Food And Farm News
10-29-2025
Most California pumpkins are grown in one county
Californians searching supermarkets for the perfect pumpkin this week are likely to select a squash grown by Bryan Van Groningen, co-owner and vice president of crops and soils at Van Groningen & Sons in Manteca, or by another farmer in San Joaquin County, which produces most of the pumpkins sold in the state. "We get the warm temperatures in the daytime and cooler nights," Van Groningen said. "The plants thrive in those conditions." The fourth-generation farmer grows 55 different pumpkin varieties and sells as many as 10 million pumpkins a year. Varieties include the Knucklehead and Warty Minion, both covered with unsightly bumps; the Fairytale, flat and round with deep ribs; and the Big Mac, weighing in at up to 120 pounds. "I'd say we have every color except for maybe purple," Van Groningen said.
Sweeter Brussels sprouts are winning over new fans
While decades-old baggage may deter some diners from delighting in Brussels sprouts, newer varieties of the cruciferous vegetable have won over consumers and found a home in California restaurants. About 30 years ago, a Dutch scientist first identified the chemicals, called glucosinolates, that made Brussels sprouts bitter, and breeders began working to produce sweeter varieties. Those are the varieties commonly grown today. Alex Rodoni, whose family grows Brussels sprouts on California's Central Coast, said demand peaked around 2021 and has remained strong, especially during the holiday season. That's also when freshly harvested Brussels sprouts tend to taste best. "They taste the sweetest when it's coldest when they're harvested," Rodoni said.
Healthy avocado trees prove resilient to wildfires
Lessons learned from destructive wildfires in Ventura County have given avocado growers a fighting chance to save their orchards when the next big blaze hits. Ben Faber, University of California Cooperative Extension citrus and avocado adviser for Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, learned from the effects of the 2017 Thomas Fire and last year's Mountain Fire that well-irrigated avocado trees can recover from a fast-moving blaze within four months. Faber cautioned growers not to give up on their trees, as fire damage in avocado trees can initially look bad but turn out to be superficial. "You have to wait to let the tree tell you what's going to happen," he said. Nov. 6 marks the one-year anniversary of the Mountain Fire, which damaged 389 acres of avocados, according to the Ventura County agricultural commissioner's office.
Aggressive weed plagues California cilantro growers
The spread of yellow nutsedge, an aggressive weed that thrives in coastal conditions, has put a damper on an otherwise phenomenal period for California cilantro growers. The weed is found in the major cilantro-growing regions of the state, including Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties. "Nutsedge competes for water, nutrients and can block out sunlight if it's not removed before it spreads out in cilantro," said Oleg Daugovish, University of California Cooperative Extension vegetable farm adviser in Ventura County, adding that it is one of the worst weeds in the world. "The only way to get rid of nutsedge currently is to pull it out by hand, which is cost-prohibitive in cilantro." This month, Daugovish was wrapping up a two-year trial on an herbicide to combat nutsedge and plans to release his findings sometime this fall.
For more information about any story in Food and Farm News, contact the California Farm Bureau Marketing/Communications Division at 916-561-5550 or email news@cfbf.com. Connect with us on Facebook, X, or Instagram: @CAFarmBureau.
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