Nurses Pistachio Orchard

Nurses Pistachio Orchard started as a retirement plan from nursing for three friends in Southern California. In 1981 Cecilia Garcia, Donna Olson and Jackie Cooper bought 10 acres of land in Paso Robles, 8 miles east of town and about ½ hour north of San Luis Obispo.  The Mediterranean soil, hot and dry days and cool nights of central California are ideal for growing pistachio trees.  When there are seasons without much rain like this year, Pistachio trees are very forgiving because they can tolerate very little water.

It takes 10 years for pistachio trees to produce so this was very insightful planning on their part.  In 1985 they purchased an additional 10 acres of land which they tended to while they continued to work as nurses.  In 1997 the three women retired from nursing and moved onto the land.   In the beginning they hired someone who knew about pistachios to help them run their orchard.  It was a learning experience and instead of picking each nut by hand like they thought, they discovered they needed to lay tarps under the trees and then hit the tree with a mallet causing the nuts to fall on the tarp. The nuts were then gathered in containers, dried and hulled.  Friends and family would come out to help with the work and celebrate the harvest.

The nurses realized that pistachios grown in the Central Valley were harvested one month earlier than Pistachios grown in Paso Robles, which lies between the California Coast and the Central Valley. To get around this problem the nurses decided to just dry their pistachios and not salt or roast them and a new niche for pistachios was born. 

The duties on the farm were shared by everyone.  Jackie took care of much of the planning and organizing, Donna ran the tractor and ATV and reviewed paperwork and Cecilia was in charge of the marketing. 

Nurses Pistachio Orchard became certified organic in 2000 after seeing airplanes spraying pesticides and seeing the variety of sick people in the hospital and knowing what may have put them there.  In 2006 Jackie passed away and in 2010 they sold 10 acres and were left with 6.25 acres of Pistachio orchards plus land for their house and outbuildings.  Currently Donna and Cecilia do the day to day work of the orchard and hire a crew to harvest using mallets and tarps. The pistachios are taken to an organic processor and brought back raw in shell, raw kernels, roasted and salted in shell.   In 2010 they produced 27,0000 lbs from the 6.25 acres and in 2011 they only harvested 10,000 lbs due to the frost in April. You can find their pistachios at local farmers markets and various retail outlets throughout the bay area.

Some interesting facts from the American Pistachio Growers; Pistachios are a cholesterol free snack, a one oz serving of pistachios has as much potassium as an orange and pistachios contain more than 10% of the daily value of dietary fiber and essential vitamins and minerals like B6, thiamin, copper and phosphorus.  Grab a handful for a healthy snack today. Click here to learn more about growing pistachios and discover sweet and savory pistachio recipes.

Delightfully Turkish

Earl’s brings you “Delightfully Turkish” Organic Dried Figs, Apricots and Mulberries in convenient small carry out packs and for the first time the figs and apricots are available in bulk.  Dedicated to the memory of his mother, Emine, whose image graces each package, Zati Uysal imports Delightfully Turkish Organic Dried Apricots and Dried Figs from his native Turkey.  Organically grown and naturally dried without any preservatives, Zati honors his mother’s legacy of respect for traditional quality and excellence with each package.

If you have never tried dried Turkish figs you will be surprised at how sweet, soft, meaty and deliciously addicting they are.  Grown near the Aegean Sea and bordered by the beautiful Bozdag Mountains, the Sari Lop variety or Calimyrna variety figs stay on the tree until they are perfectly ripe and beginning to ooze sap, guaranteeing a divinely moist and dense fig.  Mountain grown figs will have thinner skins and are more flavorful than figs grown in the valley.  The figs are not harvested until they ripen fully and begin to dry on the branches of the trees and are usually picked near the end of August or beginning of September.  This year the Agean region had rain the last three days of the harvest resulting in a smaller crop. The region benefits from relatively mild winters and hot summers, well-suited to drying the figs.  After the fruit is picked and spread under the hot Aegean sun for more intensive drying the figs are inspected to sort out any bad ones with a light technique called florescent microscopy.  The figs are then soaked in hot salt water, laid out on a rack to dry and then packaged most commonly in a round garland style.  Turkish export policies control exactly what day all figs are released for export at the same time. 

