I just read an interesting article from Monica Eng at the Chicago Tribune. The article talks about the big debate going on right now about locally grown food. Some are calling the Locavore movement and elitist fad and question the math used when talking about food miles. We’re not here to say who is right or wrong but last year we talked with California grower Mike Reimer about the Local VS Locale debate. Check out the clip to see what he thinks.
Archive for the ‘Peach Growers’ Category
Local VS Locale
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010Paul Buxman on Gardening
Friday, August 27th, 2010Paul is a third-generation California farmer as well as an accomplished illustrator and painter, honored as Tulare County’s official Art Laureate. He farms in the early morning hours and devotes the rest of each day to his artwork, which is on display both locally at his ranch gallery and in locations as far away as Washington D.C. Learn more about Paul HERE.
Variety tastings & Rootstock Tours
Sunday, August 15th, 2010Friday started out as a typical day. But little did I know it was about to get exciting as I headed out to was another interesting day in the world of California tree fruit! Variety tasting and a rootstock tour were my next adventures as I continue learning about California tree fruit. I had never heard of either variety tasting or rootstock tours, so this was completely new to me.
As I approached the tasting, I noticed my soon-to-be father in law gather in a group. That was the second time I had ran into him in the past two days! I must say, it’s pretty cool that we work in the same industry. As I walked around the tables, plates of fresh peaches, plums and nectarines were displayed on the tables. They were for eating, and I brought an appetite!
Variety tastings are an opportunity for peach, plum and nectarine ‘breeders’ to showcase their new varieties of stone fruit, giving the growers and other industry members the opportunity to savor the latest developments in stone fruit. Breeders grow and analyze sample trees to develop the best quality peach, plum and nectarine varieties that they know will cater to peoples’ taste buds. That’s what it’s all about right- biting into the best stone fruit they’ve ever had? Variety tastings gives the growers knowledge and expands their opportunity to grow new varieties that they know shoppers will enjoy.
Rootstock tours are a different breed, don’t mind the pun. Rootstock tours allow growers to see tree root bases that can accommodate varieties and help the grower to grow the new varieties they would like to plant.
They accompany a variety tasting because they allow industry members to observe the tree’s growth and study their development for growth of new varieties. This rootstock tour was at UC Davis Kearney Agricultural Center. As we hopped on the back of a trailer, we made our way out into the orchards.
So now that you have a brief summary of what variety tastings and rootstock tours are and why they’re important to growing tree fruit, check out the video. And, don’t forget to leave us your thoughts in a comment. We love hearing from our readers.
~ Sara
Tree Topping!
Thursday, August 5th, 2010Dale Janzen, a tree fruit industry professional, gave me a heads up that a local grower was tree-topping his trees. It is a fascinating process, and I couldn’t wait to get out there! Tree-topping is done by this grower once a year, but on average, growers do it every few years. They cut off the overgrowth at the top of the tree that the pests love to eat. The top parts of the trees are fresh, vulnerable foliage and the best option is to trim it and reduce stress that the pests can put on the trees. The machine that performs this task is a contraption that looks like a tractor at the base, but carries an upside-down blade that rotates spinning saws to cut the trees as it moves in between the aisles. It’s quite the machine, and it gets the work done! It’s a novel way to deal with pests and it’s pesticide free! It’s just another example of how California growers are always looking for new ways to grow a better peach. Take a look at the video as Dale explains the process.
Growing a Better Peach
Monday, July 19th, 2010Did you know California produces over 95% of the nations nectarines and plums? And about two-thirds of all the fresh market peaches? California is the fruit basket of the world and continues to lead the nation in best on the farm practices. An ideal growing environment along with progressive research and development make California peaches the best! California growers are continually looking for new ways to grow a better, tastier peach. I just saw an article this morning talking about a Fresno based company specializing in breeding new stone fruit varieties. Even though there are currently over 250 peach varieties (talk about biodiversity) in the state, growers are always looking for new ways to grow a tastier peach.
Happy 40th Anniversary Earth Day!
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010Here in the Central Valley growers are celebrating a Earth Day by trying to protect their peaches from a stormy spring.
California peach trees are at a vulnerable point in their life cycle. They have blossomed, been pollinated and are now pushing nutrients out to new developing fruit. The very very first varieties are going to be ready for harvest most likely in the next 3-4 weeks, but it’s not all smooth sailing up to that point.
Spring storms whipping up in the Pacific deliver much needed water to our aquifers, but also bring devastating hail that can destroy the fruit. Hail shreds leaves, scuffs fruit and sometimes knocks it right from the branches.
Some growers have invested in a device called a hail cannon they hope will dissipate the hail before it ever harms a tree. A few years ago NPR did a story on the use of hail cannons in the Central Valley. Click here to listen in.
Eat a Peach - Live Forever
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010Check out this story below from www.CaliforinaCountry.org
Peach Orchards in Fall
Wednesday, October 14th, 2009The California growing season is wrapping up and growers are preparing for winter. They are out in the orchards controlling weeds, cleaning orchards and repairing irrigation systems.
The trees themselves are getting ready for winter dormancy. Peach trees need to rest every winter and log “Chill Hours” or the amount of hours the tree spends under 45 degrees. Growers are hopeful each tree will get the required 650 - 800 chill hours in order to “wake up” refreshed and ready for another season.
The Gap Between Farmers and Consumers
Saturday, October 3rd, 2009While working on a summer long project called PPNTV, we had a chance to talk to Organic stone fruit grower Vern Peterson. PPNTV is a collection of videos from California peach, plum and nectarine growers. They want to help bridge the gap between producers and consumers. California grows 70% of the nations peaches and not all of the growers have the ability to participate in farmers market programs outside of the San Joaquin Valley. They still understand however, that special connection consumers and growers have at the farmers market.
So, in that same spirit, California peach growers want to give their consumers the opportunity to start a dialogue. Comments on www.IHeartPeaches.com or on the growers PPNTV page on YouTube or Vimeo will get back to the growers - they grow with the consumer in mind and would love to hear from them.
Vern Peterson - Consumer Disconnect From Farmers from PPN TV on Vimeo.
A Refreshing Take on a Dirty List
Monday, September 14th, 2009In this article from townhall.com the author Angela Logomasini shares her thoughts about the health benefits of, amongst other things, peaches. The article starts with reference to a Good Morning America segment that aired recently that featured the E.W.G.’s “Dirty Dozen” list. While the “Dirty Dozen” list isn’t new it was refreshing to see that Angela’s response wasn’t typical. (A typical response is reposing the list and telling people that eating peaches is bad for you)
She cited research from the Harvard School of Public Health and quoted researcher Dr. Luis Cisneros Texas A&M University:
Cisneros notes: “Stone fruits are super fruits with plums as emerging stars.” In fact, studies conducted by Cisneros and Bryne find anti-oxidants in plums are as high as those found in blueberries, which are usually touted as the number one source for these cancer-fighting chemicals. Peaches and nectarines also tested quite high in for anti-oxidant value. Cisneros and Bryne are developing a red-skinned peach that could prove even more beneficial.”
Along with Angela’s research findings there is more research that puts the “Dirty Dozen” list in terms we can better understand. California peach growers along with other groups of farmers have soon to be published research balancing the argument.
Excerpt from their findings: Dr. Robert Krieger, a toxicologist with the Personal Chemical Exposure Program, University of California, states that if you consider the highest residues found from the past three years, a child, a teen or an adult would have to eat 400 to nearly 16,000 servings a day to reach the science based no effect level. The no effect level simply means that you still won´t see any negative health effects, even after consuming those extreme amounts of fruit.
