Brentwood Cherry Picking

Sweetheart Cherry – large, dark, sweet and delicious!

We made a quick trip to Brentwood on Sunday to pick cherries. The weather was unseasonably cool but we weren’t complaining! First we drove by Tachella Family Farms on the main drag (Walnut Blvd.), where in the “old days” we would pick up a farm map and get the lowdown on the best places to pick. Tachella is sadly no more, replaced by Annie’s Happy Farm. Annie’s didn’t have the same farm stand set-up, and we were somewhat shocked by the u-pick price of $5 per pound plus a $2 entry fee per person! We decide to move on. We drove by Farmer’s Daughter at the corner of Walnut and Marsh Creek,

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Fall Produce Bowl

Here are some lovely items I picked up at the Diablo Valley Farmers’ Market today; Happy Boy Farms Delicata squash and salad mix with edible flowers, Hamada Farms Cara Cara oranges, Red Rio grapefruit, Satsuma oranges, Meyer lemon and more. I’m not sure what causes the interesting pattern on the grapefruit. This market is every Saturday year round at the Shadelands in Walnut Creek. Parking is super easy and the market is large and pleasant under the trees. 

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Fruit Bowl

Here’s a photo of my bounty from the Walnut Creek Farmers’ Market this morning. All fruit is from Hamada and Medina farms (my favorite fruit vendors). Even the blue bowl is from the market, but they’re only sold close to the holidays. The Walnut Creek market is open every Sunday morning from 9am – 1 pm.

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Diablo Valley Roots & Shoots

We had a great hike a couple weeks ago with the newly-forming Diablo Valley Roots & Shoots. This maze photo was taken on the event in Briones Regional Park.

What is Roots & Shoots?

Roots & Shoots is the Jane Goodall Institute’s international environmental and humanitarian program for youth of all ages. It is a fun and exciting way for young people to learn about problems and issues in their local communities and then discover ways to make the world a better place. All projects are focused on improving the lives of people, animals and the environment. Kids who belong to Roots & Shoots groups have the opportunity to network with R&S members from around the world to learn about other cultures and gain a deeper understanding of the global impact of their actions.

Here is a list of some upcoming events:

July 25 – (appreciating nature) Tour John Muir house and grounds in Martinez, time to be announced (early in the day), small entrance fee for adults and children over 15.

July or Aug – (environmental care) Pacific Rim Recycle facility tour – Benicia. There may be a cost, besides the bridge fee.

Aug  23 – (cultural experience) Ohlone Village site open house – Coyote Hills, Fremont, 10am, includes 1/2 mile hike one way to 2,000 yr old village where cultural demonstrations will be shared, bring lunch.

Sept 19 – (environmental care) Coastal Clean-Up, not an official meeting, time and place to be announced.

Sept 20 – (celebrate and promote peace) ‘Roots and Shoots Day of Peace‘ (a global event) family picnic, Civic Park, Walnut Creek, time to be announced (early in the day).

If you would like to learn more, please email: DiabloValleyRandS@hotmail.com. Membership is free and open to local children of all ages but primarily focuses on those in elementary school.

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Trudy Blooms!

Trudy the Corpse Flower at the UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley bloomed during Monday night, the 22nd of June. I had a chance to visit her today and she’s already started to close up. Then she opens up and her petals fall down, and in about 4-6 months she should have red fruit.

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Blooming Soon: Trudy the Giant Corpse Flower

Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting “Trudy the Corpse Flower” at the UC Botanical Garden in Berkeley. Trudy is a member of the Voodoo Lily family (no joke!) and is the largest flowering structure in the plant world. Trudy is 16 years old and currently stands almost 6 feet tall. Her family originates from Sumatra, Indonesia and she first bloomed in the garden at age 12. When she blooms her leaves will open up into one dark red giant flower. Trudy will then warm herself up to human body temperature to create a foul smell to attract beetle pollinators. If pollinated (she will be hand pollinated at the garden) she will then bear beautiful red fruit.

