- Author: Tammy Majcherek
In collaboration with Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, (140) highschool Freshman and chaperones from Whittier Christian School in Whittier, CA came to UC ANR South Coast REC, as part of their community service requirement. Each student at this grade level is expected to dedicate (10) hours of volunteerism for the school year. To help achieve this goal, the school works with local food banks such as Second Harvest to assist them with a variety of tasks associated with providing food to the hungry Orange County.
‘The fight against hunger is always a challenge', explained Nick Ayo, volunteer coordinator from Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, ‘especially to provide those in need with fresh fruits and vegetables. The fruits collected today will be washed and distributed across the county to young and old alike.'
Pairing up with Second Harvest creates a very unique situation: Second Harvest seeking opportunities to provide for the hungry, has the ability to pair large groups willing 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 two 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 Second Harvest with fresh produce to distribute at the food banks.
Though their time was short, an early tally of the gleaned fruit was 4,800 lbs. The youth and adult volunteers were very proud of the contributions to such a worthy cause.
- Author: Tammy Majcherek
Like to plan ahead? Interest in learning how to reduce your water use? