By Anna-Ruth Crittenden, Farm to Mouth Program

Farm-to-Mouth has continued to reach out to the community by making multiple donations of specialty crops to the Food Bank and holding another Farm Stand out at the Farmhouse. We also reached out to the California Farm Academy to recruit volunteers to help out on the farm. On a volunteer day in which we were working in the garden and building a greenhouse, five members of the Farm Academy came out. Volunteers did a variety of tasks including: planting flowers next to the Farm Stand, cutting wood for the greenhouse, building pathways, and planting corn. It was great to connect the Farm Academy to the Farmhouse for a day and was a positive experience for all who came out. We also consulted with one of the Farm Academy teachers about the Farm-to-Mouth garden and received advice, tips, and pointers for helpful resources in the community.

As the garden continued to produce peppers, tomatoes, okra and popcorn, we worked as efficiently as possible to harvest and deliver the crops to customers, the Food Bank, residents of the Farmhouse, members of St. Martin’s church, and of course the kitchens of the Farm-to-Mouth employees. Throughout September, we also alternated holding the Farm Stand, and donating harvested produce to the Food Bank in Woodland. There are some Farm-to-Mouth employees who are regular customers at the Food Bank, visiting early every Friday morning to collect groceries for the week. I asked them to deliver some of our produce and they enthusiastically agreed. For them, it was a great feeling to give back to the Food Bank for the first time as someone donating to others, rather than receiving donations. This was a ‘full-circle’ moment for me, realizing how empowering it is for folks who are customers of the food bank to become contributors by providing fresh quality produce to the community.

David Lewis and Kum Sun, two F2M employees, with their car loaded up with produce picked that morning. They are on their way to the food bank and excited to deliver this produce. (Sept 2015)

Our Farm Stand event on September 14th brought out some new and returning customers. Outreach for the event included an email to our growing listserv, as well as a short announcement in the Davis Enterprise. Quite a few of our new customers found out about us through this newspaper announcement. Farm-to-Mouth has also been featured in various articles and community newsletters, with word of our farm project that employs people with mental illness steadily gaining awareness in the community.

Through these events Farm-to-Mouth has creatively showed how growing a beautiful tomato is more than meets the eye – it is about how the act of working on the farm really impacts people lives and gives meaning and purpose to what they are doing.

***This post is part of our series of “Tales from the Specialty Crop Ambassadors” – blog posts written by farmers working with the Center for Land-Based Learning in Winters, CA. The Specialty Crop Ambassadors are spearheading projects that support consumption, education, and access to California specialty crops.***

By Shane McKenna

September was a relatively calm month on the farm and a welcome respite from the full blown harvest season of late summer. It was nice to finish up many of our crops for the year. The watermelons were completely finished and we were able to save seeds from the heirloom varieties we enjoyed most. The spicy peppers were still producing like crazy though and seemed to be unhindered by the last heat wave and lack of water. The way they produce is truly amazing and we are looking forward to growing them again. The most exciting thing was Katherine incorporating the farm into her classroom curriculum for the sixth grade science classes she teaches in Fairfield this year. Katherine brought in soil from the Farm on Putah Creek to teach the students about soil composition and the physical properties that make up soil. The students were thrilled to be investigating soil from a working farm. Some saying “You grew stuff in this soil?” and “I found decomposing organic matter!” Her students got their hands dirty while investigating the makeup of the soil by doing the classic hand test of soil I learned at the California Farm Academy, which consists of picking up a handful of dirt, sprinkling a few drops of water on it and rolling it in your hand. The idea is to see if the soil will form a ball or if it crumbles and breaks apart. If it forms a ball, it has a higher percentage of clay and if it crumbles it is more sand.

They also performed tests to see what percentage of sand, silt, and clay the soil has. This is done by mixing the soil with water and shaking it in a glass jar, then letting it settle over time keeping track of the layers of sediment. We of course know very well that the soil is clay by walking through the field when it is wet and walking out with twenty pounds of mud stuck to our boots, but it was fun to watch the students arrive at that same conclusion through the scientific method. This basic lesson in soil composition also showed how much water our amazing clay soil can hold compared to looser sandy soils which water runs right through. The students learned how this is an effective growing medium especially in our hot dry climate. They talked about how organic matter increases the fertility of soil, and about the key role of beneficial organisms in creating soil rich in humus. Through discussion, the students arrived at the conclusion that farmers play an important role in maintaining soil fertility through crop rotation, cover cropping, and minimal tilling. It has been a satisfying experience to farm in such a beautiful place with such an amazing group of people this year. We are happy that we were able to bring our farm into Katherine’s classroom and share our first hand knowledge with her students. We look forward to continuing this work in the future.

