AGRITOURISM |
California Agri-Tourism
Pumpkin Patches & Harvest Festivals Most farms and farm trails open their u-pick pumpkin patches in September and remain open through the end of October. There are also a number of pumpkin and harvest festivals in October. Most farms not only feature pumpkins, but hayrides, farm animals, corn mazes, gift shops, and even cooking classes. California’s Apple-Growing Regions For apple lovers, the state’s major apple growing regions feature a wide selection of fresh apples and festivals as well. Judi Gerber is an agriculture and garden writer from Torrance California, and the author of the upcoming book Southern California Farm Adventures. Write to her at: farmwriter@californiafamilyfarms.com. Agri-Tourism Sites Featured in this Story |
Scia_crate.jpg ¨Scia_display.jpg ¨ by Judi Gerber Holiday shopping can be stressful, time consuming, and exhausting. A relaxing and hassle free alternative is to shop Agri-Tourism Sites Featured in this Story |
California Spring Agri-Tourism Events by Judi Gerber
And of course, spring is also the flowering season, when wildflowers, California natives, and fruit trees are in full bloom. There are many places and areas that have special events to celebrate the beauty and bounty of flowers and fruits in season and in bloom this time of year. Spring also brings National Ag Week (March 19 through 25) highlighted by National Ag Day on March 20, also the first day of spring. The Agricultural Council of America sets aside this day each year to recognize and celebrate the abundance provided by agriculture. Here in California, Agriculture Day will be celebrated on March 29 at the State Capitol and will feature free agricultural products and information, a student art contest and school garden display, and livestock and farm equipment displays. This annual recognition of agriculture makes it an even better time to go out and get educated about California’s agricultural bounty and to learn about some of the 350 specialty crops produced in the Golden State. While there are many agri-tourism activities to take advantage of in spring including blossom trails, flower shows and events, and gardening classes, by far the most prevalent agri-tourism activity this time of year are food festivals. For example, two of the most popular are both in central California. The first is the 21st Annual Stockton Asparagus Festival. Why an asparagus festival? You may not realize it but California produces approximately 70 to 80 percent of the domestic fresh supply in the United States and San Joaquin County is the number one producer in the state. This year, the three-day event takes place April 21-23 and includes a food and entertainment festival, a Spear-Its of the Valley wine and beer pavilion, a craft show, food and merchandise vendors and of course, tasty food dishes with asparagus including the famous deep fried asparagus and a celebrity chef demonstration kitchen. Last year, 40,000 pounds of asparagus were served in a variety of delicious recipes on Asparagus Alley. The second popular Central California food festival is the annual Castroville Artichoke Festival. Castroville, known as the Artichoke Capital of the World, has been holding the festival since 1948 when Marilyn Monroe was crowned the first Artichoke Queen. This year, it’s being held May 20 and 21. Not only can you feast on fried, grilled, pickled, or creamed artichokes, but you can also attend cooking and flower arranging demonstrations, go on field tours, and see a classic car show and old-fashioned parade.
