Rain in perfect form.

Great display, great honey and great people.

Some great Hass avocados.

What a great voice.

I went this weekend hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. This Saturday and Sunday was the exception. We got almost an inch on Friday night which is perfect. I drove to Ventura in High winds and rain. That really helps you stay awake. As I pulled off the 101 to downtown Ventura the rain stopped. I thought well I might be able to at least get set up and be kind of dry when the market opens at 8:30. As I was cutting up the last of the samples the sun came out. I thought to myself are we going to have a great day or what? Well it was and so was Sunday in Santa Clarita. The music was playing and the customers were happy and in the buying mood. As I packed up the last of the tables into my truck the clouds started to get thicker. I left about 12:45 and headed home so I could catch the 49er Giants game.

As I got to the top of the Grapevine the sprinkles started and I thought again how rare it is for this to happen. I pulled onto the farm right at 3:30 and the game was just starting. Into the kitchen I went to make some homemade refried beans for tostadas later that night. The friends showed up, the beers were cold and the food was great.

When I got up Monday morning I checked the rain gauge again. It showed a little over an inch. What a nice weekend this was. The trees and the grapevines are soaking up the water and everything is clean again. I hope for another storm soon but if it falls on a market day I won’t be as disappointed as I had been before. Thank you to all who came out to the markets and thank you to the weather forecasters for being wrong again.

Wrappng up Wednsday…

Well the farmers market was slow today. The weather was beautiful in Ventura. 65 degrees with a light breeze. The second customer of the day gave me the secret word of the week. That was way cool. Shows us the power of social media. She was so kind and grateful and went home with 2 free pounds of navel oranges.
The rest of the market was slow, just enough to cover fuel, hotel, food and some extra. Tomorrow Thousand oaks should be busy. We’re at the Oaks mall or http://www.theoaksmall.com/ south of the Movieco movie theater from 1:30 to 6 P.M.
I should be home by 11:00 P.M. after packing up. Then it’s get ready for Saturday in Ventura and Sunday at Santa Clarita at the Colleg of the Canyons. I am going to try to document what my Fridays are like here on my blog. It is the busiest day of the week. Lots of action.
I hope everyone had a good hump day and wake up with a smile on your face.
Till tomorrow, Ryan

Ventura Wed. am 9 to 1

Farmers Market pictures

Set up and ready to go in Ventura. Wed. At the Pacific View
Mall. 9 to 1pm

The day before farmers market!

Boy it’s chilly this morning. It got to be about 28 degrees last night so we are waiting a little longer than normal to get out in the orange grove to pick for market. I need to pick about 800 pounds of navel oranges for my 2 markets. Wednesday in Ventura and Thursday in Thousand Oaks.

I can’t imagine what our farm would be like if I didn’t have Vicente here to help me get things ready for market. We start off picking the oranges which takes about an hour then we move to the pomelos. We need about 250 pounds which is about 5 picking sacks of Melogold pomelos which are nice and yellow and heavy with juice.I get quite a few questions at the farmers market about what is the best way to eat a pomelo so the first video is a demonstration with the Melogold.

After we get done with Melogolds we move over to the Oro Blanco pomelos. They are sweet like th Melogold but have a little more grapefruit taste and a firmer meat. I need to pick about 3 picking sacks of these.

Next comes the Marsh White grapefruit. I only need 50 pounds of them, they are for the true grapefruit lovers. It”s an heirloom grapefruit, just what everyone remembers growing up. After I get the grapefruit picked I need to check the blood oranges to see if they are getting red inside yet. They are usually ready about mid February but they have been early before. Check out the video to see the results.

After that it’s bag bag bag. Everything gets sacked up in either 5, 10 or 25 pound bags in about 2 and a half hours. Then we load the pickup with all the citrus, dried fruit, tent, tables and supplies so it’s ready to leave for Ventura at 4 in the morning.

Well that takes me to 3 in the afternoon. Now it’s time to get a 15 pound package of navel oranges shipped out to NY and grab some diesel for the tractor so Vicente can pick while I am in Thousand Oaks on Thursday. Then I can sit down and work on my computer for a little bit. Now it’s time for my daughters homework and dinner with the family. My wife made a great smelling stew, perfect for a chilly evening.

Until next time, Ryan

If you would like to know more about our history go to www.fifefarms.com

Our citrus is ready to be shipped.

 Citrus season is in full swing so if you would like to order some delicious pomelos or navel oranges check out http://shop.fifefarms.com/. 

We carry,

Sweet Pomelos, Navel Oranges and super flavorful raisins. We ship anywhere in the U.S. and the citrus is picked the day it’s shipped.

Soon to come..

Seedless blood oranges, Honey Bell tangelos and Heirloom grapefruit.

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Thank You

Fife’s Family Farm, Visalia, CA, www.fifefarms.com

Small Farm, Big Flavor