California

Furry Friends from the Farm: Meet the Farm Dogs & Cats!

By Lex Flamm on

There’s nothing like the sweet, fuzzy face of a dog or cat to make a long day on the farm a little easier. With that in mind, The FruitGuys team asked our farm partners from across the country to send …

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Pumpkins as Monster Protection: A Halloween Fruit Story

By Erin Mittelstaedt on

If you read last week's blog post, I'm sure you couldn't WAIT to see how my Halloween costume turned out. Hopefully, it doesn’t disappoint. I’m proud to say that a group of teens recognized me as a …

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What Are the Sweetest Apples? Check Our Apple Flavor Chart

By The FruitGuys on

Did you know that until the 17th century, the word “apple” was a catch-all term for every kind of fruit except for berries? A pear was an apple, an orange was an apple—even nuts were called apples! …

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Pomegranate Season Is Here! Check Out This Year’s Harvest

By Erin Mittelstaedt on

At first, I’m not quite sure what I’m looking at. It’s 2010, and I’m in Lodi, California, standing on a dirt path. A wire trellis runs along the path with a plant climbing about halfway up. The …

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Asian Pear Farms From Coast to Coast

By Erin Mittelstaedt on

I absolutely love Asian pears. They come in dozens of varieties, like Hosui and Shinseiki to name a few. Some have thin yellow or yellow-green skin, some have thicker golden skin. Some are small and …

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Savory Apple Tarts: A Gravenstein Apple Recipe

By The FruitGuys on

For just a few glorious weeks every August, Gravenstein apple trees in Sebastopol, California, shower the farmers who tend them with a bounty of sweet-tart fruit. Some of these trees are more than 100 …

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What Does Organic Mean?

By The FruitGuys on

Every year, Americans buy about 8% more organic products than they did the year before. That’s a remarkable rate of industry growth. You’ve probably put a crisp organic apple or head of lettuce into …

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Wait, When Is Grape Season? Your California Update

By Erin Mittelstaedt on

Cotton Candy™, Moon Drop™, Muscat, Koshu, Bronx, Concord… these aren’t just carnival foods and town names, they’re unique grape varieties, too. I first tried Concord grapes about 20 years ago in …

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Ask a Farmer: FAQs About Gravenstein Apples

By Lex Flamm on

It’s shaping up to be a beautiful season for Gravenstein apples. According to farmer Stan Devoto of Devoto Gardens & Orchards in Sebastopol, California, pests have been rare in his orchard this …

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The Gravenstein Apple Is Coming!

By The FruitGuys on

For fruit lovers, Gravenstein apple season is like Christmas in August. The harvest of this endangered Northern California heirloom apple happens in a very short window of just two or three weeks …

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Farmer of the Month: Amber Balakian of Balakian Farms

By Lex Flamm on

In some ways, a family farm is just an extra-large kitchen garden. It’s an extension of the home and the people that live there—at least, that’s how fourth-generation farmer Amber Balakian feels about …

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Happy Pride Month and Juneteenth From The FruitGuys!

By Erin Mittelstaedt on

My wife and I celebrated twenty years together this year—but we’ve only been married for ten of them. Some people have asked me why it took us so long to get hitched, and well, the answer is …

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FruitGuys Farm-to-School Program: 2023-24 Highlights

By Lex Flamm on

The 2023-24 school year was the busiest yet for the FruitGuys Farm-to-School Program, and we couldn’t be more proud of the work our school team has done to bring fresh fruit and vegetables to students …

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Meet The Fresh Fruit Delivery Drivers Bringing Produce to You

By The FruitGuys on

It would be pretty fantastic if the fruit in your office could magically replenish overnight. Imagine apples dropping from the ceiling like Christmas presents sliding down the chimney! The FruitGuys’ …

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‘Structure’ Is the Magic Word: Employee Mental Health Tips

By Erin Mittelstaedt on

In 2013, I signed up for a weekly mediation class at the San Francisco Zen Center on a whim. I’m still not a regular meditator but it was a valuable and important class for me. The part that I …

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Need Pride Month Snacks for the Office? Try Two Chicks Jerky!

By Lex Flamm on

In the summer of 2012, married couple Shannon Ronan and Breelyn MacDonald put their bartending jobs on hold, tossed their backpacks into the back of their Honda Fit, and left their home in San Rafael, …

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Farmer of the Month: John Warmerdam of New Excelsior Farming

By Lex Flamm on

When John Warmerdam was a kid, his school bus didn’t drop him off at home—or even at the corner near his house. Instead, it took him to his family’s fruit packing shed.  “That’s where my …

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Farmer of the Month: Javier Zamora of JSM Organics

By Lex Flamm on

Stepping out of the car and onto the soil of JSM Organics in Royal Oaks, California, felt like setting foot in an orderly kind of paradise. Spring sunshine swept over the strawberry fields and …

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Farmer of the Month: Emily Ayala of Friend’s Ranches

By Lex Flamm on

Emily Ayala’s voice is both exhausted and euphoric.  “We’re starting the harvest of Ojai Pixies today!” she told The FruitGuys over Zoom on Feb. 28, grinning into the camera. “I’ve been up since …

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Farmer of the Month: Bianca Kaprielian of Fruit World

By Lex Flamm on

At 9 a.m. on February 3, 2024, swimmers lined up on the shore of the San Francisco Bay. The chilly water beckoned, droplets leaping up and causing shivers. Then — splash! They dove in and surged …

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