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.
September/October 2020
EXPLORING BOUNTIFUL CALIFORNIA
Tuning in with TRACY SELLERS Stories from California Bountiful TV Page 12
PICK A PUMPKIN and have some fun! Page 16
Chef’s best FOOD HACKS Page 34
Farmers plant SEEDS OF HOPE Page 26
For your many sides, there’s Nationwide ® .
AUTO | HOME
| LIFE | RETIREMENT
Learn more at nationwide.com
Products underwritten by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and Affiliated Companies. Home Office: Columbus, OH 43215. Subject to underwriting guidelines, review, and approval. Availability varies. Nationwide, Nationwide Is On Your Side, and the Nationwide N and Eagle are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. The Farm Bureau and the letters FB are registered service marks of American Farm Bureau and used under license by Nationwide. © 2019 Nationwide CPO-0836M1 (01/19)
EXPLORING BOUNTIFUL CALIFORNIA
September/October 2020
16
34
44
26
Features
4 From the editors 5 A la carte
Sprouting from change Urban gardener connects with customers and food in new ways. Pick a pumpkin Today’s choices include a variety of colors, shapes, sizes and textures. Night moves Vineyard crews harvest while California sleeps. Seeds of hope In a world turned upside down, farmers help feed those in need. Where she belongs Chef enjoys multiple roles in the world of food.
6
11 Book reviews 30 Imagine this... 40 Now from Nationwide 42 Take 5 44 Gardening 46 It’s a bountiful life
16
22
26
34
ON THE COVER: Tracy Sellers, host of California Bountiful TV, takes viewers on a food-filled road trip through the state, Page 12.
September/October 2020
EXPLORING BOUNTIFUL CALIFORNIA
Tuning in with TRACY SELLERS Stories from California Bountiful TV Page 12
PICK A PUMPKIN and have some fun! Page 16
Chef’s best FOOD HACKS Page 34
Farmers plant SEEDS OF HOPE Page 26
Photo: Lori Eanes
www.californiabountiful.com 3
From the editors
VOLUME 43 • ISSUE 5
Karen Olson Director, Marketing/Communications Division Dave Kranz Director, Publications & Media Relations
Barbara Arciero Managing Editor Judy Farah Assistant Editor
While parts of our lives have been put on hold because of the pandemic, nature has not stopped. Fields brimwith tomatoes, corn and sunflowers that smile at us along country roads. Cattle graze on dry or green grass, depending onwhere they’re located. Andorchards, nownearly done producing a kaleidoscope of stone fruit, transition to nuts and other fall crops. As the host of California Bountiful TV for 17 years, Tracy Sellers has experienced firsthand the seasonal shifts of agriculture and, in this issue, takes us on a behind-the-scenes tour of the program she describes as a weekly, 30-minute travel exploration across California. In a Q&A, Sellers describes farmers and ranchers as the most positive people she’s met. Several stories in this issue also highlight their tendency to help others in times of need: Farmers have teamed up during the pandemic to create food boxes for people facing food insecurity and a former Olympic medalist with farm ties used her marketing expertise to help businesses weather the economic slowdown. Meanwhile, an urban gardener shifted her business model to aid farmers who’d mentored her. In other stories, you’ll see crews harvest grapes under the light of the moon for the fall crush, pumpkin patches that delight visitors young and old, and schoolchildren using their skills and imaginations to create whimsical tales about California crops. As the days grow shorter and the warm glow of autumn light falls, this issue of California Bountiful brings you stories that reflect the richness of the season.
Kevin Hecteman, Ching Lee, Christine Souza, Tracy Sellers, Jolaine Collins, Pat Rubin Writers
Lori Eanes, Richard Green, Becky Reams, Ric Tapia, Joselito Villero, Azucena Zamora
Photographers Karin Bakotich Design Services Manager
Jessica Cook Paula Erath Graphic Artists Margaret Rodriguez Darla Quidachay Production Chris Tedesco Manager, Business Development Robert Foiles Advertising Sales
Subscribe: California Bountiful is available to associate members of county FarmBureaus in California and by subscription. Please call or visit our website for more information.
Contact us: California Bountiful, 2600 River Plaza Drive,
Sacramento, CA 95833 800-698-FARM (3276)
info@californiabountiful.com www.californiabountiful.com
Now trending
@cabountiful
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-profit periodicals postage paid at Sacramento, California. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to California Bountiful, 2600 River Plaza Drive, Sacramento, CA 95833. The 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 officer, director or employee of the California Farm Bureau Federation or its affiliates.
4
September/October 2020
a la carte
A farmer’s best friend Every dog has its day—but the one that wins the Grand Prize in the 2020 California FarmBureau farm dog contest will also earn $1,000 in cash for its owner. Runners-up receive cash prizes, too. The rules are simple: Submit up to four photos and a brief essay about why your dog is an integral part of your farm or ranch operation. The contest is open only to Farm Bureau members, and entries must be postmarked or submitted online by Oct. 16. For more details: www.cfbf.com/farmdogcontest.
