California melons are at the peak of flavor! California melon season begins around Memorial Day. Picking a ripe melon is very difficult and is not an exact science. Melons ripen on the vine and do not get any sweeter once picked although texture and flavor can improve. 

Organic corn is difficult to grow because of a major pest, the corn earworm. Patrick Johnston, owner of Dwelley Farms, shares their secret for keeping the corn earworm away!

Earl’s long relationship with Burkart begin over 20 years ago. Picked at optimum maturity with the highest sugar levels, Burkart stone fruit has outstanding flavor and is a real crowd pleaser! Richard Burkart grows high-quality organic stone fruit on 65 acres near Dinuba along the northern border of Tulare County about four hours south of San Francisco.

Temperatures over the past week reached over 100 degrees in many growing regions including Salinas, Watsonville and Bakersfield and up to 115 in Yolo County and Chico. The heat affects our food production, putting not only the plants and fruit at risk but the people harvesting our food.

Earl’s Mango Mania Display Contest encourages retailers to try bigger, bolder, and more innovative displays in order to drive sales and lead consumers into a Mango Mania frenzy! Meet the winners of the 2023 Mango Display Contest, Heidi and Coral from Eureka Natural Foods McKinleyville and follow them on their trip to visit Crespo in Mexico.

The first of the California breba fig crop is rolling in, also known as the first crop. The breba crop grows on last year’s tree shoots and harvest is usually around the end of May or beginning of June.

Balakian Farms is a family-owned 4th generation farm growing an oasis of delicious organic stone fruit in Reedley, California.

Many crops are sensitive to weather extremes — read on for some of the current challenges affecting California growers.

Have you ever noticed when you buy a bag of cherries at the store they are typically all a uniform size? Cherry growers want to make sure the consumer is buying only the highest quality cherry so the cherries go through a machine before being packed to determine the size and quality of the cherry. Cherries have the same size pit regardless of the size of the cherry. The larger the cherry the more flesh on the fruit which demands a premium price.