The naturally colored apricots are from Malatya in southeastern Turkey, the world famous apricot region, and are sweet, chewy and ripe with flavor. The color is darker unlike the conventional apricots that are treated with sulfate to keep the bright color orange. The apricot orchards are blessed with fertile soil nourished by the Euphrates River and are picked, dried and packaged in the same manner as the figs.  Turkey is the world’s leading apricot producer with about 65% of the worldwide production of dried apricots coming out of Malatya. 

It is best to store the dried figs and apricots in the refrigerator to keep them soft and fresh. As the dried fruit ages the sap will seep out of the fruit and start to crystalize. They are still delicious to eat as long as they remain s gooey inside

White mulberries are grown on trees that can grow as big as 20-40 feet and grow best in hot climates. The crops are small because birds will eat most of the fresh fruit before it has had a chance to dry.  Dried mulberries are harvested like pistachios. The tree is shaken and the dried fruit falls onto a net where they are transported to be finished drying.

Natural dried mulberries are first chewy and then crunchy with an essence of honey.  They are a delicious and nutritious snack with high levels of iron and protein, rich in antioxidants and packed with nutrients, especially iron, calcium, fiber and Vitamins C and K.

Mulberries are great as a snack. Add them to cereals, trail mixes, and even sweeten your granola with mulberries instead of honey. 

Sorrento Lemons

Luscious Sorrento lemons have a medium thick fragrant skin with a slight acidic flavor. Sorrento Lemons are originally from Sorrento, a small town in Campania located in Southern Italy where they are a highly prized lemon used in making the famous Limoncello.  About 60% of the Sorrento Lemons grown are reserved for making Limoncello and it is the most popular fresh lemon in Italy.   Sorrento Lemons were so highly regarded that at the turn of the twentieth century they were sold individually and could only be handled by women who had to have trimmed nails and wear cotton gloves to handle them.

Sorrento Lemons are harvested year round with a peak season from spring to late fall.  Earl’s just received our first shipment last night from Rancho Del Sol, located in Jamul, California in San Diego County.  This lemon grows particularly well on steep and sloped terraces, perfectly suited to the terrain of Rancho del Sol where the greatest number of organic Sorrento lemon trees can be found growing outside of Italy.  Sorrento lemon groves help the environment by preserving the stability of the soil.

In Earl’s kitchen we sliced one and the lemon color reminded me of spring right around the corner.  There were a few seeds but not many and the flavor was perfectly tart.  Sorrentos are very high in vitamin C and are great for making simple syrup, liqueors, lemonade, desserts and they go great with savory dishes and salads. I definitely see some Limoncello or Sorrento Lemon Pie in my future.

 

 

 

 

Eco-Farm Conference February 1-4, 2012

After a whirlwind week of seminars, meetings and parties Eco-Farm 2012 has come and gone.  I last left you with my blog about the Eco-Farm Tour.  Thursday I hit the ground running at 8:30am with my first seminar National Organic Regulations where I learned about the National Organic Program(NOP) and their goal to insure organic integrity and protect the organic label.  

Next was the Global CSA Movement.  CSA’s are a great way to get a variety of fresh produce either delivered directly to your door or to pick up at a central location.  By purchasing produce from a CSA you are supporting local farmers while receiving produce fresh from the farm. CSA’s are called by many different names around the world and I listened to inspiring stories from farmers about the Participatory Guarantee System(PGS) in India,  Teikei in Japan and the AMAP in France.

We were lucky to have such amazing weather in Pacific Grove. As locals can attest, it can be foggy, cold and rainy during February.  I spent my lunch hour on the beach taking in some sun and watching the waves. Check out the Earl’s conference bag hanging from a bike on the beach.