In a new California-Japan partnership, a Merced County rice farmer is sending his rice to a brewery in the Japan Fukushima Prefecture city of Nihonmatsu to make sake. Ross Koda, a third-generation farmer who manages Koda Farms, said he’s been wanting to use his organic rice to create good-quality sake. Koda Farms rice will provide ingredients for two new rice wines dubbed Uka. The sake is expected to be launched in the U.S. in October. Sip some sake
Froma buttery Jerseymilk cheese to a creamy habanero jack, California artisan cheeses make great gifts for others or for you to enjoy yourself. To help California cheesemakers who have been hit hard by the pandemic, the CaliforniaMilk Advisory Board and dairy exporter HarbyrCo began selling California Cheesemakers’ Select boxes. Each seasonal box— available at www.californiacheesebox.com—includes four hand-picked artisan cow’s milk cheeses that can be delivered throughout the U.S. Say cheese
www.californiabountiful.com 5
Edible Gardens LA founder Lauri Kranz expanded her business of helping people establish vegetable gardens to helping farmers sell their produce through her food- box deliveries.
6
September/October 2020
Urban gardener connects with customers and food in new ways Sprouting from CHANGE
Story by Ching Lee
Even before she started farming, Los Angeles-based gardening guru Lauri Kranz had been on a bountiful journey for years. As founder of Edible Gardens LA, Kranz has turned urban spaces into productive vegetable gardens and edible landscapes for chefs, celebrities and other clients interested in growing their own food. When COVID-19 forced many restaurants to close—and farms that supplied those restaurants had nowhere to go with their crops—Kranz turned her green thumb to helping farmers who mentored her, by launching a new produce-delivery business. “It was so reactionary to the times, to what was happening,” she said. “I knew there was a lot of food coming from those farms. I reached out to them and said, ‘Can I buy this food from you? I want to start bringing it to people.’”
Photo by Yoshihiro Makino
Photo by Dawn Birch
Tulare County farmer James Birch, above, works on his farm in Three Rivers. At right, Kranz talks with San Diego County farmer Peter Schaner at the farmers market.
first knew Kranz when she was in the music industry, recording and touring with her indie band Snow & Voices. She’s been a customer of his at the farmers market. Not only is Kranz a “very talented musician- singer,” he said, but she’s in tune with the restaurant scene and chefs in the L.A. area, some of whom are her gardening clients. Kranz’s connection to the food world provided insight on how Schaner and other farmers struggled to find alternative markets for their crops when purchases from restaurants and chefs plummeted during the pandemic. Being a part of her CSA has been “a big financial support for our farm,” Schaner said, as it has allowed the farm to keep working and the crops to not go to waste. “She saw a way where she could help people out, and that’s what motivates her,” he said. James and Dawn Birch of Flora Bella Farms in Tulare County have known Kranz for 20 years, f irst as a customer of theirs at the farmers market in Hollywood and now providing produce to her CSA twice a week. The couple had stopped going to farmers markets because of health concerns brought by COVID-19. “I’mglad I knowher because (the CSA) is really helping our farm out a lot, and I’m sure it’s helping out other farmers she’s getting produce from,” James Birch said.
Farm to door Across the nation, subscriptions to community- supported agriculture food boxes have soared during the pandemic, with many farms that market their crops through CSAs reporting increased membership and growing waiting lists. The Edible Gardens LA CSA business represents one of many farm-to-door services that sprouted this year to meet surging demand for locally grown produce, as people shelter in place and make fewer trips to the store. Kranz described response to her CSA as “very overwhelming.” Her produce deliveries grew, mostly through word of mouth, from just five members during the first week to thousands of sign-ups, with hundreds more requesting the service each week, she noted. Some of the crops come from a “very small, modest urban farm” in East L.A. that she started farming a year ago, but most of what supplies her boxes comes from “favorite farmers” she’s known for years from farmers markets and “who really nurtured my early interest in growing food.” Connections that count San Diego County farmer Peter Schaner, who grows citrus fruit, avocados and seasonal vegetables, has been selling at farmers markets for more than 30 years. He
8
September/October 2020
Photo by Yoshihiro Makino
Kranz, above, tends to a garden house designed to keep out wildlife. At right, Kranz works with a client on a garden using raised beds. Below right, a food box from Edible Gardens LA’s CSA.
“I am so happy and encouraged to see people really digging in and spending time.”
— LAURI KRANZ Gardening mentor
Seeds of inspiration Kranz’s reintroduction to gardening came when she volunteered for her then-5-year-old son’s school garden. Having lived in New York City before moving to Los Angeles, she’d spent many years without a garden, but the experience of gardening with her father growing up made a lasting impression. “He had an of f ice job during the week, but on weekends we would work in the vegetable garden— this very sma l l, modest vegetable garden, but so prolific with watermelons just rambling about and tall, beautiful sunf lowers,” she recalled. “This was such a happy time I had with my dad and I thought, ‘Oh, I would like to have this experience with my own child.’” She fell “madly in love” with the school garden and started other gardens, learning mostly from books and talking to farmers. People began asking her to set up their gardens, eventually hiring her to design, build and sustain them, which led to her business, Edible Gardens LA. Kranz shares some of her garden creations in her book “A Garden Can Be Anywhere,” which includes praise from famous clients such as actor Jason Bateman, singer Katy Perry, model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, TV personality Nicole Richie and chef Suzanne Goin, who also wrote the foreword and is now one of her CSA
Photo by Yoshihiro Makino
In her edible gardens, Kranz interplants plenty of flowers and flowering herbs to attract bees and other pollinators.
