer brewed with estate-grown rice, barley and unmalted wheat, orange peel and local ly grown coriander seeds. Its pinkish hue and slight tartness come from the addition of hibiscus. Stubborn Mule uses estate-grown rice as its only grain, making it a crisp and gluten-free beer. Seasonal and experimental brews Imaginat ive, seasona l brews featuring loca l ingredients are available in small batches in the taproom. Seasonal, fruity lagers have included Tree Shaker, brewed with local peaches and made to taste like a peach cobbler with the addition of graham cracker crumbs and cinnamon. It was a hit last year, so Weller said to expect to see it in the taproom this year. Other experimental brews have included jalapeño peppers and dill pickles. A Baltic-style porter called Winter Migration, featuring family-farmed almonds, was released last fall
they earn their reputations by experimenting with flavors, style and body by adding
items—called adjuncts—such as specialty grains, fruit, spices and even hot peppers to their beers. Specialty grains add nuances and character to beers. For example, rye adds crisp, spicy qualities.
Oats provide body and a silky mouthfeel. Wheat beers tend to be pale in color and low in bitterness. Rice lightens beer, while adding a snappy character. Other ingredients added during
the brewing process may include
tart and tangy citrus fruits, warm baking spices or spicy chiles. Dark chocolate or coee adds rich aromas and extra depth to beers.
californiabountiful.com 9
Brewing was a garage hobby for Bill Weller before he built a facility that’s capable of producing 30,000 barrels of beer annually. The taproom oers seasonal and special releases from 12 rotating taps.
to recognize migrating waterfowl along the region’s Pacific Flyway. The brewery donated a portion of its sales to conservation ef forts. Its creamy, smooth mouthfeel came from lactose supplied by nearby Rumiano Cheese, the oldest family-owned cheese company in California. “We’re constantly developing ideas for beers,” Gruntz said. “Once we decide on a new recipe, the brewing, production, packaging, quality control and marketing teams get creative and work together to make it happen.” Weller added, “We’ve surrounded ourselves with a great teamon the farm and in the brewery—and it’s been a wonderful experience to have the family involved.” The Weller family has been immersed in all aspects of the operation since the beginning, from building the facility to developing recipes. Kristin Weller helped develop the branding, established the taproom and oversees the brewery’s merchandise, while the couple’s children—Lauren, 16, and Ryan, 13—are learning the
business and performing chores around the brewery. Lauren was responsible for choosing the pink hue of the brewery’s Daughter’s Wit beer. The brand continues to expand Last year, Farmers Brewing Co. expanded by installing a canning operation at the facility. When COVID-19 restrictions slowed keg sales to restaurants and bars, Weller accelerated a long-term plan to can and distribute beers in six-packs to retailers. “We’d planned to package and release cans for sale later in the year, but decided to move quicker to keep employees working and product moving,” he said. Besides being available at the taproom, Farmers Brewing Co. beers can be found on the shelves of more than 350 stores from Sacramento to Redding.
Jolaine Collins cbmagazine@californiabountiful.com
MORE ONLINE California Bountiful TV host Tracy Sellers visits Farmers Brewing Co. Coming soon to californiabountiful.com.
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March/April 2021
now from Nationwide
Repair andmaintenance tips
for common home problems
Part of owning a home is learning how to manage common repairs. Doing household repairs isn’t the most enjoyable part of the home ownership experience, but it’s unavoidable. Fortunately, there are certain things you can do to make these repairs simpler or even avoid them. Cloggeddrain Eventually, youmight have a drain that doesn’t live up to its name. If yours is draining slowly or not at all, you don’t have to call the plumber just yet. Rather than pour harsh chemicals down your sink, which can damage your pipes, use a bit of white vinegar and baking soda: • Pour several cups of boiling water down the sink. • Pour a cup of baking soda down the drain and then follow that with a mixture of equal amounts of white vinegar andwater, such as a cup of each. You’ll hear some fizzing and bubbling. • After several minutes, run boiling water through the drain to clear it out. To prevent clogs from happening frequently, maintain your sink and shower drains by pouring vinegar in and removing any hair from the drain. You can use a cup of vinegar per week to keep sink drains clean. Each time you use a sink, run hot water into it after you’ve finished your washing up. To deodorize your sink, pour 1/2 cup of baking soda into the drain followed by 2 quarts of boiling water. Grimy grout Showers and other tiled areas can get surprisingly dirty. Mold can grow on the grout between bath tiles, or you might find that the grout simply becomes dirty over time.
