Food & Farm News
» September 30, 2009 «
Plentiful pumpkin supply in California
Consumers will find California grown pumpkins with excellent quality this year when they search for the perfect Halloween pumpkin. California pumpkins avoided problems from rain that have slowed production in other parts of the nation. Growers say the summer weather helped produce a great crop. Harvest has been underway for some time. Farmers are sending pumpkins to retail stores in California and other western states. California ranks third in pumpkin production behind Illinois and Pennsylvania.
Pomegranate quality excellent
Pomegranates with deep red color and high sugar content are being picked from California orchards. The Pomegranate Council credits the temperate summer temperatures with producing excellent fruit. Consumers continue to increase demand for pomegranates domestically, and export demand continues to grow as well. Most California grown pomegranates come from the southern San Joaquin Valley where the climate is usually dry at harvest time. Pomegranates are like cherries in that rain near harvest time would cause the fruit to split, making it unfit for the fresh market.
Consumers choosing lower priced wines 
Studious consumers are finding bargains at some retail stores and restaurants where wines are offered at discounted prices. Wine consumption continues to increase despite the recession, but shoppers have become extremely price conscious. Many wine brands and retailers have begun offering special prices to attract those consumers. For grape growers the situation means that wineries want to buy only the number of grapes specified in their contracts, but no more.
San Diego County Medfly quarantine announced
A 77 square mile agricultural quarantine zone has been established in the Escondido area to combat a Mediterranean fruit fly infestation The quarantine means that farmers must have crops declared free of pests and follow other rules before they can ship produce. Officials also ask residents not to move produce out of the zone. A mated female Medfly was found in Escondido in early September. That triggered an eradication program, but no more files have been found so far.
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