The photo above and the photos of Kranz with a client and Peter Schaner are reprinted from “A Garden Can Be Anywhere: Creating Bountiful and Beautiful Edible Gardens.” Copyright © 2019 by Lauri Kranz. Photography by Yoshihiro Makino. Published by ABRAMS.
customers. (See Book Reviews on Page 11.) “I think this desire to be a part of where our food comes from… just really resonated with people,” Kranz said. “I hope it continues to forever more, because I think (gardening) is one of the most powerful and important things any of us can do to stay connected to the natural world and to nurture each other.” Beauty with purpose Kranz sa id her ga rdens a re both ed ible and ornamental, interplanting vegetables with f lowers to bring bees, butterf lies and other pollinators that are “vital to the success of any garden.” Schaner said he’s been impressed with Kranz’s “passion and vast knowledge” of growing food, even though she has no agricultural background, and with how she “turns the landscape into something that is still very beautiful but also usable and edible.” Because of the pandemic, Kranz said she had to put new garden projects on hold and hasn’t done home visits, but her clients continue to send photos of their
gardens and ask questions. “I am so happy and encouraged to see people really digging in and spending time,” she said. “I think people feel really comforted by these gardens, and I’ve gotten an extraordinary amount of inquiries for new gardens.” As she waits for “the health of the world to return a bit” so she can again create new spaces for people to grow food, Kranz has kept busy with CSA deliveries and running the Edible Gardens LA Farm, ventures in which she partners with her husband, Dean Kuipers. They have plans to expand, she said, but they want to do so in “tiny baby steps” to ensure they’re “doing it safely, wisely and keeping the integrity of the deliveries, and honoring the beautiful food that the farmers we work with grow.” “I feel very fortunate and grateful that these farmers are able to provide food for all of us,” Kranz added. “We’re just helping to get it out there.”
Ching Lee clee@californiabountiful.com
10
September/October 2020
book reviews
Nick Neely walked from San Diego to San Francisco, retracing the route of the expedition led by Captain Portolá in 1769, which marked the first assessment of the state’s vast agricultural potential. Alta California recounts Neely’s 12-week journey, serving at once as memoir, history lesson, critical examination and love letter to the Golden State. Hardcover from Counterpoint Press. $26.
Edible Gardens LA founder Lauri Kranz has helped chefs, celebrities and other well-known clients grow organic vegetable gardens and edible landscapes that are both productive and aesthetically pleasing. In A Garden Can Be Anywhere: Creating Bountiful and Beautiful Edible Gardens , written with husband Dean Kuipers, the self-taught gardening expert offers inspiration and step-by-step advice for planning, planting, growing and maintaining edible outdoor spaces, no matter the setting or plot size. (See story on Page 6.) Hardcover from Abrams. $40.
A strawberry that talks. A drop of water taking a
fantastic voyage. A confused sheep. These are just some of the characters populating tales in the 2020 edition of Imagine this... Stories Inspired by Agriculture , a compilation of stories by California schoolchildren who won an annual contest sponsored by the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom. High school art students illustrated the stories. (See story on Page 30.) Paperback fromwww. LearnAboutAg.org. $7. If your kid doesn’t love to eat veggies, seeing them in a new light might help. Amalia Hoffman’s Astro Pea takes little ones on an imaginative adventure, as Pete the pea explores a veg-filled universe with the help of his carrot spaceship. A simple story makes this book a good fit for the youngest of eaters. Board book from Schiffer Publishing. $9.99.
San Francisco-based floral design duo Amanda Luu and Ivanka Matsuba reimagine the centuries- old Japanese art of flower arranging in Ikebana Unbound . With a primer on the tenets of ikebana and step-by-step instructions for creating a variety of seasonally inspired arrangements with an East-meets- West sensibility, the book can serve as a jumping-off point for endless variation here in the nation’s top floral state. Hardcover from Artisan. $24.95.
California Bountiful’s BookReviews highlight books related to rural living and California agriculture. To suggest a book, email us at info@californiabountiful.com.
www.californiabountiful.com 11
with Tracy Sellers
EUREKA
Martinelli’s, Watsonville: Sellers has been fortunate enough to visit twice with John Martinelli of the famous apple cider company.
Cypress Grove Goat Cheese, Arcata: Tasting and talking about cheese is a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it! Sellers is up to the task.
SACRAMENTO
SAN FRANCISCO
FRESNO
MONTEREY
Ocean Mist Farms, Castroville: Her favorite vegetable? Artichokes! Sellers says trying to harvest them gave her a greater appreciation for the skill and hard work involved.
BAKERSFIELD
LOS ANGELES
Kern Ridge Growers, Arvin, with Bob Giragosian: How often do you get to ride a machine that harvests more than a million carrots an hour?
SAN DIEGO
12
September/October 2020
Host travels state to share stories about food and agriculture
Interview by Judy Farah
Nibbling on fresh fruits and vegetables picked ripe from the fields. Donning a full beekeeper’s suit to talk about pollination. Harvesting artichokes in fog- shrouded Castroville. Dining on a chef ’s farm-to-fork creation while sipping a cabernet just drawn from an oak barrel. Riding a camel, feeding a giraffe or milking a goat. It’s all in a day’s work for Tracy Sellers, host and executive producer of California Bountiful TV. The incomparable bounty and beauty of California agriculture is captured each week in the statewide, syndicated television program produced by the California Farm Bureau Federation. California Bountiful TV takes its viewers on a panoramic journey behind the scenes to farms, ranches and farmers markets, and shares cooking tips from some of the state’s best chefs. Sellers has hosted the show for 17 years and still makes new discoveries about California’s more than 400 diverse crops, whether it’s how they’re grown and harvested or how they’re made into creative concoctions. There are so many stories to tell and, each week, she shares them with viewers across the state and nation. Sellers said she’d wanted to go into journalism since she was a little girl, after she was inspired by Kermit the Frog doing “breaking news stories.” She grew up in the Bay Area and also lived in Southern California before making Sacramento home. Living throughout the state, she noted, has taught her to appreciate the uniqueness and diversity of California. A graduate of California State University, Sacramento, Sellers interned for the Sacramento Kings and worked in local TV news before joining the Farm Bureau and its weekly TV show.