***This post is part of our series of “Tales from the Specialty Crop Ambassadors” – blog posts written by farmers working with the Center for Land-Based Learning  in Winters, CA. The Specialty Crop Ambassadors are spearheading projects that support consumption, education, and access to California specialty crops.***

By Aimee Sisson of Root Cause Farm

Vegetable tasting participants sample heirloom tomatoes, lemon cucumbers, and Sungold cherry tomatoes at the West Sacramento Family Resource Center.

Throughout this growing season, I have partnered with the Yolo County Children’s Alliance West Sacramento Family Resource Center (FRC) to increase access to fruits and vegetables and expose both young and old to growing and eating fruits and vegetables.

In early August, I hosted a veggie tasting at the FRC during the Center’s weekly food distribution.  Aiming to expand vegetable horizons, I offered free samples of Sungold cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, and lemon cucumbers to adventurous participants.  I chose these vegetables because their unusual appearances may cause some to shy away from purchasing and eating them.  Sungold cherry tomatoes are very sweet, but their orange color when ripe makes those accustomed to red cherry tomatoes think they are underripe.  Heirloom tomatoes, with their unique shapes and colors, strike those used to red slicing tomatoes as strange.  Lemon cucumbers, which look like a lemon but taste like a standard cucumber minus the bitter skin, may similarly frighten marketgoers who are unfamiliar with them.  However, once provided with explanations of each vegetable, most participants in the vegetable tasting were willing to try something new and several walked away with a new favorite vegetable.

In September, the FRC’s Play School Experience class visited my farm on a field trip.  The trip began with a tour of the farm, during which the preschool-age children and their parents had the opportunity to learn how vegetables grow and what each type of vegetable plant looks like.  After the tour, the kids got their hands dirty with a planting activity, carefully transplanting basil seedlings into a pot to take home and grow themselves.  According to their teacher, Nancy Ledesma, “The parents and our children loved the experience.” Similarly, I really enjoyed interacting with the energetic youngsters, whose genuine curiosity about the farm was refreshing.

Preschoolers eagerly await their turn to pot up a basil seedling.

The Play School Experience class shows off their basil seedlings while visiting Root Cause Farm.

This fall, I plan to partner with the FRC on one more activity, this time teaching a class to parents of young children about the health benefits of fruits and vegetables, along with how and where they can use EBT and WIC benefits to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables.  Next season, I hope to continue the partnership, working together to improve the health of the Broderick neighborhood by increasing residents’ access to fruits and vegetables.

***This post is part of our series of “Tales from the Specialty Crop Ambassadors” – blog posts written by farmers working with the Center for Land-Based Learning  in Winters, CA. The Specialty Crop Ambassadors are spearheading projects that support consumption, education, and access to California specialty crops.***

Despite brisk morning temperatures last Thursday, California State employees stepped outside to drop off fresh fruit and vegetable donations as part of the 2015 State Employees Food Drive. The event, organized by the Department of Public Health, Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services, marked a great way to contribute fresh produce over traditional nonperishable food drive items. Tables lined the sidewalk across from Public Health headquarters along Capitol Park from 6 to 10 AM.  Potatoes, winter squash, oranges, and onions quickly filled the bottom of large bins set up along the sidewalk. A Food Bank truck was parked on site ready to quickly transport donations back to their warehouse for distribution.

“It’s great to see employees recognizing the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables at the table,” remarked Carrie Black, of CDFA’s Office of Farm to Fork. “There are so many healthy items available this time of year and so many people in need.” CDFA serves as the statewide coordinator for the State Employees Food Drive and this is the first year that the Office of Farm to Fork will take the lead.

The Department of Public Health makes these food drives a priority.  Planning begins as early as February for the holiday season. For this event Public Health also worked with local farms to garner large donations of onions, spaghetti squash, and mushrooms. Many employees who wanted to make a last minute donation ran to nearby markets to purchase items.

The morning event helps kick off the 2015 State Employees Food Drive, which has been collecting donations since 1975. The drive will continue until January 15, 2016 with over 550 donation bins for nonperishable foods located around entrances to State Departments across Sacramento. Monetary donations to CDFA’s team can also be made to support the cause.  More information is available at http://www.fooddrive.ca.gov/.

