Blogs

I was asked this Fall to speak at the 25th anniversary gala of the California Ag ifn the Classroom.  It was heald at the famous Cow Palace in the Bay Area.  The last time I was at the Cow Palace was to see Yes in the 1970s.  I have watched the California Ag in the Classroom grow over these past few decades.  Under the eye of Judy Culbertson, they have helped teach a whole new generation of young people about California agriculture, and the hard work that goes into providing us with some the best and safest produce found anywhere in the world.  In my comments that da

It's Summer.  Well sort of. At least in the produce section. You are seeing some of the very first new crop summer Sweet Corn, being harvested right now in the Coachella Valley. This arrival is even sweeter this year. Because of freezes in Florida and Mexico, Corn supplies this winter have been absolutely dismal. In fact, they were so bad, many grocery stores simply stopped stocking Corn. Most of the Corn grown in the Coachella Valley is harvested by hand, and most is done in the middle of the night. In fact, harvest ends

April is the Artichoke’s 15 minutes of fame. And they get their spotlight every April. It happens to be the biggest month of harvest for the thorny Artichoke from Castroville. In fact, over the next 6 – 8 weeks, almost half of the year’s supply of Artichokes will be picked. To those who love this spring vegetable, the Artichoke is no joke. This softball sized spiky green vegetable won over the hearts of the pharaohs of Egypt, the heart of Marilyn Monroe and the people of the tiny coastal town of Castroville, California

In California, we grow about 25,000 acres of. About 36,000 acres of Peaches. About 30,000 acres of Cherries. And about 36,000 acres of Iceberg Lettuce. But for the humble Watercress, we grow maybe 200 acres. Too bad. Watercress is being discovered as the next superfood. For a few people, Watercress is a welcomed signal of Spring, eagerly awaited as the first Fiddlehead Fern or Morel Mushrooms. And for a few people, Watercress is used as no more than a decorative garnish. But this original ingredient into V-8 juice is

When you think of Tomatoes, you think of a hot, balmy summer day. Tomatoes indeed are a subtropical fruit. They love the heat. So here we are, in the middle of winter and California growers are still producing Tomatoes. One of those growers is even mocking Old Man Winter. John Van Diepen has agricultural degrees from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and North Carolina State University. And with all of his ag smarts, he decided to grow Tomatoes…in the Sierra Nevada, in Pioneer, California. It happens to be at the 3,000 foot elev