Oasis Camel Dairy, Ramona: Sellers fed, groomed and, yes, rode camels at this unique destination outside San Diego, where every day is hump day.
www.californiabountiful.com 13
Sellers samples chef Reagan Roach’s blue cheese burger at Harris Ranch, above. At left and right, she and Charles Williams film segments with Justin Wangler and Tucker Taylor at Kendall-Jackson Winery.
Kendall-Jackson photos by Lori Eanes
If someone hasn’t watched California Bountiful TV before, what can they expect? The show is unique. It’s a 30-minute travel exploration across the state. You get to see how food is grown and who grows it. You get to see the families who grow the food for you, which I always think is interesting. You get to see how it’s processed, and then you see the final steps. You get a recipe out of it, too, which I think is really fun. You go behind the scenes to places that nobody else gets to go—the restaurants, wineries, food companies, farms and ranches. There’s something for everybody. In addition to profiles on farmers and ranchers, we also highlight artisan food makers, and have regular segments with a nutrition professor who teaches us how to pick the best produce at the market and how to cook with it. Plus, we have gardening advice from a Northern California nursery and wine-tasting tips from a six- generation winemaking family, as well as recipes from world-class chefs and even a few frommy own kitchen! What is the mission of California Bountiful TV? We want to inform and entertain folks at the same time, perhaps without them really knowing it—kind of a seamless educational show. I like to have one “aha
moment” in the show where you go, “Huh? I didn’t know how olives are grown” or “Oh, that’s how a pear is grown”—something they tell their friends and family about. I think the overall mission of the show is just to show how hard people work to get food from the ground to the viewer’s table. They make it look easy, but it’s not easy. There’s a lot of work behind the scenes for years and years to get a crop to grow. What are some of your most memorable shows? We’ve traveled the state and been to Disneyland, Harris Ranch, Martinelli’s, See’s Candy and the San Francisco Giants stadium. I’ve interviewed Guy Fieri, Maria Shriver, Stephen Hearst, Alice Waters, the Mondavis and Duff Goldman of “Ace of Cakes” on the Food Network. But we’ve also profiled small farms, too—which are equally memorable—such as the first coffee grower in California and a six- generation family farm of pear growers in Courtland I recently visited. Two of my favorite stories, though, are stories with animals. I went to a camel dairy in San Diego, where I got to ride a camel. The other one was the San Diego Zoo. We talked to them
Hosted by Tracy Sellers, California Bountiful TV is a delicious, 30-minute adventure throughout the state. From world-famous Martinelli’s apple cider to California’s first coffee grower, viewers have an all-access pass as she travels, explores, celebrates—and, yes, eats— her way across the state. Never miss another episode or publication of California Bountiful. Sign up for California Bountiful newsletters and receive TV programming notes, magazine previews, recipes, Sellers’ food hacks and more. Go to newsletter.californiabountiful.com. To read the rest of Sellers’ interview, go to californiabountiful.com. 101 TV
Taylor, at left above, manages the 4-acre garden at Kendall-Jackson that provides ingredients and inspiration for Wangler’s menus. Sellers toasts the duo after filming a segment to air this season.
folks. John Harris of Harris Ranch was a delightful man. He was wonderful to sit down and talk to about Harris Ranch—and the history behind the label we all recognize. A pomegranate farmer asked if there was anything else he could do for me. I joked, “Why don’t you juggle for me?” He’s like, “OK!” And he did—he actually juggled the pomegranates he was holding! How do you keep in touch with viewers? The viewers have been amazing to me over the years—so kind, so welcoming, so interested in what we do. I’ve received a lot of handwritten notes. In this day and age to get a handwritten note, I mean, it’s great to connect on Facebook, but it’s so sweet to get a handwritten note. Sometimes they’ll email me, “Where do I get that recipe?” or “I love that sweater you wore. Where can I get it?” One gentleman was worried I wasn’t wearing enough sunscreen and was concerned about my fair skin. He was very sweet. What’s coming up on the show? We’re just beginning our seasons on stations in San Diego and Los Angeles, and we’ve got a lot of exciting stories and segments coming up. We have recipes and a story on one of the best-known wineries in wine country: Kendall- Jackson. We were able to go on an exclusive tour of their culinary gardens and see how they’re pairing wine and food in fun and delicious ways, and how they’re committed to showing people about both. Plus we’re going back to school—olive oil school, that is. UC Davis has an amazing program dedicated to building crops of the future, and we were able to visit with the students and professors and see what’s on the horizon for California olive oil. We’re also visiting a blueberry farm we visited 10 years ago, to see how they’ve grown, and we’re highlighting one of San Francisco’s hottest new restaurants with its own rooftop garden.