Once again, it’s baking soda and vinegar to the rescue. This natural solution not only clears drains, but it also can get rid of the grime that builds up on grout. To keep the grout clean: • Coat tiled areas with white vinegar in a spray bottle. • Scrub the grout using a stiff-bristled brush and rinse it. • Make a paste with baking soda and water. Apply it to the grout lines with a small brush. • Spray the tiles and grout again with the vinegar. Allow the mixture to bubble. • Scrub away the stains and rinse the grout and tiles with hot water. Keep a spray bottle filled with a half-vinegar, half-water solution near the shower or tub area and spritz the tiles as part of your weekly cleaning regimen. Draftywindows Over time, the caulk that keeps your windows sealed and airtight can dry and crack. That means your home can start to feel drafty. In turn, this can affect your comfort level and drive up your utility bills. Home window repair is a simple fix. First, scrape away the dried caulking from around your window. Clean the area and then reapply fresh caulking in place of the old, including on all the joints in the frame and the joint between the window and the wall. In addition tomaking your homemore comfortable, your windows can look better, too. By making it a practice to check caulking around your windows at the beginning of every winter and every summer, you can catch dried-out, cracked spots early and keep them fromworsening. To learn about Nationwide, visit nationwide.com/cfbf.
Nationwide, and the Nationwide N and Eagle are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. © 2020 Nationwide
californiabountiful.com 11
Constant companion Story by Judy Farah • Photos by Christian Parley
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March/April 2021
Duck-hunting, walnut-loving Jade earns farm dog award
They greet us with wagging tails, even if we’ve only been gone a half hour. They share our happy moments and comfort us when we’re sad. Dogs show fierce loyalty, love and companionship to their owners. This is especially true of a farm dog. Big or little, short-haired or a ball of fur, a farm dog can herd sheep, corral cattle, protect chickens and greet visitors. They are a warm presence by a farmer’s side, whether it’s riding shotgun in a truck, checking crops at sunrise or harvest at night. Jade is one of those dogs. The 4-year-old black Labrador retriever works hard and plays hard on her family’s 380-acre walnut farm in Tulare County, earning her the Grand Prize in the California Farm Bureau’s first Farm Dog Contest. Lindsey Swall, a 20-year-old agriculture student at California State University, Fresno, won the $1,000 prize for her photos and essay on Jade. “A dog is supposed to be man’s best friend, but she truly is our entire family’s best friend,” wrote Swall, a sixth-generation farmer. “She has a confident, self less and gentle personality that is contagious and makes us better people.” Hunting hound Jade joined the family four years ago as a pup and was immediately trained with hand signals to retrieve ducks on family hunting trips. “Even early mornings and cold water don’t stop Jade from doing what she loves,” Swall said. “She is patient and quiet until it is her time to retrieve, but is ready to perform at a moment’s notice.” Swall said Jade stays by her side when she checks the garden every morning and rides with her on the ATV when she runs errands on the farm. The dog is also a faithful companion to Swall’s father, Lee, as he does his farm chores. “She loves going to town, driving along, sticking her head out the window or going out to the field, checking on field operations,” he said. “We’ll get out and she’ll run around, and she loves to carry walnuts around. She loves to eat them, primarily.”
Jade, a Labrador retriever known for her love of walnuts, above, joins Lee Swall and his daughter, Lindsey, opposite page, during rounds on the family farm.
Jade, with the Swalls in their orchard, left, retrieves a duck decoy, above.
