Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

I wait for December all year long- not just for Christmas. I am waiting for the navel oranges to come in.

   I love orange juice, but I don't drink it most of the year. I wait until December when the navel oranges get sweet and then it is fresh squeezed orange juice almost every day until March. Mmmmm. There is just nothing like it. 
   One of the treats of living in farm country in California is we have access an amazing assortment of fresh produce. Fresh oranges are at the top of my list. During the coldest and darkest days of winter I get to have a taste of sunshine, and my doctor even says it's good for me. What a deal!

2014 Projections

by Paul H. Betancourt

Copyright December 2013

If it doesn’t start raining soon, it is going to get lonely out in farm country next summer. But, rainfall is just part of the equation. Apparently we do not have the will to create a stable water supply.

            As I have mentioned before, I recently visited Israel for the first time. The Israelis have the will to get things done. Of course, they are essentially on a war footing. We need a similar sense of threat. We just do not realize how fragile our food system really is.

There are new regulations to restrict groundwater use. This is an old problem. That is why we built surface water supplies. First they took away our surface water, now they want to take away the groundwater. Where do they expect to get their food?

            We have one of the five Mediterranean growing areas in the world, but it will not grow anything unless we get serious and create a stable water supply.

       We still do not have a new Farm Bill. The federal Farm Bill is supposed to guide our agricultural policy. I don’t know why we even call it a Farm Bill any more. Food advocates get more grants than farmers do. The budget for food stamps dwarfs money available for farm programs. And ‘they’ still cannot pass the bill.

OK, I'll agree those are rather gloomy projections. Maybe I need some more orange juice.

I wish you all Happiest of New Year celebrations and prosperity in the new year.

P

Peace on Earth, Good Food for All!

   The wheat is watered and the tractors are parked. The men have earned a break and taken off to visit their families for the holidays.

   Sheryl and I have managed to come down with colds. But, we will get over them in time to visit family ourselves. In the meantime, rest and fluids. You know me, that means a cup of coffee and a good book. Not a bad start for vacation after all.

   It has been along and interesting year. A lot of work on the farm, but it is always more fun when we make a few bucks instead of losing our...shirts. There have been some good adventures. I am still processing the trip to Israel. Some nice bike rides. And, lots of good visits with many of you.

   

 This is still one of my favorite radio bits.

Christmas on the Farm

By Paul H. Betancourt

Copyright December, 2011

                  I would like to wish y’all a Merry Christmas. Of course I know not all of you are Christians and many of you are not people of faith at all. I want to wish you Merry Christmas because that is where I draw my hope and faith. For my Jewish friends and neighbors- Happy Hanukkah. For those who celebrate Kwanzaa- Happy Kwanzaa. The message of the first Christmas was “Peace on Earth, Good will to all Mankind.” I hope that is still a message we can all agree on.

                  Food and family are at the heart of many gatherings this time of year. What is it about food and celebration? It sure makes a difference doesn’t it? Seeing friends and family is great, but there are special foods we don’t have at any other time of the year. I only make fudge for the holidays. There is also my bleu cheese spread and spiced cider.

                  I know our doctors want us to eat our fruits and vegetables. I am not a nutritionist, but my theory is if we eat right most of the time we can loosen up once in a while- and this is one of those times. So, I want to encourage you. Enjoy visiting family and friends. Enjoy good food from our Valley’s abundance. The message of the first Christmas was, “Peace on Earth and Good Will to Everyone!”

Blessings these holy days.

P

Some times cold is good.

OK, that was a little cold. But, in farm country a little cold can be a good thing.

All the almond trees and fruit trees need what are called "chilling hours" to set fruit in the next season. The Valley's climate is nearly perfect for this. The University of California tracks the hours below 45F and below 35F during the winter. With these records we know if bloom will be long or short and even have an idea of crop potential. One of the few things I know about growing almonds is if we do not get enough chilling hours during the winter it will goof the trees up something awful.

   So, this has been a little tough on people and citrus trees, but the almonds have been loving it. Indy and Toby on the other hand, have another opinion. You would think guys with fur coats could handle the cold. That big baby didn't even wait at the truck when I got home. As soon as he was sure it was me he would run and wait at the door. We sure know what he wanted...nap time in my office.