about how much California produce they feed the animals. Each species has its own nutritional plan— and it’s mostly California grown. And I got to feed a giraffe and a hippopotamus! What have you learned about farmers and ranchers through your stories? Farmers and ranchers really enjoy talking about their jobs and what they do and what they grow. They educate me and I then try to share what I’ve learned with the viewers. They’re always happy to take the time to explain things. That’s a commonality I’ve found from north to south— everywhere in California. Farmers and ranchers are the most positive people I’ve ever met because they have to deal with different things every day. And that’s also usually their favorite part of the job—not knowing what the day is going to bring, and being able to problem-solve and deal with what life throws at them. You have what many would consider a dream job— telling stories about California agriculture, and traveling to farms, wineries and restaurants. Yes! I do have a dream job. I get to travel to places that I probably would never travel to. I get to eat produce right out of the field when it’s at its freshest. I get to meet amazing people and eat amazing food, but I also feel very lucky and very blessed to be able to tell the stories of these folks. My job is to let people know about the agriculture that’s all around them that they may not realize. I’m still amazed when I go out on these stories. I still love learning about it. I’ve tried all kinds of things out in the field and in the kitchen—and you know, YOLO (you only live once)! You must have met some interesting people along the way. People warned me about Fred Franzia, the Trader Joe’s Two Buck Chuck guy. People warned me, “He’s a curmudgeon.” And he was delightful! So you never know. I try to find a commonality with
Judy Farah jfarah@californiabountiful.com
www.californiabountiful.com 15
Lucas Sousa touches a bumpy Goblin pumpkin, one of the more popular varieties grown by R.A.M. Farms and sold at its Turlock pumpkin patch. He and his classmates were photographed at the patch last fall.
16
September/October 2020
pumpkin Story by Chr stine Souza Photos by Lori Eanes Pick a
Today’s choices include a variety of colors, shapes, sizes and textures
Sitting atop hay bales at the R.A.M. Farms pumpkin patch in Turlock, excited kindergarteners learned there is more to this squash than the color orange and using it to carve jack-o-lanterns. “I want you to take your finger and, can you point to
Ca l i fornia farmers grow nearly 5,000 acres of pumpkins each year and the state ranks among the top five in terms of national production. Illinois leads, with most of its crop used for canned pumpkin pie filling. The Golden State’s pumpkins are primari ly grown for
an orange pumpkin? How about a red pumpk in? How about yellow? How about a pumpkin that has more than one color? How about a pumpkin that is bumpy?” asked farmer Karen Macedo, who captivated students visiting last fall from Hilmar’s Elim Elementary School. “Pumpkins come in different sizes, shapes and a variety of colors and they can be bumpy or smooth, but they all have several things in common: hard outer shells, ridges, and a stem end and a f lower end,” she said.
decoration and jack-o-lanterns. R . A .M. Fa rms i s one of Ca l i fornia’s many pumpk in patches, where visitors flock each fall in search of the perfect pick. Operated by Ron and Karen Macedo since 2007, the farm grows between 50 and 70 varieties of pumpkins, gourds and winter squash on about 40 acres, and hosts 15,000 visitors and 2,400 schoolchildren annually. Outdoor classroom While Ron Macedo handles the farming, Karen Macedo, a former teacher, has a knack for engaging young students about
Farmer Ron Macedo is joined by his wife, Karen, who runs the pumpkin patch and leads educational tours.
No ordinary orb Today’s pumpkins are anything but ordinary. They can be multicolored with hues ranging from pastel pink, blue or green to bright red, orange or yellow. Specialty varieties are known for shape or color, such as the f latter, orange Cinderella pumpkin and the Goblin, which is orange with green warts.
growing pumpkins, from seed to patch. “Most kids are amazed about all the different varieties of pumpkins we grow,” she said. “They like to be outside and they love science. Kids naturally like to see how the world works.” Each year frommid-September through October, fall
fun-seekers, families and schoolchildren visit R.A.M. Farms to take part in activities such as pumpkin bowling and an 18-acre corn maze, and a lso to choose their favorite pumpkin. “I like the warty pumpkin because it feels bumpy,” kindergartner Jade Caetano explained, while twin sister Ashton said she preferred the large, white pumpkin known as Snowball: “I’d take it home and paint it turquoise.” Meanwhile, Christian Andre, who is generally wild about dinosaurs, said, “I like the Cinderella pumpkin. It is the right size to make a Saurophaganax (dinosaur) head.” Emma Komos was more practical about her top choice: a small, orange pumpkin variety known as Field Trip. “I like the stem to be a handle to carry it around,” she said, adding she would like to decorate it with paint and stickers. Their teacher, Lynette Rocha, brings her students each year and said, “R.A.M. Farms is a wonderful place to learn about farming pumpkins. As part of our science standards, we teach the students the life cycle of the pumpkin plant, and Karen is very good at identifying the many varieties of pumpkins.” The A, Bee, Cs of pumpkin farming KarenMacedo explained to Rocha’s class that pumpkins need water, sunlight, soil and bees: “As the bee pollinates, a little f lower will start to grow and as the f lower starts to grow, the pumpkin will then grow.” To ensure the pumpkins are ready by fall, R.A.M. Farms begins planting in mid-June. For pumpkins used for carving, the farm plants seeds directly in the field. For specialty pumpkins, seeds are started in six-pack containers and then transplanted into the field. Ron Macedo, who also grows almonds, oats, silage corn and alfalfa, had grown pumpkins for many years before launching the pumpkin patch business in the early 2000s. That’s when he put his last few pumpkins on the side of the road to sell directly to customers.
