The Loewen Family and Blossom Bluff Orchards in Parlier. Like many young people, Bryce Loewen, now 38, was eager to head off to the big city for college after high school. Leaving the Central Valley wasn’t difficult for the aspiring animator who was eager to taste life in the bustling Bay Area. “Initially, the idea of moving to the big …
A Beautiful Bounty
A Labor of Love for Blueberries at Thor Farms… April and May are special months at area farmers markets, at least for fans of local blueberries. They are the few months when the snow chaser, prima donnas, and spring high varieties of southern low bush blueberries come into season at Thor Farms in Hanford, and Wendy Thorbus sets out to …
Fresh Flavors
Ferrer Family Farms… When Maria Ferrer slices into one of her blood oranges to demonstrate its beauty and flavor to her farmers market customers, she knows she’s also building a network around herfruit. “My mom really likes the relationships with the different customers she has,” says her youngest son, Oscar. “They’ve built a whole community around the farmers markets.” Blood …
House Made
Tamales From Rosa Linda’s… Just before thanksgiving, the phones start ringing at Rosa Linda’s Alta Cocina Mexicana and they don’t slow down until the new year. The fall and winter holidays drive demand for tamales, and locals have known for years to call in their orders to Rosa Linda’s, either in Fresno, Clovis or the original Selma location. The tamales, …
Green Acres
Microgreen Depot… When Ivan Argueta took a look at the terms of his student loans, he decided he needed a side hustle to get out from under them. The Reedley native had majored in philosophy at Fresno State University and was in the beginnings of a master’s at Fresno Pacific University when he had a reckoning with his personal finances. …