Funding Supports Local Food Systems, Farmers Markets and Healthier Eating for SNAP Participants

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack helped to kick off the nation’s harvest season this week by announcing nearly $35 million in new funding through four grant programs to support local and regional food systems, including farmers markets. Secretary Vilsack has named strengthening local food systems as one of the four pillars of USDA’s efforts to revitalize rural economies and communities. Purchases of locally-produced food have surged to nearly $12 billion under Secretary Vilsack’s leadership, while the number of farmers markets has exploded to more than 8,500 from 5,274 in 2009.

The announcement is part of a USDA-wide effort to support President Obama’s commitment to strengthening local and regional food systems. These grants are administered by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). Under the current Administration, AMS and FNS have partnered to boost affordable access to local, fresh and healthy foods, which creates a gateway to opportunity for small and mid-size producers and benefits the health of all Americans, regardless of income levels.

“USDA is helping to create economic opportunities for producers, increase access to fresh, healthy food for consumers, and connect rural and urban communities across the country,” said Secretary Vilsack. “Each of the grants announced targets a unique part of the growing market for local foods. We are also expanding access for current SNAP participants to the wonderful array of fresh produce at America’s farmers markets, which is important to a healthy diet.”

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service is awarding $13.3 million in Farmers Market Promotion Program grants to 164 marketing and promotion projects involved with farmers markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs), and other direct-to-consumer outlets for local food. Since 2009, this program has funded 902 projects totaling over $59.2 million to support direct marketing efforts for local food.

• These grants include four projects in California – Fresno, Oakland, Los Angeles and American Canyon.

AMS is also awarding $11.9 million in Local Food Promotion Program grants to 160 marketing and promotion projects for intermediary local food enterprises such as food hubs, aggregation businesses, local food processors, and farm-to-institution activities. This program, begun in 2014, has funded 351 projects totaling $24.6 million to support local/regional supply chain activities including processing, aggregating, storing or distributing local and regional food.

• These grants include 17 California projects, ranging from implementing a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) for local food procurement for school districts in the Pittsburg, CA area, to a cafe and cannery in San Francisco to teach culinary skills and offer leadership training for the low access/low income community.

And AMS is awarding $1 million in matching-grant funds through the Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program. These funds are awarded through State departments of agriculture and other agencies, as well as State colleges and universities. The matching funds will support 15 research projects to find solutions to challenges and opportunities in marketing, transporting, and distributing U.S. agricultural products domestically and internationally. Since 2009, this program has funded 142 projects totaling $8.6 million to explore new market opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products.

Both the Farmers Market and the Local Food Promotion Programs were made possible by the 2014 Farm Bill. A description of the projects funded by each of these programs is available on the AMS website.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) administers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Farmers Market Support Grants, which is awarding $8.1 million in grants for projects in 23 states to enhance the effectiveness of SNAP operations at farmers markets. The new funds support broad SNAP-related activities and costs, including staff training and technical assistance, creating educational materials, and raising awareness among current SNAP participants that their benefits may be used to purchase the healthy, fresh foods at these outlets. Farmers market organizations and associations, non-profit entities, state, local and tribal nations and other organizations engaged in farmers market management were eligible to apply. Grantees will be able to help connect low-income families with fresh, healthy, local food options by expanding SNAP use at these markets. From 2009 to 2014, SNAP redemptions at farmers markets have grown by 350 percent. A description of the projects funded is available on the FNS website.

• Seven California projects received funding to support SNAP outreach, staffing and other efforts at farmers’ markets.

Vilsack continued, “We will continue supporting local and regional food systems, which are drawing young people back to agriculture, generating jobs, and improving quality of life in rural communities. Since 2009, we have seen a 75% growth in farmers markets nationwide and sales of local food rose to an estimated $12 billion in 2014, much of it through sales from farms to local grocers, institutions and restaurants.”

See the original USDA news release here.

***This post is part of our series “Tales from the Specialty Crop Ambassadors” – blog posts written by farmers working with the Center for Land-Based Learning in Winters, CA. The Specialty Crop Ambassadors are spearheading projects that support consumption, education, and access to California specialty crops.***

By Anna-Ruth Crittenden

The garden continued to produce prolifically throughout August as we experienced many days with temperatures reaching over 100 degrees. We held one Farm Stand event in August and were able to market the produce to a few new customers. We reached out to previous customers and received some promotion through an announcement in the Davis Enterprise.

Below are some August highlights from Farm-to-Mouth.

