North County San Diego and Temecula account for one-third of all avocados grown in California. The state produces 95 percent of all avocados grown in the U.S. Over the last 10 years, avocado acreage in the county has dwindled from around 30,000 acres to 18,000 acres. and expected to drop to 15,000 acres in the next two years. Total avocado crop value was nearly $198…
Selling directly to shoppers—and meeting face-to-face with chefs and other buyers—is helping keep San Diego farmers afloat amid economic downturns and historic droughts. When Dave Heafner and Leslie Pesic started their DA-LE Ranch in 2003, they were raising hens, pigs, and rabbits and selling to a few customers by pre-order, delivered once a week to the parking lot of the DMV in Santa Ana, California. Now, they…
Flowers, avocados, citrus, tomatoes and strawberries are leading San Diego County crops. But carbon? Apparently so. Carbon Farming, a whole-farm approach implementing on-farm practices that increase the rate at which plants transfer carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere to the soil, is about to meet its maker at a Santa Ysabel farm. San Diego Food System Alliance (SDFSA) this week announced a grant that paves the…
It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it. Encinitas leaders this month cleared the way for a commercial marijuana growing industry intended to cater to recreational marijuana users allowed to do their thing this January thanks to passage of Proposition 64 last fall. Recreational marijuana is now the lay of the land. Starting in January, pot and it’s varied forms no longer will…
Who would want a homemade holiday fruit basket — with creepy mealybugs? Or a clipping from grandma’s wreath with gypsy moth eggs nestled inside? Giant whiteflies hiding in hand-picked poinsettias, or some tree-killing bacteria in their holiday citrus? Nobody, right? But it can happen. If you’re one of the millions of Americans who will be traveling this holiday season, remember — don’t pack a pest!…
Looks like the organic avocado aisle is the place to be these days for consumers and retailers alike. Demand is high and prices rising as a result. California is the nation’s avocado basket growing 90 percent of the nation’s crop. The swath of North County and Southwest Riverside County from Escondido and Vista through Temecula accounts for 40 percent of avocados grown in the U.S….
This has been a very interesting and unprecedented year for avocado prices as they dipped very low during the spring but have been riding high on the wave throughout the summer. August appears to be a relatively tight month, but September should bring promotable volumes of fruit and lower pricing as well. “It could start in August,” said Dana Thomas, president of Index Fresh Inc….
There are farmers markets and then, there are (cannabis) farmers markets. At an undisclosed location and time in San Marcos, revealed only to certified medical marijuana card holders through private message, but with a $15 admission price, the San Diego Cannabis Farmers Market “North County Edition” rolled into somewhere for a while Saturday. “We ask that you not give out the location to non-market attendees…
Terra Madre ‘Gathering’ Billed as “a celebration of passion and action” Terra Madre Gardens holds what organizers call “its first of many gatherings” on Saturday, June 18. “Inspired by the power of community and the call to create positive change, this gathering is a beautiful culmination of transformational Workshops, Yoga Sessions, Healing Experiences, Conscious Music and Visionary Art,” publicist Jennifer Root said. The idea came…
The Gist: Salty water turns avocado leaves brown, curbs root growth and can even stop trees from producing fruit at all. In the past three years, the amount of salt in the water used by most avocado growers in San Diego County has gone up by 20 percent, according to one expert. Like any plants, avocados need water to thrive. But lately, water has been causing a lot…