The sun comes over the horizon to the alarm bell of Mother Nature as the farmer’s day begins. The tasks of irrigating, harvesting, planting, grooming the fields, ridding the fields of pests, marketing, blogging and everything else that happens to come up, is incorporated into the daily schedule.
With the season underway for only two weeks and the weather cooperating the crops are beginning to fill the fruit shed. Unfortunately, our opening has been without the wonderful Blenheim Apricot. The weather was not on our side this year. The peaches, thank you Lord, have certainly filled the void and taken the lead. We are now on the 3rd variety, and as the season progresses each variety brings it’s special attributes.
The ” you pick” raised beds have provided a bounty that is without a doubt, not only beautiful but also delicious. The beets, carrots, onions, garlic, chard, lettuce and soon basil as well as flowers, quickly fill the picker’s baskets. Come bring the family, friends and enjoy the ranch.
The new season of jams and jellies are underway using the local commercial kitchen in Suisun, CA ” The Shared Spoon”. We are fortunate to harvest the fruit at peak ripeness, allowing us to make jams with less sugar bringing out the true flavor of the fruit.
We are marketing at two certified farmers markets, “Totally Local” organized by the Green Valley Agricultural Conservancy (totallylocal@gvagconservancy.org) and the Benicia Main Street Certified Farmers Market (info@beniciamainstreet.org) .
As the day closes we stand outside and watch the fruit bats come from under the creek bridge on the border of the ranch. The bats forage in the orchard as they do what is natural and eat the “critters” that can do damage the young fruit in the orchards. Their job is without a doubt very helpful as they feed on the insects that can damage the young fruit.
The farmer’s life, this time of year, is in full swing. We look forward to either seeing you or hearing from you.
Visit us at www.ericksonranch.com , www.suisunvalley.com, info@ericksonranch.com