Mon, June 16, 2008

Tour Santa Clara County farms, June 28

Press release

By April Vargas on Mon, June 16, 2008

"So much at risk, so much to save"

Join the Committee for Green Foothills on Saturday, June 28, for a tour of Santa Clara Valley agriculture and learn more about the heritage and sustainability of local farming. We’ll meet local farmers, hear first-hand about the challenges they face, and enjoy fresh-from-the-field delights.

The day includes transportation through the beautiful hillsides, talks from various farming and land-use experts, a catered lunch, fruit and wine tasting. Our buses will leave San Jose at 9am and return at 5pm.

Advance registration only - transportation details will be sent upon receipt of your registration.

We’ll start our tour with a tasting of tree-ripened fruit from

Andy’s Orchard, a long-time family farm operated by fruit expert Andy Mariani. On his beautiful 30-acre farm in the Morgan Hill countryside, Andy grows numerous varieties of apricots and other stone fruit, all tree-ripened and harvested by hand. We’ll also have time to visit Andy’s famous Country Store.

Next, we’ll travel to Mission Organics Farm at the southern end of Santa Clara County. This large operation grows organic leaf lettuce and other row crops for

EarthBound Farms, whose bagged salads are sold in more than 80% of US grocery stores. A portion of Mission Organics Farm is protected with a 170-acre easement owned by the

Silicon Valley Land Conservancy.

We’ll then head to the 702-acre Doan Ranch, which includes both grassland and riparian habitat in the upper Coyote watershed. Long-time south county rancher Don Silacci has a grazing lease on this property, which was purchased last year by the

Santa Clara County Open Space Authority. Here we’ll meet Don, enjoy a locally-grown catered lunch under tents on this beautiful pastureland, and be treated to an historical interpretation of Juan Bautista de Anza himself!

After lunch, we’ll head to

Thomas Kruse Winery, a small-scale family winery and vineyard nestled into the foothills east of Gilroy. Their 2004 Cabernet just won the Double Gold Award from the San Francisco Chronicle. Tom is known for welcoming visitors to the winery, even holding volunteer grape harvest parties in the fall. We will close our tour with a tasting of Tom’s

award-winning wines.

If you have any questions please contact Wendee Crofoot at (650) 968-7243 x314 or

[email protected].

Don’t miss this opportunity to enjoy the countryside & learn how open space agencies are helping Farmer’s and Ranchers get food to your table.