Eating the profits Jade is so fond of the family crop, she sometimes stuffs several walnuts in her mouth at once, chewing on them like a bone until she gets to the tasty treat inside. In fact, Lee Swall said Jade is a bit “rotund” from eating so many walnuts, and sometimes so stuffed on them she doesn’t want to eat dinner. One of her favorite things to do is go to the farm’s walnut dehydrator at night during harvest to feast on leftover nuts. “Her favorite activity is to walk around and gleanwalnuts. And it’s not uncommon for her to have two or even three walnuts in her mouth. Just walking around, smelling, looking for walnuts,” he said, laughing. Unconditional loyalty Lindsey Swall talked about the emotional support Jade and other dogs give farmers. “Farmers work hard to provide for others, and their job is never ending. Farming can be taxing both mentally and physically, so it takes a strong dog to support us in what we do,” she said. “Mental health is a topic often neglected on the farm, which is why it is important to highlight the work that dogs do to support farmers.” Swall and her family—which also includes mother Serena and sisters Kelsey and Amy—live in the same house her great-grandfather built on the family’s land in Tulare more than 80 years ago. When the workday is done, Jade curls up inside on her mat and cuddles with the family’s two cats, Cheddar and Gouda. “During our day-to-day, Jade is a familiar face that reminds us that we do what we love. She runs to meet us everywhere we go on the farm and is always by our side,” Swall said. Her father agreed. “(She’s) somebody to be along with you, even when you’re by yourself, working on equipment or going to town and back for parts or in the office,” he said. “They’re always glad to see you. The tail’s always wagging.”
Photo by Taylor Perry
Hondo with Wyatt Perry on the family rice farm.
First Place Hondo, Australian shepherd Brett Perry, Colusa County
Hondo, 5, is named after the 1953 Western film starring John Wayne. Owner Brett Perry described Hondo as a fun, energetic dog that enjoys going to work on his family’s rice farm in Maxwell, accompanying Perry as he’s checking rice boxes and drip lines in the orchards, hauling hay, fixing machinery and working cattle. Perry said Hondo, who has his own Instagram account, keeps life entertaining with his quirks. “One of these quirks is his odd choice of seating. You can find Hondo sitting on the fuel pump in the back of a pickup or sitting on your thigh in the side-by-side. He always has to have his butt propped up on something,” he said. “Having him around while working makes the long days go by faster and eases the tensions when equipment breaks down and things don’t go right,” Perry said, adding Hondo is so eager to help, he sometimes sleeps in the bed of the truck at night. “Work feels less like work when Hondo is around.”
Judy Farah jfarah@californiabountiful.com
The California Farm Bureau launched its first Farm Dog Contest to recognize the dogs that work alongside the state’s farmers and ranchers. Open to Farm Bureau members, with support from Nationwide, the contest asked entrants to submit photos and a brief story about their dog. The Grand Prize winner earned $1,000, with First Place receiving $500, Second Place $250 and Third Place $100. A common thread wove throughout the stories: California farm dogs are dedicated to their duties and provide unconditional companionship to their owners. Farm dogs take the spotlight
Photo by Judy Paulson Dewey
Photo by Cathey Cort
Brugge digging for gophers with Ron Dewey.
Jim Davies and Tip at the family ranchette.