There are also plenty of places up and down the state highlighting the most popular in season fruit, the strawberry. The biggest is the California Strawberry festival held each May in Oxnard. This year’s event takes place May 20 and 21, and features Strawberry Land for kids, a berry recipe contest, live music, and a strawberry shortcake-eating contest. For those traveling in the northern part of the state, the Placer County Strawberry Festival takes place from April 14 through 16. This family event includes Strawberry Alley, a kid’s fun zone, spaghetti feed and a pancake breakfast. In recognition of this title, the Fallbrook Avocado Festival is held each April. This year it takes place on Sunday, April 23. The festival features both professional and amateur chef contests including best salsa, best guacamole, and best citrus dishes, and a farm market that will not only sell avocados by the pound and by the tree, but other items including citrus, macadamia nuts, herbs, and seasonal flowers. In addition to the festival, visitors can also go on a packinghouse tour at Del Rey Avocado Company. If flowers with their sweetly fragrant and beautiful blossoms are more your thing, there are two very popular events in the state to see. The first, the Fresno County Blossom Trail starts in February and goes through April. Fresno County is the main producer of stone fruit (any fruit with a pit) including apricots, peaches, nectarines, and plums. The Blossom Trail is an 84-mile self-guided route with 58 miles of the original trail of early blooming fruit trees including peach, plum, almond, and nectarine in shades of white, pink and peach, and 26 miles of the later white blooming orange trees along the Orange Blossom Trail. The blossom trail starts at Fresno’s Fowler and Jensen Avenues and winds through the farm towns of Reedley, Selma, Parlier, and Sanger. Trees along the Orange Blossom Trail typically bloom later than most of the other trail’s trees lasting until the latter part of April. It starts in Orange Cove, which has created a new Orange Harvest Festival that will be held on April 1, and features food, arts and crafts, a children’s train, live entertainment, and a parade. Since the Blossom Trail officially starts there, make sure to visit Simonian Farms, a 105-year-old farm featuring not only over 120 varieties of fruits and vegetables but antique farm equipment, bicycles, gas pumps, and porcelain signs. The fields feature walking paths, demonstration gardens, the All-America Rose Selections (AARS) Garden, a learning garden, antique tractor rides, and new this year, a sweet pea maze. Not to be forgotten, there are also plenty of spring events for wine lovers. One of these is the Lodi Spring Wine Show that takes place from March 24 through March 26 and is held in the Grape Pavilion on the Lodi Grape Festival Grounds. The show features wine tasting from over 40 Northern California Wineries, hors d’oevures, music, and entertainment. While there you might also want to check out the Lodi Wine and Visitor Center, a year-round attraction with a wine tasting bar, wine displays and programs including interactive and educational exhibits on grape growing and winemaking, a gift shop and historical information. And finally, if you are looking for something a bit different but still reflective of California’s agricultural heritage, a perfect activity is the new train ride being offered by the Fillmore and Western Railway in Fillmore. Starting in spring, they will be leading Agri-Express Tours of Ventura County’s Heritage Valley that will roll through orange, lemon, and avocado groves. The train will make stops at several agri-tourism sites including farms, nurseries, and packinghouses between Santa Paula and Piru. The tours will be held March 24, April 21, and May 19 and include lunch, entry fees, and samples of in-season fruits and vegetables. Judi Gerber is an agriculture and garden writer from Torrance California, and the author of the upcoming book Southern California Farm Adventures. Write to her at farmwriter@californiafamilyfarms.com. For More Information: |
Autumn is a great time to visit a farm. What would Halloween and Thanksgiving be without agriculture? As the leaves change color and the air starts to cool, fall brings corn mazes, u-pick pumpkin patches, harvest festivals, and apple season to many areas throughout the state. 
fresh-from-the-farm, avoiding the stress that often accompanies mall shopping due to fighting the crowds, searching for a parking space, or getting the same gifts over and over.
there are plenty of food and wine related gift items. A small sampling includes specialty meats, vinaigrettes, oils and herbs, ciders, olives, honey, nuts and dried fruit, cheeses, sauces, fruit spreads, jams, jellies, chocolate, candy, baked goods like breads, cookies, and cakes, kitchen utensils, bake-ware, cookbooks, kitchen linens, and wine. 
Spring is arguably the best time to visit California’s agri-tourism destinations. Not only is the weather great, but its the only time of the year when you can get first of the summer fruits and vegetables and last of the season winter produce. It’s not often you can enjoy asparagus and artichokes at the same time you are munching on strawberries and early season stone fruit.
Bay Area City Farms
by Judi Gerber
While there are many farms trails and farms located in rural areas, there are also great ways to take advantage of a farm adventure without having to go too far, some are right in the heart of the city.
Although they may not always seem like traditional farms, “city farms” offer many of the same activities: petting farms, fresh produce markets, harvest festivals, gardening and cooking workshops, and special events. Best of all, they are often the last remaining connection to California’s farming past 
featuring historical houses, barns, and open spaces specially set aside and preserved for educational and recreational purposes.
