Farmers Markets
A quick look at Farmers Markets throughout the San Joaquin Valley.
Family Heirloom
Balakian Farms in ReedleyStory by Christine Vartanian Datian | Photos courtesy of Balakian Farms Fourth-Generation Farmer and entrepreneur Amber Balakian’s great-grandparents were immigrants who fled the Armenian Genocide more than a century ago. They settled in Reedley, a small San Joaquin Valley farming town, where they planted vineyards. Balakian Farms was founded in 1925 by Zadig Balakian. His son, John …
Family Farm
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 …