Brugge is a working partner on the 40-acre Dewlson Family Farm, where lemons, coee and tea grow in the rolling hills outside Santa Maria. Owner Judy Paulson Dewey called Brugge an expert at locating gophers and other rodents that threaten the trees and plants. The 42-pounder also helps protect the chickens and geese, by warding o predators such as coyotes and bobcats. Dewey described Brugge as a highly intelligent dog that can anticipate the family’s needs, such as guiding Dewey to her boots one day after she told her husband she couldn’t find them. Brugge has been taught to dance, but learned on her own to open doors. “She has enriched our lives, improved our farm operations and become a protector of our granddaughter, our livestock and our property,” Dewey said. “Although she is an extremely serious working dog, always insisting on being at our side, she has such a sweetness about her. She is our companion, partner and protector.” Third Place Brugge, Groenendael Belgian sheepdog Judy Paulson Dewey, Santa Barbara County
Tip came to the Davies family eight years ago after the animal lost interest in his intended role as a cattle dog. Davies and his wife, Linda, adopted Tip and he quickly adjusted to the family’s historic ranchette in Camino, which features a bed and breakfast and a stone cellar dating back to the Gold Rush. “Tip works alongside me during the week, maintaining the never-ending maintenance of the additional main lodge and buildings, a meadow and natural landscaping, working on antique equipment, along with harvesting table grapes and apple, pear, walnut and even Christmas trees,” Davies said. He described Tip as “the fastest thing on four legs,” eager to chase pine cones or oak limbs tossed to him by guests on the ranch. Tip also likes to “windshield hunt” for deer, squirrels, turkeys and rabbits as he rides in the truck between Davies and his wife. “Tip is a one-of-a-kind, lovable critter, originally fired from his job as ‘working dog,’ but an indispensable ranch dog around here,” Davies said. Second Place Tip, McNab shepherd Jim Davies, El Dorado County
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March/April 2021
Story by Christine Souza • Studio photos by Paul Kirchner Label photos courtesy of Auston Design Group Visual storytelling reaches broad and niche markets THE ART OF THE ab
When shopping for wine, how much do you rely on its label? Do you opt for the bottle with a label featuring a traditional vineyard motif? Select an adventurous sailboat image? Or choose a haunting scene, hoping the wine will be just as thrilling? With myriad designs on many California wines, Tony Auston, creative director and owner of Emeryville-based Auston Design Group, says there’s more to a wine label’s story than just an eye-catching design. “I think of myself as more of a creative problem solver with artistic skills and an artistic eye,” said Auston, who specializes in branding and packaging of wine, beer, spirits and luxury goods. “Every (client) that comes to us has their own unique story, and we have to find a way to tell it and show it.” Auston, who has been in the business more than 25 years, works with his creative team to serve clients from small boutique brands to medium-sized, family-owned wineries to large, multi-brand producers, including Bogle Vineyards and Joseph Phelps Vineyards. Auston’s firm transforms each client’s idea, story or locale into marketing magic. “As a graphic designer, you have a customer who has expectations and a target audience that you’re trying to speak to,” he said. “You have to use art skills along with deductive reasoning to develop a package or brand that’s going to function well on-shelf and attract your target consumer to pick it up and put it into their shopping cart.”
Tony Auston, who specializes in branding and packaging of wine, beer, spirits and luxury goods, stands next to examples of his work displayed atop a vintage bar in his design studio.
What’s in a label? Labeling of wines dates back centuries, with paper labels appearing on European wines by the 1800s. Today’s labels are federally regulated and must include information such as brand name, variety, appellation, alcohol content and net contents, usually in milliliters. After meeting labeling requirements, Auston said, designers “have room to play.” “I like to visit the winery and check out the vineyards,” he said. “The illustrator that I’ve been working with for 30 years, he and I have hiked more hillsides and valleys around Northern California to try to find the nicest vantage point to do our drawing.” Auston oversees the entire design process, which may take up to 13 weeks. The work begins with meeting the client and conducting market and related research. Next is design of art or photography. Five to seven concepts may be shown to the client, and those are narrowed down to one or two. The design process concludes with final proofing, client approval and production. “The two most important parts of the design process are the concept and printing, because if it’s not printed right, it’s just a waste of a good idea,” Auston said.
To create eye-catching wine labels, Auston works with fellow designer Anna Östling Hairston on a mockup, top. Photography, above, is part of the creative process. Below, Auston works on designs with Lindsay Biggar and Hairston.
He said he prefers traditional, offset lithography printing, which is a post-World War II technology that involves the transfer of images frommetal plates onto a large paper roll. The advent of digital printing in the 1990s changed the business. “It’s almost as good as lithography and is limitless on the colors you can create,” he said. “It’s great for smaller wineries with shorter runs, smaller production.” Although it is often difficult to stand out, Auston said some wine regions have a definite look. Napa wines tend to be set apart by a polished, white-label design, whereas Sonoma wines try to not look too pretentious, and foothill wineries often prefer a look that is more earnest, humble and hardworking, he said. “If you’re a huge brand, simple and clean usually is the way to go because it speaks to the broadest audience,” Auston said. “For the small or medium brand, you have to speak to a niche.” Appealing tomillennials Clarksburg-based Bogle Vineyards tries to attract all wine buyers, Auston said, although the company does focus on millennials, offering brands such as Juggernaut with a beast on the bottle.
“A juggernaut is an unstoppable force, and this is a big, juicy wine. We call that creature the beast,” Auston said. “I’m really proud of that Bogle label because of how it helped grow that brand.” According to Auston, nine of 10 clients want to capture more millennial customers, a market segment that looks for authenticity. “It is inf inite what a label can look l ike, so to attract millennials, we might do a very technical- looking label that includes growing condit ions, harvest times, brix at harvest; we call it ‘geekifying’ the label,” Auston said. “(Millennials) want to know that there are real people behind the brand, and they generally prefer to support local or smaller businesses and sustainable and organic.” Some wine labels targeted at millennials can be very minimalist, and there is a current trend of wines with a vintage look. “A label I’m doing now is very vintage, so pre- Prohibition. It’s got a lot of scrolls and pen f lourishes with little curlicues. There’s a backstory about rats with this brand and so we’re making some of the scrolls into stylized rats,” Auston said. “Millennials are always exploring, looking for the next cool thing
Labels tell a winery’s story in many ways.
Clockwise from right: Dry Creek
Vineyard embraces a nautical theme in two labels; stamped
leather links the Brasas family’s
culture; Juggernaut’s “beast” conveys the wine’s boldness; and Lava Cap showcases the winery’s locale.
californiabountiful.com 19
that their friends haven’t tasted yet.” Another wine label feature that appeals to millennials is the QR code — square stamps found in retail packaging that shoppers can capture with a smartphone to instantly learn more about the wine and have an interactive experience with the winery. Ingredients for success Auston said statistics identify women as the largest wine-buying segment. “We don’t want to alienate anyone, but we might lean a little more feminine on things,” he said, which can be done with font, illustration, content or color. Dry Creek Vineyard president Kim Stare Wallace, whose father founded the family’s Sonoma winery in 1972, said, “The work Tony’s done for us over the years has helped keep us relevant, which is really important. The packaging is a ref lection of me and my family and we take it so personally, but Tony is very good at
listening and he just understands.” Wa l lace developed a naut ica l concept for her winery, combining her family’s love of winemaking and sai ling. In what was a f irst departure from a traditiona l sai lboat for Dry Creek, Wa l lace said Auston “had the vision and creativity to come up with another nautical motif, the i l lustration of a mariner. In fact, he came up with the name, The Mariner, and that became our f lagship Bordeaux- style red blend.” Auston said ingredients for a wine’s success include “a good product, a good value, a good package and good distribution,” he said. “Anything under $40, I’d say it is fully on me to get that first purchase. When I have a brand that is super-successful, that’s when I know I’ve done my job right.”
Christine Souza csouza@californiabountiful.com
More frequently, wineries are experimenting with interactive features on wine labels to engage would-be customers. Employing the technology of augmented reality, for instance, is an increasingly popular option. “Augmented reality apps are an amazing opportunity for a winery to reinforce a brand’s voice, its unique attributes and gather data on consumer behavior, like frequency, length of engagement and how the experience is being shared,” said Tony Auston, creative director/owner of Auston Design Group. WINE LABELS THAT ‘come alive’ A good example, he said, is Bogle Vineyard’s Phantom wine. With a downloaded smartphone app, the customer can hover the camera over the label and “watch it come alive. A seasonally appropriate spooky story begins and, ideally, engages the viewer for the duration and incites them to share it with friends.” The Phantom app, Auston said, has been successful at driving social media engagement with its shareable content. Currently, however, the cost of developing animated, augmented-reality programs make them cost-prohibitive for all but the larger companies. A QR code is another way wineries seek to engage customers. By scanning the code—the square stamp on the label—users gain access to additional information, such as details about the wine, winery, harvest, farming practices or special promotions. On higher-priced wines, QR codes can also help prevent fraud by counterfeiters.