 Christmas Memories

By Paul H. Betancourt

Copyright December, 2011

One of our Christmas memories from when the kids were younger was going out to a Christmas tree farm, cutting down a tree and bringing it home.

Decorating the Christmas Tree was always a full event at our house.  We had Christmas music blaring, hot cider in the crock pot and cookies coming out of the oven. It was a three ring circus, but we knew we had welcomed in Christmas.

I don’t know what your family traditions are, but I hope you have something like our memories of decorating the family Christmas tree. Our days, weeks and years are full of endless routines. One of the charms of the holidays is that we stop… and take a moment. Yes, I know it gets hectic. I wish we could stretch the holidays into January. But, we don’t do that. So we cram all the bustle- the food, the presents, the decorations, the parties, faith and family visits all together. We cherish the time because these truly are special moments in our lives. We might complain about the hassle, but think about what our years would be like with out the holidays.

Merry Christmas Y’all.

Wheat Sprouts

It's been cold this week.

How cold was it?

It's so cold the UPS man was wearing long pants.

   I know you folks who have real winters are used to this. But, no matter how you slice it 24F is cold.

For our crops it is no problem. But, this has been a long week for the citrus guys. The navel oranges are just getting good. I look forward to this all year long. There is nothing like fresh squeezed orange juice. Now the whole crop is at risk with this cold spell. Citrus growers are up each night running water and wind machines to keep the damage to a minimum. I wish them well.

   Below is a picture of our wheat sprouting in the field. It's coming along.

Can you see that white stuff in the foreground? That is salt. This is why we need surface water. We are irrigating with well water because our surface water is cut back. Well water is only a temporary fix. It's an emergency supply to get by.

   It sure would help to get some serious rainfall to wash these salts down into the soil.

For those who think drip irrigation is the solution- drip is awesome for trees, vines an specialty crops. It is really hard to use drip on wheat. And guess what- we need a lot of grain like wheat. Remember, bread was the staff of life to the ancients. Man does not live on organic Belgian endive alone.

On the lighter side-

Coffee Shops

By Paul H. Betancourt

Copyright December 2013

            Farmers are known for hanging out at the coffee shop. I can set my watch by some of my neighbors. If I drive by thinking it is four o’clock and they are not there, I need to check my watch.

            It is easy to think these guys are goofing off, and here is a lot of that going on. There is a lot of gossip and sports stories going on in a coffee shop. But, I have also learned a lot listening to these guys. Not just about farming.  Have even gotten good doctor recommendations from my neighbors. Once again, you can learn a lot by listening.

            There is also some deep community in the coffee shop. I know one group that graduated high school together forty years ago and still meet nearly every morning for coffee.

            In the daily rush to keep the farm going I only drop by once a week or so, but it is usually enlightening.

I hope Y'all have a great week. Stay Warm.

Israelis: Will and Water

    The landscaping in Jerusalem was fabulous. They don't waste a lot of water on lawns, but everywhere you looked there were gorgeous flowers and greenery. It got me thinking.

Will and Water

By Paul H. Betancourt

Copyright December 2013

            I recently visited Israel. It was the trip of a life time. Going to Israel has been on my Bucket List for a long time.

            We visited a kibbutz. The Israeli agricultural miracle is well known, but that is not what I want to talk about. The Israelis have Will; they know who they are and what they want to accomplish. Their sense of identity come out of long and difficult history. Their sense of identity and purpose shape their actions as a nation.

            Meanwhile, as a nation, we flop around don’t we? Let’s take water as an example. I got no sense of Israel dithering about water. They need water for their farms and they need water for their cities. They don’t debate water policy, they develop water supplies. There is a sense that water is a national security issue.  Meanwhile we let water run out in to the ocean. Enviros in Southern California are fighting against de-sal plants. I am pretty sure the Pacific Ocean won’t notice whatever we could take out.

            But, I digress; I respect the Israelis. They know who they are and what they are doing, while we wander around.

Meanwhile, back on the farm-

-we are irrigating the wheat up. It is already spouting.

-we are pruning almonds and prepping almond ground to plant trees in February.

There's always something to do on the farm.

I hope you all have a restful weekend. Blessings in the coming week.

P