East Bay & Marin County City Farm Adventures
A drive across the Bay Bridge to Berkeley will leads to a magical place young children love: The Little Farm, in Tilden Park, part of the East Bay Regional Park District. This small working farm at the northern end of a 2,000-acre park is open daily year- round and features several small fenced pastures of farm animals, and a little barn for the baby animals.
There’s also a nearby stable with pony rides. The farm has park rangers work with the animals and give tours. Although the animals get plenty of hay and grass to eat, you are allowed to bring lettuce and celery to feed them. The best part is admission is free!
Live in the area? You can sign the kids up for several special programs including “Little Farm Week,” a week of farm camp fun where they can experience the lifestyle learning about farm animals, harvesting, and cooking. Farm Week is in July. On June 24, they can feed the goats, collect eggs, and meet the farm’s new calves. There’s also the “Mini-Farmers” exploration program for ages 4-6 to care for animals, explore the farms and do farm chores.
A miniature steam train ride goes around the park’s scenic ridge, and is a scaled down version that goes through a miniature town, over bridges, and through tunnels. It’s great for both kids and adults and is at the southern end of the park. The park has many family friendly activities including a historic carousel, nature related activities, a botanic garden, and an environmental education center right next door to the Little Farm.
Another great East Bay city farm is Ardenwood Historical Farm in Fremont, situated on the beautiful grounds of the 19th century Patterson Ranch. The 200-acre farm demonstrates agricultural practices from the 1870s recreating the Victorian style of farming complete with crops, farm animals, wagons, and farm equipment. Because it’s a working farm, it follows seasonal farming, so events and crops change, and visitors enjoy each season including berry, corn, and pumpkin-picking. On weekends it’s open and includes programs of planting, tending and harvesting the farm’s organic crops, farm chore, craft and cooking demonstrations. Other highlights include a horse-drawn train ride and a working blacksmith shop.
Also located inside the Ardenwood Regional Preserve is the last “real” farm in the area, J.E. Perry Organic Farms, a popular location during October as hundreds of school children make an annual field trip to the pumpkin patch aboard hay wagons, and to get lost in the corn maze. But, its’ also a great place to visit during the summer.
Another great spot is Garin Regional Park in Hayward. It features the historic Garin Barn Visitor Center that displays ranching and farming equipment and historical information from the area. There is also a tool and blacksmith shop.
The annual late-summer Garin Apple Festival celebrates the farm’s apple growing tradition and its 150 antique apple varieties still grown at the park. It features apple cider and apple tasting, music, games, and tours of the vintage apple orchards.
In Marin County, right across the Golden Gate Bridge in Sausalito is Slide Ranch on Highway 1. The ranch is a former dairy farm, now a demonstration farm where visitors can see the original farmhouse, creamery and blacksmith shop and watch farm workers, milk goats, and pick vegetables.
Peninsula and South Bay City Farm Adventures
The Santa Clara Valley, once home to a vibrant farming community has since been replaced by Silicon Valley. However, there are still some farm gems to be found that give visitors a glimpse into the rich agricultural history. Hidden Villa in Los Altos, a 1,600 acre organic farm and wilderness preserve offers environmental education programs, educational and ornamental organic gardens including a children’s garden, summer and family camps, and miles of hiking trails.
There are also several historic buildings including The White Barn, housing goats and rabbits and the pig and poultry area, and the 1930 Duveneck House.
And finally, right in the middle of the city, the Emma Prusch Farm Park features San Jose’s largest barn; sheep, pigs, ducks, chickens, geese, rabbits, and cows; vintage farm equipment, community gardens, a rare fruit orchard, and features year-round gardening and cooking classes, cultural and harvest festivals.
For More Information:
Judi Gerber is an agriculture and garden writer from Torrance California, and the author of the upcoming book Southern California Farm Adventures. Write to her at farmwriter@californiafamilyfarms.com