Late afternoon the Extend the Harvest with Fermentation seminar was packed as we all squeezed into a tiny room to listen to Todd Champagne from Happy Girl Kitchen and Kathryn Lukas from Farmhouse Culture speak about kraut and pickling.  We explored the history and science of krauts, kimchis and pickles and even learned hands on how to make our own kraut at home. Yes, Todd is dressed as a pickle!

Thursday evening the gang from Earl’s had dinner at The C on the water front in Monterey followed by a party we co-hosted with Organically Grown Company, Alberts Source Organics and Heath and LeJeune.

Friday morning bright and early 3 Successful Organic Farmers spoke about what they do on their farms, why they do it and what they learned along the way.  Bob Cannard from Green String Farm in Petaluma, CA, a group from Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA and  Shinji Hashimoto from Ichijima Tanba city, Japan.

Midmorning I attended Keeping Organic Relevant where the discussion lead to the confusion between natural and organic in the consumers mind.  The term natural is not regulated and it doesn’t mean organic.  Consumers have an image that natural products are cheaper than organic and just as healthy for you. In fact organic products are often the same price as natural. Read your labels when shopping and check for the CCOF or USDA Organic  symbols. 

The final seminar of the day was the Farm Bill 2012 whose goal is to promote health and prevent hunger.  One topic discussed was that the term food stamp has a stigma attached to it and is no longer being used.  SNAP(Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)  is the new name and more and more farmers markets are accepting SNAP cards which is great.

Friday evening Earl hosted a dinner at Montrio Bistro in Monterey with vendors, business acquaintances and some of the Earl’s crew.  It was great to finally meet many of the people I work with and put a face to the name.

Saturday morning was the final day of the conference. Many of us attended one final seminar before heading back to the bay area. I went to the Farmer-Chef Relationship seminar, and as a food lover and home chef with an advertising background this was extremely interesting to me.  Tucker Taylor from French Laundry in Yountville, CA came from a banking background and decided he needed a career change.  While working on a farm in Atlanta, Tucker was introduced to Thomas Keller and moved out to California to start the French Laundry garden.  Cynthia Sandberg from Love Apple Farm in Santa Cruz started growing tomatoes for herself and now everything she grows is sold only to Manresa in Los Gatos, CA.

The 4 days I spent at Eco-Farm were truly inspirational and educational.  I heard directly from farmers around the world about the joys and frustrations of farming organically and it inspired me to buy a book about urban organic gardening.   To be in the company of over 1,500 people who all love food and care about the land as much as I do left me with a strong feeling of community. As I watched the closing ceremony on the beach I was already looking forward to the next Eco-Farm conference. 

Susan Simitz
Marketing Manager

Eco-Farm Tour 2012

Amigo Bob was one of the original founders of Eco-Farm 32 years ago and our tour leader.  Wearing shorts and a hat adorned with a ladybug and a ribbon trailing off the back he lead us on a tour of 3 farms and a vineyard, breaking down any confusing farm terms for those of us not farmers.

First stop was Fogline Farm in Soquel Village in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Johnny and Jeffrey share the land with Bruce Manildi, a third generation farmer. Fogline is a fully integrated organic farm with vegetables, fruit trees, pigs and chickens. They have 3 acres of vegetables and 20 acres of orchards. The pigs are slaughtered in Modesto, the closest slaughterhouse and then brought back to the farm to be made into sausages.

They raise both broiler chickens and chickens for eggs.  Fogline also make added value products like salsas, hot sauces and jams to sell at local farmers markets along with the broiler chickens, eggs and sausages. Currently the only other way to try their amazing bounty is to sign up for their local CSA.

Our second stop was Yellow Wall Farm in Santa Cruz where Allen and Judy Hasty run a CCOFcertified microfarm.

In 1998 they started selling only to family and friends. Now they have expanded to restaurants, New Leaf Community Markets and have a farm stand down the road. Neighbors can still buy their eggs and slip the money under the door.  They have 1 ½ acres of row crops and ½ acre of a fruit orchard with asian pears, plums and peaches. This was a major life change for both of them and they are loving it!