Trudy can be viewed daily and is expected to bloom as early as Father’s Day, June 21st. How appropriate!

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Farmer’s Daughter: Brentwood Organic U-Pick

We are so excited to finally have found an organic u-pick farm in Brentwood! The Farmer’s Daughter is the ONLY organic u-pick farm that I know of that is part of Harvest Time. They’re not certified organic, however they farm in a sustainable way and don’t use chemicals. Today we picked apricots, and in the upcoming weeks they’ll have nectarines and yellow peaches. Please note that the fruit we picked today wasn’t low to the ground, which makes it less fun for young children. A lot of the ripest fruit was out of reach even for us adults, and it would have been nice to have had access to some ladders. Also note the coffee bar was not open 😉

Available for purchase at the farm stand is picked white corn, peppers, squash, green and wax beans, stone fruits, watermelons and more.

The Farmer’s Daughter is located on the NW corner of Walnut Blvd. and Marsh Creek Rd. (925) 634-4827.

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Brentwood Bicycle Farm Tour

Brentwood Farm Tour via Bicycle

June 21, 2009, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm.  $30 per adult, $15 per child.

A 15 mile tour by bicycle through farm country in Brentwood.  Enjoy a chef-prepared lunch at Frog Hollow Farms (famous for it’s organic peaches) and visit Shelly’s Garden (known for it’s culinary herbs). Enjoy picking  some corn along the way, plus snacks and water are provided. You must bring your own bicycle and helmet. Click here to purchase tickets.

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Upcoming Festivals & Events

Walnut Creek Art & Wine Festival

Saturday & Sunday, June 6th and 7th, Heather Farm, Walnut Creek. Wine and beer, distinctive art, hand-made crafts, children’s area, entertainment and more.

Diablo Valley Farmers’ Market

Saturday, June 6th, Shadelands, Walnut Creek. Opening day of the new Diablo Valley Farmers’ Market. Ribbon cutting ceremony at 9am along with local Shadowbrook Winery releasing it’s new wines. Kids crafts, music and of course lots of fresh local produce!

San Leandro Cherry Festival

Saturday, June 6th, downtown San Leandro. 100th anniversary of the San Leandro Cherry Festival which started in 1909! Farmers market, cherry pie bake-off, live music, arts and entertainment, specialty foods, activities for children and more.

Temescal Street Fair

Sunday, June 7th, Telegraph Ave. from 47th to 51st, Oakland. Eco activities, music, global food and more.

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Brentwood U-Pick Update

We’re headed out to Brentwood on Saturday to pick fruit so I called a few farms today to get an update on what’s currently available:

Dwelley Farms – Just Olallieberries. Starting next weekend Boysenberries will also be available.

Mike’s U-Pick – White and Yellow Peaches

The Farmers Daughter – White Peaches (not confirmed but from what I hear this farm is ORGANIC)

Pease Ranch – Bing and Rainier Cherries, Boysenberries, Olallieberries and Loganberries

Tachella Family Farms – Several types of Cherries, Peaches and Apricots

Smith Family Farm – No one “picked” up their phone but for sure they’re open. They have a nice farm stand with produce and flowers and may or may not have U-Pick available.

The Stand at Knightsen – No U-Pick but their stand is open and they’re ALL ORGANIC. They currently have tomatoes and asparagus plus other veggies and lots of fruit.

I see that Mangini Farm is a new addition this year to Harvest Time. I have to laugh at the description of where they’re located, “Next to Napa Auto Parts and across the street from Taco Bell”. Hmmm that doesn’t sound so appealing to me 😉 But on their behalf I must say they have some of the best corn around that I buy from their farm stand in Pleasant Hill when it’s in season (mid June – August).

For farm details and a map go to the Harvest Time website. Please also see my post about Brentwood farms from yesterday located right below this one.

Not into U-Pick? The Contra Costa County Fair is this weekend. It’s located in Antioch.

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