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Fruit with a Golden Glow
Diagonally opposite Eatwell Farms' impressive and always-crowded
vegetable stand at the southern entrance to the Saturday San Francisco Ferry Plaza
Farmers' Market, you'll find the equally impressive and equally crowded fruit stand of
Goldbud Farms glowing yellow umbrellas that accentuate the translucent golden glow of
their fruit.
Putting Down Roots in Placerville
When Ron Mansfield, the owner/manager of Goldbud Farms, graduated from
U.C. Davis in 1976 with a degree in Renewable Natural Resources, he wasn't sure where he
was headed career-wise. He spent the first few years out of school working as a seasonal
harvest hand, picking tomatoes and pears, before an opportunity came up to work at the
University of California's Extension Service based in Placerville (in the foothills of the
Sierra Nevada Mountains) doing research on farming-related problems.
He fell in love with Placerville and was determined to find a way he could stay there. Fortunately, that opportunity came when a friend from southern California agreed to co-invest with Ron to start a fruit orchard operation. They bought a small run-down orchard and began replanting, first cherries then expanding into other stone fruits. Today, Ron owns a 50-acre orchard and also manages an additional 200 acres. The farm consists of 90 acres of apples, 60 acres of wine grapes, and 20 acres each of cherries, peaches, plums, nectarines and pears.
A Well-Laid Out Schedule
With reasonable predictability about the harvest time of his fruits,
Ron has developed a comprehensive schedule of what his customers at the Market can expect
throughout the year. But you'll rarely see Ron at the Market. He works a 7-day week on the
farm during the harvest season -- picking and packing fruit to ship to wholesalers and
preparing direct mail-orders.
You will find on average 4 different types of fruit at their stand every Saturday throughout the year, except for a brief period in March and April when there is no fruit to harvest from Goldbud's Sierra foothills orchards.
Here's an indispensable guide to Goldbud's seasons:
Cherries | Peaches | Nectarines | Plums | Pears | Apples |
Burlat May 20 - May 25 Bing Van Rainier(white) Montmorency Lambert |
Springcrest June 25 - July 5 Spring Lady Snowflame Roza Redhaven Redtop Suncrest Fay Elberta Cresthaven O'Henry Cal Red Indian Blood Summerset Fairtime Last Chance |
Snow Queen July 5 - July 20 Firebrite Flavortop Red Diamond Arctic Rose Summer Grand Fantasia Red Gold Sparkling Red Royal Giant Late Le Grand Flaming Red Flamekist Fairlane
|
Santa Rosa July 5- July 20 Queen Rosa Simka Friar Rosemary Kelsey Sunnyside Royal Diamond Freedom Empress Elephant Heart Queen Ann Autumn Rosa Amanda Rosa
|
Early Bartlett July 5 - July 15 Bartlett Red Sensation Asian Pears French Butter Yellow Salad Buerre Bosc Comice
|
Golden Delicious Sept 5 - Dec 20 Jonagold Royal Gala Red Delicious Empire Mutsu Granny Smith Red Rome Braeburn Fuji |
Thriving in Mountain Air and Mountain Soil
Ron's 250 acres extend across different elevations of the foothills,
ranging from 2,800 ft. to 3,000 ft. and are volcanic soil which is rich in minerals. He
claims that these gifts of Mother Nature give him 3 advantages over most other Northern
California fruit growers who are concentrated in lower elevations, closer to sea-level
where the soil is alluvial:
Goldbud's Extensive Scope
Ron estimates that about 50% of his crop is sold in the greater San
Francisco Bay Area through a combination of 2-3 farmers' markets and wholesale channels.
The other 50% is sold throughout the U.S. and is exported through wholesalers.
Most of it is sold fresh. Only a very small portion of his fruit is processed: cherries are made into a sauce, various fruits are dried and apples are made into juice.
Goldbud's Philosophy: "Eat It as Soon as
you Buy It"
We've find that almost all the fruit we buy at the Market is perfectly
ripe and doesn't have a long shelf-life. Ron confirms our observations: "Goldbud's
fruit is picked within one day of perfect maturity so you have about 3 days to enjoy it at
the peak of ripeness."
Don't Miss These Gems
I've discovered that Goldbud offers a few very special items that aren't
available generally available elsewhere in the Market. These items aren't featured at the
Goldbud stand because the crop is small, so you'll have to keep an eye out for them. These
include: Seckel Pears, Concord
Grapes, and Quince.
Other Highlights
Goldbud's self-service "tasting corner" is an easy way for customers to take a sneak preview of what's available that week.
West Coast Cherry Pit Spitting Championships: On Father's Day weekend sponsored by Goldbud Farms. Everyone is welcomed.
October 1996
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