“People started buying them and we thought, ‘We’ve got something here,’” he said. “That’s how it all started and, over time, it has evolved into a destination.” Since then, the school tours have become a favorite part of the business. “I enjoy providing the opportunity for schoolchildren to come here each year,” he said. “They ask a lot of questions and end up having an appreciation for what we do in farming, plus moms and dads are just as curious.” Pumpkins with a purpose The Macedos are often asked the differences in pumpkin varieties. The Field Trip, for example, is a good pumpkin for carving, eating and decorating, Karen Macedo said. Other traditional carving varieties include Magic Wand and Gold Medal. A favorite for pie is Cinnamon Girl, and
º Pumpkins, squash, gourds and melons are part of the Cucurbitaceae family. They can be bred with one another, resulting in different varieties that vary in shape, color and texture. º Pumpkins are a common feature for the fall holidays of Sukkot, Halloween and Thanksgiving, when people use them for decorating, cooking and carving. º Miniature pumpkins weigh less than 1 pound and are used for decorative
Planning a trip to a pumpkin patch this season? Be sure to call ahead to confirm whether your favorite spot is open, and under what rules. Here are some pumpkin facts to help you make the most of your visit. º Pumpkins are a type of squash, indigenous to North America and cultivated since at least 7,500 BCE. º Gourds are grown for their hard, outer rind, whereas pumpkins are harvested for their outer shell and edible flesh.
Emma Komos, above left, holds a traditional carver pumpkin, one of up to 70 varieties of pumpkins, gourds and winter squash grown at R.A.M. Farms each year and sold at its produce stand, above. Red wagons, left, make it easy for visitors to gather their favorites.
Elim Elementary School teacher Lynette Rocha, left, brings her kindergartners to R.A.M. Farms to have fun and learn about pumpkins from Karen Macedo, right.
purposes. Pie pumpkins usually weigh between 5 and 10 pounds; jack-o-lanterns and processing pumpkins are 10 to 25 pounds. Pumpkins that exceed 25 pounds are known as giant and some can grow to more than 1,000 pounds. º Pumpkins are rich in vitamins A and C, benefitting vision, skin and the immune system. Pumpkin seeds are a source of zinc, vitamin E and healthy oils.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture
www.californiabountiful.com 19
Farm employees Daelyn Dow and Celeste Vega, above left, tell students about the corn maze before inviting them in. Lucas Sousa, above right, runs through a hay maze and Michael Avalos-Lara, below, shows off his pick.
‘The Happiest Pumpkins on Earth’ In addition to direct sales through its pumpkin patch, R.A.M. Farms is home to “the Happiest Pumpkins on Earth”—because its pumpkins and other gourds and winter squash are shipped to a Southern California theme pa rk and va r ious Nor thern Ca l i fornia venues for ornamenta l purposes . The fa rm a l so sel l s orange pumpkins for carving to supermarkets, warehouse stores and garden centers. Because outdoor pumpkin patches are classif ied as produce stands, visitors to R.A.M. Farms this year must follow COVID-19 safety guidelines, such as wearing masks, practicing social distancing and touching only the produce they intend to purchase. Karen Macedo said she is also considering delivering pumpkins to schools this year or creating a video to virtually teach children about how pumpkins grow. “The pumpkin patch could be more of a draw this year because it is an outside destination,” she said. “People really enjoy having a place to bring their families or for date night. It’s something for the community to look forward to.”
pink varieties such as Pink Porcelain Doll and Pink Princess are good for eating and décor. “You can eat regular car ving pumpkins, but the different varieties offer different f lavors and textures,” Karen Macedo said. “A regular carving pumpkin such as Magic Wand, which i s the majorit y of our orange pumpkins and are between 25 and 80 pounds, have a thinner wall and are easier to carve. A smaller Sugar Pie pumpkin has better f lavor. You can roast the seeds from any of the pumpkins we grow, but the best pumpkin seeds to roast are from the Kakai, because there is no outside hull.” She described the Fairytale, a dark mahogany orange, as great for décor and also to eat. The popular Cinderella i s more red and a l so good to eat , wherea s white va r iet ies—including Baby Boo t iny pumpk ins , midsized Snowball and Lumina, and the larger Polar Bear—make striking decorations.
Other varieties she prefers for eating include Festival, which is orange, yellow and green; Long Island Cheese, an American heirloom that is brownish and somewhat f lat; and the green Kabocha , which features a sweet orange f lesh.
Christine Souza csouza@californiabountiful.com
MORE ONLINE Watch the kindergarteners choose their favorite pumpkins and meet the folks behind R.A.M. Farms at www.californiabountiful.com.
20
September/October 2020
Farm Bureau members receive $ 500
BONUS CASH *
Our valued partnership highl ights the great movement that we have together, and how farming and trucks have gone together for over 100 years.
2020 FORD SUPER DUTY ®
Don’t miss out on this offer. Visit FordFarmBureauAdvantage.com today! *Farm Bureau Bonus Cash is exclusively for active Farm Bureau members who are residents of the United States. This incentive is not available on Mustang Shelby ® GT350 ® /GT350R/GT500 ® , Mustang BULLITT, Ford GT and F-150 Raptor. This offer may not be used in conjunction with most other Ford Motor Company private incentives or AXZD-Plans. Some customer and purchase eligibility restrictions apply. Must be a Farm Bureau member for 30 consecutive days prior to purchase and take new retail delivery from dealer by 1/4/21. Visit FordFarmBureauAdvantage.com or see your authorized Ford Dealer for qualifications and complete details. Note to dealer: Claim in VINCENT using #37408.
