A fashion edict of the 20th century was “only wear white between Easter and Labor Day.” Wearing white flapper dresses, knickerbockers, and shoes in summer has its practical purposes, and eating white …
The Love Apple
The French called the tomato the pomme d’amour, or the Love Apple, for their belief that the exotic tomato had aphrodisiac powers. Tomatoes might not be responsible for romance in people, but eating …
Objet d’Art: The Pomegranate
At the Still Life Modeling Agency, the pomegranate gets callbacks all the time. You can see why—it’s such an intriguing fruit. Its beautiful maroon color, its little calyx crown, and it is burgundy …
The Little Apple That Could
Around the small Northern California town of Sebastopol, you see bumper stickers of all kinds. From the political to the apolitical to cosmic questions such as “What if the hokeypokey is what it’s all …
Avocados—Like Buttah, Only Better!
The avocado originated in south-central Mexico about 10,000 years ago. It was several millennia before wild avocado trees were cultivated and many more before the Hass avocado—the most common variety …
Apples for All
To satisfy the sharp desire I had Of tasting those fair apples, I resolved Not to defer; hunger and thirst at once / Powerful persuaders, quicken'd at the scent Of that alluring fruit, …
Winter on the Farm
In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy. —William Blake Winter is finally here in drought-stricken California, and we’ve gotten a break from all that balmy, summerlike weather we’ve …
From Law to Lambs
“Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you’re a thousand miles from a cornfield.” —Dwight D. Eisenhower Dick Blair and Betty Hui are second-career farmers. Blair spent 35 years …
Strawberry Alarm Clock
Today’s strawberry, Fragaria ananassa, with its large, practically perfect berries is the culmination of selective breeding going back centuries to when strawberries were tiny, rare, and found only at …
Navels from the Orange Patch
Farmer Allen Freeman with granddaughter Emery at the Orange Patch, Mesa, AZ. Phoenix and Mesa, Arizona locals may know the Salt River for tubing fun, but it also has a serious job of watering the …
Profile: Olson Family Farms
Olson Family Farms in California’s Central Valley is truly a family affair. Five generations have lived on the farmstead and worked the land since John and Anna Olson emigrated from Sweden in 1888. …
Rosemary for Remembrance
In Hamlet, Shakespeare’s Ophelia dispenses some crazy wisdom in the scene when she hands out flowers and herbs: “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance.” Miss O might’ve been referring to one of …
New Family Farm
New Family Farm of Sebastopol, California, was one of six farms awarded grants in April 2013 from The FruitGuys Community Fund, a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives. An outgrowth of …
The Bee Beat
Notes From a Freshman Beekeeper Who is a bee's favorite singer? Sting. Favorite band? The Bee Gees. Why do bees hum? Because they don't know the words—OK, OK, enough of the second-grade jokes. It's …
Durst Organic Growers
Farming with Heart By Heidi Lewis The main ingredient in good vegetables, says farmer Jim Durst, is soil: “Feed the soil, and the soil will feed the plants." Jim and his wife, Deborah, have been …
The Bright Sunshine of Citrus
The Season of the Navel Orange, Grapefruit, and Mandarin By Heidi Lewis The bright sunshine of citrus has begun streaming in! Although ostensibly citrus is available year-round, a series of citrus …
Berries of Summer
Babies on Board By Heidi Lewis Oh de bitty babies, so cherubic in their little baskets. Heavenly creatures, berries were flowers before they incarnated into sweet gems that dance on our tongues. …
Bada Bing, Bada Boom
By Heidi Lewis You know what sweet summer cherries like? They like winter. That’s when they catch up on a little shut-eye and wake up refreshed. Many stone fruits and pomes need the chill hours to …
Spring Swooning for Summer Fruit
By Heidi Lewis Here they come, rolling into town— They get the hungriest looks from, everyone around— [drum fill”¦] Hey, hey, they’re the summer fruits! And they’re super duper cute! It may not …
Your Sun at Work: Dried Fruit Stores Sweetness
Fruit dried on the vine or in the sun is the most ancient of food preservation methods known to humanity—and it’s still practiced today. Using the sun and the free hot air to dry fruit is another way …
