Food & Farm News

» May 2, 2012 «

Avocados bring the party to Cinco de Mayo

The run-up to Cinco de Mayo brings a key time for avocado sales. The California Avocado Commission estimates Americans will consume 81 million pounds of avocados during Cinco de Mayo celebrations. The avocado season in California runs from spring through fall, so shoppers looking for guacamole ingredients should find good supplies of California-grown avocados in stores.

Harvest accelerates in 'world's salad bowl'

Despite erratic weather earlier in the season, farmers report few problems as harvest picks up in the Salinas Valley. For the next several weeks, the valley will be the source for much of the strawberries, lettuce and other vegetables being sold in markets around the country. Monterey County agricultural officials report that the crops in the region are doing fine, as harvests return from winter growing areas in Southern California and Arizona.

Final snow survey shows dry conditions

It's called the “frozen reservoir,” but water supplies remain below average in the Sierra Nevada snowpack. Surveyors who completed the year's fifth and final snow survey yesterday (Tuesday) reported the snowpack stood at 40 percent of average for this time of year. That means reduced water supplies for many people, but the state Department of Water Resources says wet weather last year helped fill reservoirs, and that the stored water will ease water shortages.

Rice planting plays catch-up

They're making up for lost time in Northern California rice fields, as farmers work to get this year's crop planted. Late rains put farmers behind schedule by a few weeks, but they say they expect to plant more than 544,000 acres of rice this year. California is the number-two rice producing state overall, but leads the nation in production of “sticky rice” varieties used in sushi and other Asian and Middle Eastern dishes.