Kum Sun, a long-time F2M employee, showing a basket of summer squash she picked for the Farm Stand.

David Lewis holding two Charleston Grey Watermelons.

A F2M employee harvesting red and green okra pods. Here he is in the row of Okra at the F2M garden.

Cheryl Meade displays a basket of cherry tomatoes she picked for the Farm Stand.

Produce on display at the Farm Stand: Yellow crookneck squash, green patty pan squash, cherry tomatoes, and jalapeños.

***This post is part of our series of “Tales from the Specialty Crop Ambassadors” – blog posts written by farmers working with the Center for Land-Based Learning  in Winters, CA. The Specialty Crop Ambassadors are spearheading projects that support consumption, education, and access to California specialty crops.***

By Shane Zurilgen of Flyaway Farms

When I first posted about my Feijoa (AKA Pineapple Guava) project I extolled the virtues of this unique drought tolerant and delicious fruit. I also mentioned a bit about where I intend to plant my two hedges of this wonderful plant. Initially I was planning to install them at Flyway Farm in Davis where I live and work. I have recently developed a new partnership with a mixed vegetable farm in West Sacramento called Fiery Ginger Farm (FGF). This is a brand new farm that is developing a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) model for marketing its product. The best thing about FGF is that it is right next to Yolo High School opening all kinds of new doors for outreach. With Fiery Ginger Farm I am working to develop a relationship with schools in the Washington School District including Yolo High and the new Culinary and Farm to Fork Education (CAFFE) program. We are meeting with teachers about having their students come out to the farm to learn about farming in general and Feijoa specifically. We are also hoping to be able to bring Feijoa to the students at CAFFE to develop recipes that we can, in turn, give to our customers to use.

The other exciting aspect about this project is its experimental nature. While much is known about how to grow Feijoa here, very little is known about how to grow it commercially. There are commercial growers in Australia and New Zealand but none in the United States. We will be breaking new ground in developing best practices and opening markets for this crop. I think it would be exciting to work with high school students to develop a marketing plan and educational materials to spread the word about Feijoa. I taught science in public schools for fifteen years and I always found it really difficult to develop educational experiences that were immediately meaningful in the real world. We would be able to provide an opportunity for students to get in on developing a new business frontier. What better way to learn a thing or two?

Yolo High students participate in the Culinary and Farm to Fork Education (CAFFE) program

***This post is part of our series “Tales from the Specialty Crop Ambassadors” – blog posts written by farmers working with the Center for Land-Based Learning in Winters, CA. The Specialty Crop Ambassadors are spearheading projects that support consumption, education, and access to California specialty crops.***

By Aimee Sisson of Root Cause Farm

When I was a kid, I never thought about being a farmer. It’s not that I was opposed to the idea; I was just never exposed to the idea.  I’m hoping to change that through my efforts to recruit a new generation of farmers.  Farming is definitely not for everybody, but I’d like to at least have a career in farming be on the radar of young people so they can consider it as an option.

At a recent West Sacramento Farmers’ Market, I reached out to children and adults about a career as a fruit and vegetable farmer.  Despite the blazing 100-degree heat, over 35 people stopped by my booth to pot up a basil seedling and chat about life as a farmer.  Both young and old, first-time planters and experienced home gardeners alike, enjoyed the hands-on planting activity.   After getting over the initial shock that the plants were free, market-goers dug in, literally. Although gloves were available, everybody chose to get their hands dirty, digging in the dirt to fill their pot, make a hole for the seedling, and gently tuck a small plant into its new home before giving it a drink of water.  There’s just something about having your hands in soil that is calming and restorative, not to mention fun.  “Plants are a lot like people,” I told the participants.  “They get thirsty on a hot day, so be sure to give your plant water.”  After walking customers through the basics of caring for their basil plant, I also handed them a short set of written instructions to take home.  As the evening went on, I enjoyed seeing the tiny plants making their way around the market, gently carried in the hands of young growers.  I chose basil seedlings because they can be grown indoors or outdoors and don’t take up much space, making them ideal for apartment dwellers or those without an existing garden.

Participants gather around the table, waiting their turn to pot up a plant.

In addition to the basil planting, I also offered a Farmer-Aimee-themed coloring booklet to take home and/or color at the market.  Five pages long, the short book walks young readers through a few aspects of life as a fruit and vegetable farmer, including planting, weeding, harvesting, and selling at the farmers’ market.  Finally, I created a trifold brochure titled, “Thinking About Becoming a Vegetable Farmer?” that briefly describes the benefits of being a farmer, what is needed to get started, and my own story of how I became a farmer and the rewards of the job. The outreach materials are available for download at http://www.rootcausefarm.com/blog/recruiting-the-next-generation-of-farmers and can be used without any restrictions.  I hope that the materials prove useful to others in recruiting new farmers.