Many wineries, such as Bogle Vineyards for its Phantom wine, use augmented reality to add to the wine experience and increase social media interaction.
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book reviews
Imagine living in a community with its own farm, where you can walk from your home to buy freshly harvested food. In Welcome to the Agrihood , housing expert Anna DeSimone spotlights agriculture-focused communities around the U.S., including California, then takes the farm-to-table lifestyle a step further by telling readers how to grow their own food. Paperback The East Bay is a culturally rich region that includes Oakland, Berkeley and six other cities. Carolyn Jung, a James Beard Award- winning food and wine writer, captures the culinary diversity of the region in her new book, East Bay Cooks . The ambitious cookbook includes 80 recipes from 40 restaurants, ranging from shrimp tacos to a soba noodle salad. Hardcover from Figure 1 Publishing. $32.99.
Just the name of the book is likely to spark the imagination of young readers. Lynn Brunelle, a writer for Bill Nye the Science Guy, created Turn This Book Into a Beehive! to teach children about the fascinating world of bees. It comes with 19 different activities, including turning the cover into a real beehive that houses friendly, non-stinging mason bees. Paperback fromWorkman Publishing. $19.95.
from Housing 2020 Publishing. $19.95.
A new trend in organic gardening is use of biochar: slow-roasted organic materials such as wood, brush and yard waste mixed with compost and manure. In his book Gardening with Biochar , organic gardening expert Jeff Cox says biochar supercharges garden soil and eliminates the need to use fertilizer. He gives readers the information they need to make and use biochar in a home garden. Paperback from Storey Publishing. $18.95.
Crush: The Triumph of California Wine tells the 200-year history of wine in the Golden State, including the 1976 blind tasting in Paris that led to California wines being respected and enjoyed worldwide. Author John Briscoe is a poet, restaurant co-owner and San Francisco lawyer who has argued cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Hardcover from University of Nevada Press. $34.95.
California Bountiful’s Book Reviews highlight books related to rural living and California agriculture. To suggest a book, email cbmagazine@californiabountiful.com.
californiabountiful.com 21
The power of pecans
California-grown nut shows versatility beyond the candy counter
Story by Ching Lee • Photos by Fred Greaves
Outside the context of a certain dessert pie, the bumpy, crinkly kernels of pecans can fall victim to mistaken identity, especially in California, a state well-known for growing almonds, walnuts and pistachios. That’s a problem for Colusa County farmer Theresa Jeffreys Bright, who has been vocal about wanting “more press time” for California-grown pecans. “Some people don’t even recognize that pecans are different than walnuts,” she said. That the two nuts can be confused for one another is one reason she thinks “we have a long way to go” in educating people about pecans—not only to let them know that California pecans are available, but to encourage them to see the nut as more than an ingredient in pastries and candy. For example, pecans make great pesto and could be added to stuffing, she said. With new studies showing the many health benefits of pecans, Jeffreys Bright said people should also be snacking on the superfood on a regular basis. “There’s lots of parts to the song that we could be singing,” she added. ‘A harmony of flavor’ There’s no question, though, that California pecans still find their way into local sweet shops and confections, including those made by The Candy Box in Marysville and Ticket Chocolate in Loomis, two of Jeffreys Bright’s customers. Doug Zwolski, owner of The Candy Box, said he sees “no reason” to use anything but Jeffreys Bright’s pecans as a key ingredient in his store’s f lagship product—chocolate turtles. Though other nuts appear in his different confections, only pecans are used to make turtles, so called because the layers of nut clusters, caramel and chocolate resemble the reptile. Zwolski said the buttery f lavor of pecans goes particularly well with caramel, a buttery candy. “You put the two together and that creates a harmony of f lavor where they just complement each other,” he said.
Doug Zwolski, opposite page, owner of The Candy Box in Marysville, uses California-grown pecans in several of his confections, including chocolate turtles, the store’s flagship product.
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Farmer Theresa Jereys Bright stands next to a piece of equipment used to sweep harvested pecans in a pile along the orchard floor, after which a harvester collects the nuts.
