From the Archives -- The Organic Farm Stand

I'm posting articles from my archives for the next few days. This one is about purchasing fresh organic vegetables from the Pinnacle Organic Farm on Saturdays in 2008, which we still do today. FYI: I edited the original piece.

 If It's Saturday, It Must Be Farm Day

(originally published on October 25, 2008)

We live in an agricultural area where some organic produce is grown. Yet, when the Husband and I moved to Hollister five years ago, one of the things I really missed about living in the big city area was being able to buy organic produce year round. Ironic, isn't it?

Between May and late August, we are fine. The local farmers market comes to downtown Hollister every Wednesday afternoon. It’s a small market, which seems to get smaller each year. The unfortunate thing about farmers markets is that the cost of fruits and vegetables are higher than in the stores. I think it’s worth paying the extra pennies for lettuce, tomatoes, squash, onions, potatoes, apples, artichokes, and so forth to feel, smell, and taste them the way that they are created to be.

A couple of winters ago, we learned that the Pinnacle Organic Farm(part of the Phil Foster Ranches) in San Juan Valley opens it farm stand every Saturday morning. FYI: Phil Foster Ranches sells its certified organic produce to Whole Foods Markets and other grocery shops. The farm stand is open year round, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. It's located on Duncan Avenue, between Bixby Road and Lucy Brown Road.

We go to this farm stand almost every Saturday. Early or late, it doesn’t matter. The produce is fresh. If some things are low, just ask, and they’ll replenish the stock if they have more on hand.

I wrote a note back in September that we had bought potatoes, onions, garlic, yellow cauliflower, watermelon, cilantro, carrots, apples, zucchinis, and a few other things for just over $20. I would've spent much more for the same amount, if I bought the food at a Whole Foods Market.

Other farm stands in the area are Bertuccio's Market/The Farm and Casa de Fruta. Along with produce, which may or may not be certified organic, they sell other food products. Casa de Fruta also offers fun activities for kids and adults.

Today is Saturday. We’re off to the farm.

From the Archives -- Drought!

My blogging brain is spent from participating in last month's Blogging from A to Z April Challenge with both Take 25 to Hollister and The View from the Top of the Ladder.  So, for the next several days, I shall post past stories from my archives. 

Do you recall that we were going through a "significant" drought throughout California from 2007 to 2009? Significant is in quotes because that's how the California Department of Water Resources described it. I'm wondering if we even got out of that drought condition from back then. What do you think?

A little bit of thunder and rain. Yippyy!!

(originally published October 19,2008)

A loud Ka-POW! woke me up early yesterday morning.

“Is that thunder?”

The Husband reassured me it was. I was happy. It has been a long while since I had heard something like that.

A few seconds later, I heard a steady beat on the roof. “Is that rain?”

“Yes,” said the Husband. “Rain.” Deliriously joyed, I fell back to sleep.

Unfortunately, the next time I woke up, the day was brightly shining. The ground and pavement were wet so that was good. Needless to say, the plants were happy, happy.

You bet rain is a big thing. We're going through a d-r-o-u-g-h-t, again. Normally, the rain would’ve stayed throughout the whole weekend and maybe even into the following week. For now, we look at the billowy clouds with hope.

Z is for. . .

Zip! Zap! Zee!

The challenge is done. No more thinking in ABC. Hooray!

Tomorrow, we shall be back to regular programming. Which is uhm I dunno.

By the way, there are still a few windmills around Hollister. This one is at the Suncoast Organic Farm on Southside Road, where the Husband and I stopped to buy a pint of yummy lemon gelato. Talk about a zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay taste!

Click here to find other A to Z challenge participants.

Y is for. . .

Year.  And, that year was 1965!

Why 1965? Because I found the Polk's Hollister City Directory on the reference shelf at the local library.  So, here we go into the way back machine.

The estimated population in April, 1965
Hollister: 8,000
San Benito County: 19,700

Weather in April, 1965
Average temperature: 58.7 degrees    Range: 44.7 degrees to 72.5 degrees
Rainfall: 1 inch

Protective Services
• Hollister Police Department employed 11 policemen and 1 matron.
• Hollister Fire Department employed 5 full-time firefighters and had 19 volunteer firefighters and 5 fire trucks.

Churches: 13 of them

Schools: 1 junior college, 1 high school, and 3 public K-12 schools (within Hollister)

Public Transportation: Greyhound station and Southern Pacific depot

Health Services
• 12 physicians
• 4 pharmacies
• 2 hospitals
• 1 veterinary hospital

Businesses
• Bank of America was the only bank in town.
• 2 loan companies
• 17 grocery stores
• 14 restaurants
• 10 taverns
• 16 gas stations
• 2 jewelers
• 9 clothing shops
• 3 department stores (J.C. Penney, Baughman Department Store, and Schulze's Department Store)
• 3 furniture dealers and 2 used furniture stores
• 11 apartment buildings

Personal Services
• 10 barbershops
• 11 beauty shops 

Entertainment: 2 movie theaters, 2 parks, 1 bowling alley, and 1 family billiard room

Lodging: 5 hotels and 3 motels

Click here to find other A to Z challenge participants.

X is for. . .

Xeriscaping. This is a type of landscaping that conserves the use of water. A good example of xeriscaping is the grounds of the new county courthouse on Fourth Street.

Click here to find other A to Z challenge participants.