Two participants take a break from coloring to smile for the camera.

As the coloring book states, “Being a farmer is hard work, but it’s also lots of fun.” It’s true: “Farmer Aimee loves being a fruit and vegetable farmer because she gets to work outside, move around, grow yummy food, and meet nice people at the market.”  Maybe some of those nice people will become farmers themselves someday, and think back on how it all started with a single basil plant.  This farmer sure hopes so.

A young basil seedling, ready to go home with a future farmer.

***This post is part of our series “Tales from the Specialty Crop Ambassadors” – blog posts written by farmers working with the Center for Land-Based Learning in Winters, CA. The Specialty Crop Ambassadors are spearheading projects that support consumption, education, and access to California specialty crops.***

By Shane McKenna of McKenna Farms

It has been a hot and productive summer on McKenna Farms!  Our specialty peppers were a big hit this year with local chefs, especially our sweet Hungarian varieties.  They are just about done for the season along with the Sheepsnose Pimentons and the Jimmy Nardello peppers.  The spicy peppers are still going strong though.  Both green and red vine ripened Jalapeno peppers, known as Fresno chiles, have been popular and are still producing thanks to the honey bees who continue to pollinate them.   Soon the superhot and prized Habanero chiles will be ready, ripening to a beautiful yellow.  These notorious chiles are sometimes fermented and turned into exquisite hot sauces.  The heat was hard on heirloom tomatoes this season affecting the Cherokee purples, but the Indigo Rose variety and the Sunrise Bumblebee cherries made up for it.

Overall this is a transitional time on the farm when most of the summer crops are petering out and we begin to convert to field to fall and winter crops.  Soon our Charentais melons will be turned into the soil to make room for candy striped beets, golden beets, and classic Merlin red beets.  Following that we will seed rainbow carrots, arugula and spinach.  We will continue to maintain the field in a way that makes it accessible to students who are just now returning from summer vacation.  Students will most likely participate in the final harvest of summer crops and the planting of a new round of crops which will carry us through fall and winter.  This will help students learn about the cycles of food production on the farm and the importance of eating with the seasons.  We are looking forward to final growing season of 2015 and have learned a lot along the way.

BY KAREN ROSS AND TAMMY ANDERSON-WISE

It’s morning at Fairbanks Elementary School in Twin Rivers Unified School District, and children are being served a healthy breakfast of fresh fruit, waffles, yogurt and milk. For some kids, eating breakfast at school is the only option they have for getting the needed nutrition to keep them focused and ready to learn.

***This post is part of our series “Tales from the Specialty Crop Ambassadors” – blog posts written by farmers working with the Center for Land-Based Learning in Winters, CA. The Specialty Crop Ambassadors are spearheading projects that support consumption, education, and access to California specialty crops.***

By Aimee Sisson of Root Cause Farm

Although the average age of American farmers is nearly 60 years old, you wouldn’t know it by spending a day at West Sacramento’s Root Cause Farm, where farmer and Specialty Crop Ambassador Aimee Sisson runs an afterschool and summer farmer training program for grade school students.  On a sunny July day, Sisson was harvesting potatoes with two young farmers in training.  Despite the heat, the sixth-graders excitedly dug through the soil with their gloved hands, competing to find the biggest potato. “These kids love being on the farm,” says Sisson. “The farm offers a place for the neighborhood kids to be physically active and burn off steam, plus a chance to try fresh vegetables that they planted, cared for, and picked themselves.”

Jayla displays the yield from one seed potato.

When the Farmers in Training program began in March, few of the participants could recognize the vegetables growing in the field. “I took the kids on a farm tour, and had them guess what each bed contained, giving them hints. They guessed tomato for every bed! In June, a new child came to the farm, and one of the regulars volunteered took her on a tour, pointing out each vegetable growing on the farm—lettuce, beets, carrots, green beans, and of course, tomatoes!  It’s amazing how much they have learned in just a few months.”