During harvest, a tree shaker, above, clamps onto the trunk and shakes the tree, showering the ground with pecans. As with other tree nuts, pecans have an outer hull or husk, right, that is removed shortly after harvest.
Pecans also show up in the store’s chocolate-covered pecan clusters, chocolate pecan bark and pecan chews, another concoction consisting of chocolate and caramel. Though Zwolski uses the original recipes developed by founders Irene and Floyd McIntosh when they opened the candy store in 1954, it was not until recent years that some of the candies began to feature California-grown pecans. According to Jeffreys Bright, it was the store’s second owner, Ethel Padgett, who first noticed Jeffreys Bright’s pecans at the Sunsweet Growers store in Yuba City and later connected with her about buying her pecans. Zwolski, who has been operating The Candy Box since 2018 as the third owner, said he’s only ever used Jeffreys Bright’s pecans, which are also sold at farmers markets and through her website. “Obviously, her pecans are fresh from her farm,” he said. “With her product, I know I’m getting this year’s crop.” Seeds of history Jeffreys Bright planted her first pecan orchard in 2006, after inheriting a farm that’s been in her family since 1876 ; s he adde d mor e p l a nt i ng s i n 20 08 . She
acknowledged her decision to grow pecans went against the norm, considering her region’s top crops are almonds, rice and walnuts. “I can remember somebody asking me, ‘Why pecans?’” she said. “And it’s like, well, if you can be on the leading edge of a trend, you have the ability to make a lot more money than if you’re on the trailing end.” Compared to the state’s more than 1.5 million acres of almond trees and the hundreds of thousands of acres devoted to walnuts and pistachios, California pecan plantings remain relatively small, with an estimated 3,500 to 5,000 acres , concent rated most ly in the nor thern Sacramento Va l ley and the southern San Joaquin Valley. Yet the pecan has a long history in North America and is the only commercial tree nut native to the United States. Archaeologists estimate fossils of pecan seeds and leaves formed near the banks of the Rio Grande date back to 6100 B.C. Wild pecans were a staple in the diets of Native Americans, who first cultivated pecan trees and introduced the nut to European explorers, according to the American Pecan Council.
What’s the difference? and walnuts: Pecans
he pointed out, before walnuts and almonds “drastically overshadowed” them. Historically, pecans have “very much been a holiday food,” he added, with a large portion of the U.S. crop winding up in bakeries, restaurants and food products such as baked goods, ice cream and confections. Just as almonds and walnuts have expanded their reputation beyond thei r a ssociat ion with bak ing and sweet s, Hendrixson said he thinks the same could happen for pecans with increased exposure and usage. As owner of the state’s only pecan processor, Blake Houston of HNH Nut Co. in Visalia said he thinks his generation of health-conscious millennials are starting to eat more plant proteins, especially nuts, and as people become more familiar with pecans, they will eat themmore regularly. “People love pecans. They just think they only have to eat them during Thanksgiving and Christmas,” he said. “We would like to be recognized as a nut that’s great for you on a daily basis. They taste great, in my humble opinion.” At a glance, it’s understandable why pecans and walnuts can sometimes be mistaken for one another, especially if they’re chopped up or mixed with other nuts. Both tree nuts share similar culinary uses as ingredients in pastries, salads and other recipes. Putting them side by side, though, the two nuts are clearly distinguishable. The dark-brown outer shell of pecans is smooth and oblong, sometimes with dark specks, whereas walnuts have a light-brown shell that’s rounder, with bumps and ridges. The nuts also look dierent on the inside. Pecan kernels are darker with straighter ridges compared to walnuts, the kernels of which have a more-curly structure with folds that make them look somewhat like miniature human brains.
Pecans are a main ingredient in confections such as chocolate turtles, here made by The Candy Box.