24446_FB_7x10_CA_Gen.indd 1
2/13/20 11:54 AM
22
September/October 2020
Story by Jolaine Collins Photos by Richard Green
Vineyard crews harvest while California sleeps
daytime heat can alter sugar levels and increase a wine’s alcohol content during fermentation— qualities a winemaker must anticipate in choosing when to harvest. Cool temperatures also offer more comfortable conditions for the crews, and there are fewer vineyard hazards such as bees to contend with. Finally, night harvests increase winery efficiencies. Cooler grapes don’t require mechanical chilling before being crushed or fermented—which results in lower energy usage. And once the sun rises, a new crew can switch to grapes that are more adaptable to being harvested in warmer daytime temperatures, such as cabernet sauvignon. Each varietal can be picked, transported and processed at different times during a 24-hour schedule, which becomes a critical advantage when several vineyards reach their peak for harvesting at the same time. See what happens during a night harvest on the following pages, through photos taken during previous years at Garys’ Vineyard and Pisoni Vineyards in Monterey County.
It’s after midnight as tractors rumble among rows of grapes, their bright spotlights piercing the inky darkness and illuminating the space between vines while lines of crew members wearing headlamps work deliberately and meticulously to harvest each delicate grape cluster by hand. The sounds of staccato clipping, a rustle of swift footsteps and the clatter of grape lugs being emptied into half-ton bins are reminders that this crew’s mission is to methodically clear the vines and send the fruit on its way before the sun begins to shine on a new day. Each fall, nighttime grape harvests create dramatic scenes in vineyards across California. The practice is favored bymany vineyardmanagers andwinemakers, especially those who work with delicate grapes such as chardonnay and pinot noir. Night harvests offer cooler temperatures, which helpmaintain freshness in the fruit and preserve the elegant, bright f lavors and concentrated aromas winemakers strive for. While sugar composition in grapes remains stable in the cool of the night,
Harvest crews, above and below, work quickly picking rows of pinot noir grapes under a moonlit sky. Cool, nighttime
temperatures maintain the
freshness of the grapes and favor the comfort of crews.
Adam Lee (in tie-dyed shirt, above), owner and winemaker of Clarice Wine Co. in Sonoma County, hand sorts pinot noir grapes he purchases from Garys’ Vineyard in Monterey County. He uses a refractometer, below left, to measure the sugar content in grape juice samples at harvest.
Below, bins of freshly picked grapes are loaded into refrigerated trucks and transported to the winery for processing as the sun rises.
www.californiabountiful.com 25 . i i i .
26
September/October 2020
HOPE
Photo courtesy of SunTerra Produce
In a world turned upside down, farmers help feed those in need
Story by Kevin Hecteman • Photos by Joselito Villero
Pandemics can have a way of bringing out the best in people. When restaurants were required to close or cut back, a lot of fresh food had nowhere to go; meanwhile, millions of people thrown out of work found themselves scrambling to feed their families. And that led to many farmers helping their communities get through the rough times by sending their bounty—directly or indirectly—to food banks and other organizations. Steve Brazeel of Orange County-based SunTerra Produce signed up to help through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farmers to Families Food Box Program. USDA’s goal: Buy excess inventory from farmers and ranchers and route it to those in need. As a grower, packer and shipper of a wide array of fruits and vegetables, Brazeel was well-positioned to help families in need as well as farmers. “That was part of our effort, to help out local and smaller farmers in addition to the larger ones that were impacted by the crisis,” Brazeel said, adding that his role allows him “to be able to purchase product from a farmer who is struggling to move his crop and be able to pay him or her a decent price for that crop.” Those crops come from all over California—sweet corn, onions and cantaloupes from the Imperial Valley, tree fruit from the Central Valley, and lettuce from Salinas and Santa Maria all have found their way to SunTerra’s packinghouse in the Imperial Valley. From there, boxes go to 10 food banks in four states. “We can harvest lettuce on a Monday, and it can be in somebody’s home on the Navajo Nation by Wednesday,” Brazeel said.
Many of the boxes being delivered to clients of the Imperial Valley Food Bank, left, contain fresh fruits and vegetables from California farms that had been intended for food service before the pandemic.
Dignity in a box “The other thing that’s extremely rewarding is being able to work with the nonprofit side and seeing how these beautiful, fresh products are being received,” Brazeel continued. One description that stood out: “dignif ied box.” That, he said, is what one food bank called the collection of food his team assembled. The fruits and vegetables, he explained, are of a “quality that they’re used to seeing at a major retail outlet” and packed as though they were destined for restaurants or other food-service clients— and the recipients noticed. “I’ve been in the industry for 25 years,” Brazeel said, “and nobody’s ever said that ‘You packed a dignified box of produce.’” Some of SunTerra’s boxes reach people through the Imperial Valley Food Bank, where demand for services rose 45% after shelter-in-place orders took hold in mid- March. Sara Griffen, the food bank’s executive director, called childhood hunger in Imperial County a major concern, and school closures made things worse. “Anything we can do to try to get food to the kids right now is absolutely necessary and essential,” she said. Imperial County is famous for its vegetable growing, but that’s during the winter, Griffen said. “Our folks here don’t see a lot of produce during the summertime, and to be able to give them a beautiful box
National Guard members, above, help assemble food boxes at the Imperial Valley Food Bank. One farmer supplying food banks said a client called his effort, below, a “dignified box.”