Farmers in Training are given a hands-on experience growing specialty crops at the ½-acre urban farm.  Activities have included planting beans from seed, transplanting basil, pulling weeds by hand, broadforking, digging Bermuda grass, and reaping the reward of all that hard work through harvesting. “As long as they don’t need a knife to harvest it, I let the kids help pick the veggies,” says a smiling Sisson. Sisson also has the kids participate in post-harvest processing such as washing and bunching vegetables, and weighing and recording daily yields. “One of their favorite activities, besides eating freshly picked watermelon, is running the farm stand.” Sisson watches with motherly pride as the young participants greet customers, weigh their purchases, add up the total, make change, bag the items, and thank each customer.  “The farm stand is a great opportunity for them to practice math in a real-world situation and learn important customer service skills,” says Sisson.

Victor concentrates while planting green beans

Emily uses the wheel hoe to weed a bed before planting.

Nico shows off the beets he harvested.

Sisson hopes that the Farmers in Training program will have a lasting impact on participants and their families.  “Not all of these kids are going to become farmers when they grow up, but several of them are at least thinking about farming as a career, which I consider a success.” At least two participants have commented that they want to be farmers when they grow up, and another has adopted the title of “Farmer Jayla,” emulating her mentor Sisson, who is known as “Farmer Aimee” around the neighborhood.  According to Farmer Aimee, the participants are eating more vegetables than ever and have a much better appreciation of what it takes to grow the food on their plates. “I am amazed at how willing the kids are to try the produce we are growing on the farm.  On farm tours, they want to sample everything, even the raw beets! I warn them that they might not like something, but they often surprise me.  Once the kids discovered that the raw beets color their mouths, lips, and teeth bright pinkish-
red, they can’t stop eating them and sticking out their tongues.”

Jose and Maria show off their beet juice teeth.

After each day on the farm, participants are sent home with fresh vegetables. “It’s great when the kids come back the next day and tell me about the salad they made, or how they ate an entire cantaloupe by themselves,” Sisson notes.  “One of my kids loves lemon cucumbers so much that he even spends his own money to buy them at the farm stand. What kind of kid uses his allowance to buy vegetables?” marvels Sisson.  A Farmer in Training, that’s who!

***This post is part of our series of “Tales from the Specialty Crop Ambassadors” – blog posts written by farmers working with the Center for Land-Based Learning  in Winters, CA. The Specialty Crop Ambassadors are spearheading projects that support consumption, education, and access to California specialty crops.***

By Shane Zurilgen of Flyaway Farms

The first time I tasted a pineapple guava I was blown away. Its flavor was totally unexpected. I had been growing them in my back yard purely as an ornament. They grow on a handsome evergreen shrub which has beautiful red and white flowers in the summer. I knew the shrub was supposed to produce fruit and had heard that it was “edible” but hadn’t yet seen any. Lots of plants are edible to the likes of Bear Grylls, but most people would not want to eat them except for in some kind of post-apocalyptic scenario. I myself have eaten pine needle tea but it isn’t going to happen again unless I am lost in the woods in desperate need of a vitamin C boost.

The scientific name for the pineapple guava is Feijoa sellowiana.  After a few years of growing my Feijoa plants I finally found them producing fruit around Halloween. I quickly went to the Google for information on how to tell if the small, green, egg-shaped fruit was ripe. It turned out they are ready to go when the fruit falls off the plant by itself or from a light touch. The next day I picked a couple freshly fallen fruits off the ground and gave them a taste.

It should be said that I have a terrible palate for taste. I attribute this to years of addiction to very spicy foods. I think that over time I just nuked my taste buds. I stopped going to wine tastings because I could never pick up any of the odd flavor notes that were supposed to be emanating from the particular vintage I was swilling. Nevertheless, the pineapple guava was a revelation. It tasted at once tropical and citrus-like with something like strawberry thrown in for good measure. I quickly consumed all of the fruit that was ripe.

Those plants became my first destination every morning until the fruit was gone.  I have never found pineapple guava in a store. I have heard that some folks have found them at farmers’ markets on occasion, but I certainly haven’t. When my subsequent research yielded no commercial producers for this specialty crop in California I knew I had to give it a try. When I bring it up to people who have actually tasted a pineapple guava before they get very excited. It has been suggested to me that it would add amazing flavor to a kombucha or mead blend.

In addition to its unique flavor, Feijoa is drought tolerant and virtually disease and pest free. At Flyway Farm in Davis I have decided to put in about 40 plants in two hedgerows and put it to the test.  I am prepping the ground and setting up irrigation while I seek out a source for some of the more productive varieties. I plan to get them in the ground this fall so that you too can soon share the unique experience that is pineapple guava.