“It’s the first nut that we grew here, basically,” Jeffreys Bright said. Roots that run deep Although pecan trees have existed in California for more than 100 years, the state did not establ ish its f irst commercial orchard until the mid-1970s, in the Clovis area, according to the University of California, Davis. That’s more than 200 years after the first U.S. planting of pecans in Long Island, New York. The United States continues to produce the most pecans, accounting for about 80% of the world’s crop. Besides California, 14 other states also grow the nut, with Georgia, New Mexico and Texas being the top producers. Pecans are the last California tree nuts to be harvested, usually beginning in late October and early November. An individual tree can yield nuts for 100 years or more, which is why people say, “you plant pecans for your grandkids: They’re a very long-enduring and -producing tree,” said Mark Hendrixson, a grower in Tulare County who serves as president of the California Pecan Growers Association. Pecans were once the nation’s most consumed tree nut,
Ching Lee clee@californiabountiful.com
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“There’s something really soul-fulfilling about growing a garden.”
SONDRA AMESHAUGER
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growth Personal
One woman’s ‘grand experiment’ to raise a vegetable garden during a pandemic
Story by Kevin Hecteman • Photos by Manny Crisostomo
A pandemic descends on your hometown, and your employer sends you to work from home, which happens to have a ginormous yard.
You have no idea how long this will last. What now? If you’re Sondra Ames-Hauger, you get to planting.
“I knew that with the pandemic, it was going to be really difficult to go anywhere, and that we really should try to stay home as much as possible,” said Ames-Hauger, who works for a school district in the Sacramento area. “I thought it was a perfect opportunity to start my garden in the backyard, because I knew I would have a lot of extra time after working from home.” From that seed sprang forth a summerlong bounty: zucchini, cucumbers, carrots, basil, pumpkins, tomatoes—plus trial, error and lessons learned for 2021. “I called this my grand experiment,” Ames-Hauger said, “because I’d really never done a garden like this. I planted things here and there, but I’ve never done a vegetable garden that I tended to in the way that I did this, and I can see why so many people do this. There’s something
really soul-fulfilling about growing a garden.” And it all started with a fence in need of repair.
Getting started Ames-Hauger lives on a third of an acre in Carmichael with her husband, Chris Hauger, also an educator; daughter Madison, 16; and son Riley, 14. Last spring, while helping replace a fence on their property’s boundary, the idea came to her.
° ° ° °
Sondra Ames-Hauger started growing vegetables last spring when the pandemic sent her home to work. She continues to garden with, clockwise from top left, daughter Madison, son Riley and husband Chris Hauger.
“We’ve been in our house for four years, and we haven’t really done anything with the backyard,” Ames-Hauger said. “And I thought, ‘You know, it’d be really nice to have a garden back here.’” Being new at gardening, Ames-Hauger went online and scooped up all the information she could find. She also found planter boxes online, buying shipping crates for beehives; these were about 4 feet square by 1 foot deep.
“We did rows of carrots, which were pretty fun,” Ames- Hauger said. “The pumpkin seedlings and watermelon went into the ground end of May. We did onions as well.” Learning on the job What she ended up harvesting was a mixed bag. Pumpkins did well, she said, and made for fine Halloween decorations. Watermelons did not fare as well: “I couldn’t ever get them to be bigger than the size of a golf ball before they would die.” Ames-Hauger and her family were learning as they went, “understanding that planting the stuff starts to attract things that you really have never seen in your garden.” Case in point: the beautiful white butterfly—called a cabbage white—that she noticed flitting about her garden. Little did she know it was a bringer of doom to some of her plants. “While I thought it was just a lovely little visitor, I found out that she was laying like 400 eggs every time she was in my garden,” leading to “little cabbage worms that eat everything,” Ames-Hauger said. Those voracious worms made short work of her cabbage crop. Her zucchini fared better—she put half a dozen plants in
“Once I knew that I was going to have a garden, I kind of got a little bit of the cart before the horse and went and bought a whole bunch of seeds,” she said, and “just thought, ‘You know, what do I want to grow? What would I love to try to grow?’ And seeds aren’t very expensive, so it was a good way to start.” So she planted, as she put it, “a little bit of everything.” At the outset, in April, that meant zucchini, bell peppers, carrots, bush beans, cabbage and caulif lower. She also planted artichokes and several kinds of tomatoes. Pumpkins and cucumbers followed.
The couple’s nephew and niece, Reece and Ayla Johnson, help every chance they get. Painted rocks label crops in the garden.
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