Photo by Steve Adler
Photo courtesy of SunTerra Produce
Steve Brazeel, above, of SunTerra Produce, sends lettuce, left, and other fresh produce to food banks through the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program.
28
September/October 2020
of peaches and strawberries and lettuces and celery … that’s just fabulous,” she said. Helping hands Such appreciation is being seen across the state, with similar efforts being coordinated through agencies such as the Ca l i fornia Department of Food and Agriculture, which partnered with the California Association of Food Banks on a Farm to Fami ly Program. Other initiatives are grassroots, including that of Mary Maranville, who learned growers were happy to pitch in when shelter-in-place orders turned worlds upside down. Maranville runs Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture, or SEEAG, in Ventura County. Its mission is to teach young people about the origins of their food. She wanted to help the county’s farm employees and their children, who were out of school because of the pandemic, through SEEAG’s Ventura County Child Wellness Initiative. Maranville’s main partner was Oxnard berry grower Reiter Affiliated Group, which she said has a large number of farm employees and its own health program, Sembrando Salud (“sowing health” in Spanish). When she was done working the phones, more than a dozen farms and agricultural businesses had agreed to donate portions of their harvest. Maranville hoped for
enough to fill 275 bags per week for Reiter—and ended up with enough celery, onions, avocados, oranges and greens to fill upward of 500 bags. “It’s above and beyond generosity,” she said. “They just stepped up to the plate when they were asked to.” One of those who readily joined in for SEEAG was San Miguel Produce of Oxnard. The two aren’t strangers—they’ve worked together on educational initiatives for years, saidMegan Ichimoto, SanMiguel’s marketing and product development manager. Her farm contributed bags of kale, chard, collards and mustard greens. “It’s really great for us to be able to give back in a small way,” Ichimoto said. “This pandemic hit everyone very differently, and it was very sudden, but to be able to provide hea lthy and nutrit ious greens to our community … it means a lot.”
Kevin Hecteman khecteman@californiabountiful.com
MORE ONLINE Watch at www.californiabountiful.com as staff and volunteers at the Imperial Valley Food Bank work to meet the needs of their community by packing and distributing boxes of food.
Want to help? Here’s how
Food banks depend in large part on public generosity to do their work. One of the easiest ways to pitch in: Send money. Stefanie Campos, left, marketing and communications manager at the Imperial Valley Food Bank in Imperial, said cash is discouraged as a COVID-19 precaution, but checks, online donations and over-the-phone contributions are welcome. Though some programs are reimbursed through federal funding, that doesn’t cover all of a food bank’s costs, she said. People who want to volunteer their time can help with a variety of tasks, Campos said, such as bagging food and working at distribution events. Volunteers should be healthy adults who are not at high risk of infection and should be in good shape to handle lifting, standing for long periods and high temperatures found in much of the state during the summer. Want to send food, as many farmers are doing? Campos recommends donating staples such as canned protein, cereal, pasta, spaghetti sauce, canned fruits and vegetables, rice and beans. Food should not be at or beyond its expiration date. In addition to these general tips on helping, be sure to contact your local food bank for specific ways to contribute. Not sure who to call? Visit the California Association of Food Banks website at www.cafoodbanks.org to find one in your area.
From fields to bookshelves Children create colorful stories about California agriculture
Story by Judy Farah
Everyone loves a good story. Whether it’s a child following along as his parent reads a picture book or an adult recalling a grandparent’s tale of a great adventure of long ago, stories can awaken the mind and transport you to a different place and time. Through the innovative “Imagine this…” StoryWriting Contest, schoolchildren have the opportunity each year to create their own stories. The rules are simple: Tell a story, true or fictional, about something related to agriculture. The story can be about a fruit or a vegetable, a farm animal, plants or whatever sparks the imagination of third- through eighth-grade students. Teachers involved in the contest instruct students on research, writing, grammar and how to tell a narrative. The young writers create characters and dialogue for their stories, and high school art students illustrate the winning entries using watercolors, colored pencils, ink and Sharpies. The stories are then published in a colorful storybook (see Book Reviews on Page 11). “‘Imagine this…’ has allowed me to teach good writ ing ski l ls whi le ta lking with the kids about agriculture,” third-grade teacher Jennifer Limberg of Glenn County said. “It’s a huge part of our community, so it also fits in well with our social studies program.”
This year’s winning entries include stories about where wool and pistachios come from, the importance of families and the journey of a drop of water through California. Nathan Tanega of Stanislaus County, the eighth- grade state winner, said he was surprised to learn of the important role of California farmers and ranchers: “For example, I had no idea California was No. 1 in the nation producing f lowers.” More than 1,000 students statewide took part in the 2020 “Imagine this…” program, sponsored by the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom. “The contest gives students the chance to think about agriculture in a different way. It causes students to investigate how agriculture impacts their lives and learn about the people and processes required to get food to their tables and fiber into the clothes they wear,” said Judy Culbertson, the foundation’s executive director. “We see such a wide range of topics that students choose to write about. The stories that impersonate fruits and vegetables are some of our favorites!”
Judy Farah jfarah@californiabountiful.com
30
September/October 2020
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48Powered by FlippingBook