We stopped for lunch in a public park in Santa Cruz and had a gourmet lunch prepared by a chef from Outstanding In The Field Farm Tours. Organic apple juice, rabbit stew with savory cabbage, organic greens from Happy Boy Farms and a sweet apple crumble for dessert. It was a perfect sunny day to have a picnic in the park.

Next on the tour was UC Santa Cruz CASFS (The Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems).  CASFS is a training program for aspiring farmers and anyone interested in farming. They offer a 6 month apprenticeship for 39 students each year. 2012 is already filled up and they recommend signing up now for 2013.  The students learn by doing and experimenting and the teaching manuals are available online. People come from all over the world to learn how to farm on the central coast of California with its unique Mediterranean climate.  CASFS sells 60% of what they grow to their CSA, 30% to local grocery stores and 10% at a food truck at the base of campus.

Our final stop was The Bonny Doon Vineyard.  The winery and the tasting room are now located in Santa Cruz. They grow many bio dynamic white wines and are also experimenting in the San Juan Batista area with growing vegetables and new grape varieties from seeds instead of the standard grafting procedure.  It will be interesting to see how their new experiments turn out.

The day was fun filled and educational for someone like me who has no farming background.  I now have a better understanding and appreciation about the intense work and care farmers put into growing their food and raising their animals to feed us.

Susan Simitz
Marketing Manager

Apple and Pear Storage

We are able to continue to enjoy apples and pears long after they are harvested back in October/ November by keeping them in storage.  As soon as the apples and pears are harvested they are divided into two kinds of storage, fresh and CA (controlled atmosphere).   Storage delays the normal ripening and aging process.  As time goes on the sugar, starch and acid content changes, water is lost and the fruit withers and decays.  

Most apples you will purchase before the New Year are taken from fresh storage where the fruit is put into a chilled cellar or cooler and kept between 32-36 degrees F with high air humidity and some air circulation. You can compare this to storage in your refrigerator at home. 

After the fresh storage supply runs out, apples and pears are pulled from CA storage (Controlled Atmosphere).  In CA, apples and pears are stored in airtight coolers where the oxygen level in the air is reduced and the carbon dioxide level is increased to slow down the maturation process to a near halt.  Temperatures are kept at a consistent 32–36 degrees F with 95 percent humidity.  This is a non-chemical process and the exact conditions vary by apple and pear variety, allowing many varieties to be stored into the winter, spring and even summer months.  Gala’s are one of the first apples we are now seeing coming out of CA (controlled atmosphere). 

When the apples and pears are brought out of hibernation for packing they will begin to ripen and break down quickly.  It is best to enjoy them right away and keep them in your refrigerator until eaten.  Once the CA (controlled atmosphere) storage of apples and pears run out, the supplies are augmented by apples and pears from the southern hemisphere until the season starts up again in the fall.

Eco-Farm Conference Seminars

The 32^nd Annual Eco-Farm Conference is only 5 days away and although there are so many seminars to choose from there really is something for everyone.  As I mentioned in my previous blog I will be at the farm tour all day Wednesday. Thursday and Friday the seminars start around 8am and continue through 5pm. Thursday morning it is a toss-up between Multi-Farm CSA’s and Collaborative Farming and National Organic Regulations Update.  CSA’s are a great way to get a variety of fresh produce either delivered directly to your door or to pick up at a central location.  By purchasing produce from a CSA you are supporting local farmers while receiving produce fresh from the farm.  The seminar will talk about the story of a new 15-farm collaborative in California’s Capay Valley.  I am also interested in learning from the National Organic Program(NOP) about the latest issues and policies that  affect everyone who is certified organic or consumes organic food. 

Thursday afternoon I am contemplating the Food Hubs and Value Based Supply Chains seminar or Extend the Harvest with Fermentation.  There is growing excitement and interest about food hubs and values-based supply chains. These new and emerging food distribution enterprises and networks carry values from field to fork, provide greater producer access to wholesale markets and create equitable, transparent relationships with farmers and ranchers.  Happy Girl Kitchens and Farmhouse Culture from Santa Cruz will be exploring the history, science and how-to of vegetables ferments like krauts, kimchis and pickles.  If you have never tried Happy Girl or Farmhouse Culture’s products you are in for a treat! They can be found at farmers markets all over the bay area.

