Bob is standing next to the FruitGuys crate, cutting an avocado in half. Jane's new soft-soled shoes make her quiet like a cat as she walks to the fruit. There's a song in the air that Jane can't …
And now for something completely different February 12, 2007
During mid-winter, I feel like I need a carnival sideshow to keep me motivated. "See the 12-foot-tall Giraffe Man who eats leaves from the tops of trees! Dare to pet the terrifying, two-headed, …
Dan at the Eco-Farm Conference February 5, 2007
I've been writing about the travels of our fruit buyer Dan a great deal lately. There are two reasons - first is that Dan is very active in seeking out great farmers to work with, and second is that …
The Orange Test
I think that we sometimes forget that technology is found as equally in shop class as it is in an iPod. Technology doesn't have to be wi-fi or silicon-based to be exciting or accessible to us. It can …
Detective Dan and the Citrus Freeze January 22, 2007
You've probably heard a great deal this week about the citrus freeze that attacked California just like Mr. Cold-Miser laid it down over South Town in a fit of stop-animation history. With all the …
Super Banana Lady January 15, 2007
I've always had an affinity for wacky superheroes. Something about doing good while being a geek just cracks me up. Take the Wonder Twins, Zan and Jana, and their pet monkey Gleek, for example - part …
Connection January 8, 2007
It's the little things that keep me going. The bits of life that compress into diamonds that make me laugh and feel connected. Like the time my friends Matt and Maria ordered an elegant seafood meal …
Happiness is. . . Folate & Fruit January 2, 2007
Well, you made it through the holidays. Mom assured you that she would be "just fine" on the floor of the guest bedroom while dad noted that the blow-up camping mattress smelled like the battleship he …
I’d like to give the world a Cara-Cara December 26, 2006
It's 1982, and I'm feeling nervous. Expectant, happy adult faces stare up at my two younger sisters and me as we stand in the spotlight of the annual holiday talent show. My mom is crouched on the …
Red light, Orange Light, Pink Light. December 17, 2006
We're up in Cloverdale heading into the misty wet clouds on a small mountain in Sonoma County. Raised a suburban Philadelphia kid, I lucked out by marrying into my wife's family, which on her mother's …
Transition Tanslations December 11 2006
Several seasonal fruit transitions always remind me to look up and notice the changing time of year. The most obvious is the change from summer into fall when we see the end of the stone fruit (fruits …
Let’s Make a Modern Myth December 4, 2006
Demeter, the wife of Zeus, mother of Persephone, goddess of the harvest, is biting her nails. Her hair is a mess, and she's still in her pajamas/toga. She looks like she's been up for months. …
Annual Satsuma Poetry Slam!
Yes, it is the annual Satsuma Zooma slam. A fruit-based poetry slam that churns through a metaphorical blender here at The FruitGuys to produce a smackin' smoothie of fruit love. It also seems to …
FruitGuy Noir in: “Rome & The Pink Lady” October 30, 2006
She was a red but with a hint of golden-green about her. I found her hanging around with the ones they said were a bit sweet and tart. They called her Lady. She corrected them calmly: "It's Pink …
Amazing Asian Pears October 23, 2006
With a wink to the great tradition of sarcasm, Dan tells me that his fruit-buying skills are so good that he can tell the difference between the Niitaka and Shinko Asian pear by the way it hangs on …
Dan at The Apple Farm October 9, 2006
Dan cut west over the Sonoma hills and headed toward Mendocino. The dark-steel-grey refrigerated FruitGuys truck hummed along as he descended into the Anderson valley, following 128 west through the …
Fruit of Passion! October 2, 2006
The definition of "passion" is varied and nuanced. Some dictionary descriptions focus on desire for another person. Others list anger and violence as a form of passion. However, my favorite dictionary …
Ode to the Fall Transition September 25 2006
Lo' the waning of the peach Makes me to the fruit box reach For that fresh and tasty pear That apple that puts the wind in my hair Even on that patch of balding where Nothing flows but cool …
The Night of the Morning of the Gala September 18, 2006
Here's why the Gala apple came in handy. On a Friday night, I'm playing host with eleven other parents to 30 kids (mine included) for an overnight stay on the USS Pampanito - a World War II submarine …
Kadota and The lightness of Bee-ing September 11, 2006
At one company meeting, Jeff, our distribution manager, told us a great story about how on the second day of a rafting trip on the Snake River in Idaho when he was 10, he and his dad woke up early on …
