- Author: Tammy Majcherek
Pairing up with OC Food Bank and ASICS creates a very unique situation: OC Food Bank seeking opportunities to provide for the hungry, ASICS employees are willing to donate time to harvest orchards, especially those where the fruit may otherwise go to waste; UC ANR South Coast REC is able to provide a nutritious food source for the less fortunate in the community through it's extension project largely maintained by volunteers which is used to educate the public through workshops and tours. Bringing the these groups together benefits the community by assisting the REC with additional man power to properly glean the citrus, important to the health of the trees, and provides OC Food Bank with fresh produce to distribute at the food banks.
Though their time was short, a final tally of the gleaned fruit was 1,462 lbs. The volunteers were very proud of the contributions to such a worthy cause.
- Author: Tammy Majcherek
UC Cooperative Extension, Orange County (UCCE) programs (4-H, EFNEP, Master Gardeners) and the UC ANR South Coast REC teamed up with the StandUp for Kids to organize the “Kids Day Celebration” field trip to the Center on Saturday, March 24th, 2018.
In between face painting, this event centered around hands-on, UC research influenced activities exposing the youth (ages 8 to 18) to the work that we are doing in Orange County.
Attendees took a tour of the Center learning about locally grown crops followed by a mock tasting of citrus, avocados, and cherimoya demonstrating how researchers and growers obtain public opinion testing a varieties worthiness for market. The favorite fruit by far was the blood orange, followed by the kumquat.
Additionally, participants made newspaper pots in which they planted an ‘Albion' strawberry (UC Patented variety) found at a local nursery, talking about conservation and ways that small growers extend the growing seasons.
Smiling faces were in abundance all day.
- Author: Tammy Majcherek
‘Practical Composting for Small Spaces'
Hands-on activities included a tour of the South Coast REC Compost Demonstration Site, learning the proper techniques to turn a bin to maximize consistent temperatures and trying out various tools used for composting and vermiculture.
The highlight of the morning was learning how to make a DIY worm bin to take home - worms and all.
If you missed out on this workshop, we have another opportunity coming up on May 19, 2018.
Please click here to register.
- Author: Tammy Majcherek
South Coast Research and Extension Center
Cherimoya Taste Testing
The cherimoya collection at the South Coast REC contains various cultivars that are not widely available, and sought after by avid fans of this fruit. The varieties that were evaluated included ‘Big Sister', ‘Booth', ‘Deliciosa', ‘El Bumpo', ‘Knight', ‘Lucida', ‘Nata', ‘Orton', ‘Oxhart', ‘Pierce', ‘Santa Rosa', and ‘White'.
As in past years, the harvest at the time of the tasting was limited due to the cold night temperatures in December and early January.
As the name dictates, Deliciosa was the clear winner this year.
South Coast REC 2018 Cherimoya Tasting Top Three Varieties |
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Texture |
Flavor |
Overall |
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Deliciosa |
Deliciosa |
Deliciosa |
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Orton |
Knight |
Knight |
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Pierce |
Orton |
Orton |
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While learning the importance of incorporating fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet and the nutritional benefits, hand outs were also provided with handling tips and recipe ideas such as salsa or fruit salad - perfect for game day or easy entertaining.
Thank you to everyone for supporting this event. A special kudos to our fabulous UCCE Master Gardener and Master Food Preserver volunteers, and Center staff for all of their hard work.
- Author: Tammy Majcherek
Not always having time to process the harvest, coordinator Cinda Webb found a very artful and nutritious way to utilize the fruit - as a fresh centerpiece for her holiday table. After finishing their scrumptious meal, guests readily snacked on the fresh fruits available at their finger tips - leftovers were then later processed as time permitted.
If you would like to learn more about food preservation and public workshops such as 'Preserving the Season: Gifts from the Kitchen' go to http://ucanr.edu/sites/MFPOC/.