Other events are going on throughout Thursday including Artisian Cheese and Beer Tasting, Art Show with photography of ecological foodies and farmers at work and a talk about On The Farm and In The School Garden hosted by Organically Grown Company.

 

Susan Simitz
Marketing Manager

Eco-Farm Conference 2012

February 1-4, the oldest and largest yearly ecological agricultural gathering in the West, the Eco-Farm conference, meets to create, maintain and promote healthy, safe and just food farming systems. Earl’s Organics has been a proud sponsor for 17 years.   Over 1,500 people will attend the 3 day conference in beautiful Asilomar, located in Pacific Grove, nestled between Carmel and Monterey off the California coast.  Earl’s will have a large group going down for Eco-Farm with plans to attend workshops, network and meet with clients and growers. There will be 60 workshops covering all aspects of ecological farming and food and farmer discussion groups.  I will be starting off Eco-Farm with the Farm Tour and learning about organic farming on the central coast.  Our stops include the University of California Santa Cruz CASFS Farm, Yellow Wall Farm, Bonny Doon Winery and Fogline Farm.  I hope to see some of you on the Farm Tour!

Susan Simitz
Marketing Manager

Kumquat The Golden Orange

Ever wonder what those tiny little orange citrus are and how you eat them?  Kumquats are a unique member of the citrus family and are thought to come from China.  The name comes from the Chinese words chin kan meaning golden orange.  Kumquats can be hard to find at times but worth searching out.   No need to peel, you can just pop the whole fruit in your mouth.    The oval shaped Nagami is the most commonly sold with a sweet rind and tart flesh.   The second most commonly seen variety is the round shaped Meiwa with a spicy sweet rind and flesh.  You may find a few seeds inside but they are edible.

Kumquat trees are very hardy with a prolonged dormancy stage and almost never grow more than 12 feet. They require a warm summer and can withstand temperatures down to 14 degrees.  The trees don’t start growing until there is warm weather and they don’t blossom until midsummer.  If you can grow Meyer lemons in your backyard then a kumquat tree would most likely grow well.  They are in season from November to June.

Kumquats can be used to make candied peels, preserves or marmalades.  They can be sliced and added to salads or used as a garnish in cocktails.  Kumquats provide potassium, vitamins A and C and are a good source of fiber. 

As a reminder, let all citrus come to room temperature first and then roll it on the counter a few times to bring out the full essence of the fruit and  to yield more juice.

Winter Fancy Food Show 2012

Imagine 2 huge halls full of specialty food and beverages as far as the eye could see and you have the 37^th annual Winter Fancy Food Show.  The WFFS set down in San Francisco’s Moscone Center January 15^th-17^t and it is the West Coast’s largest specialty food and beverage event with over 80,000 specialty foods and beverages from 1,300 exhibitors in over 35 countries. 

This was a chance to network with 17,000 of your peers and build new relationships.  As a representative of Earl’s Organics I was in search of unique certified organic specialty food items, the more local the better.

I started Sunday off bright and early with an educational seminar about Industry Trends in Specialty Gourmet.  Not surprising is retailers and manufacturers engagement with social media, mobile strategies and apps to create a one to one relationship with consumers.  There was even a social media corner where anyone could use the computers to tweet or post on Facebook during the show. All the tweets using the hashtag #WFFS12 showed up on a huge screen where everyone could check out what was going on at the show.

Sunday and Monday I walked the North and the South halls all day checking out the newest items on the market, visiting the Savor California corner and visiting booths carrying every imaginable kind of snack, gourmet spice, pasta, chocolate, sauce, condiment, dried fruit and vegetable, beverage, olive, cheese, seafood, meat and more. Over half the South Hall was devoted to other countries,  such as Italy, France, Germany, Mexico and Japan.  It was mind boggling the sheer amount of products out there on the market.  It was an amazing experience not to be forgotten any time soon.

 

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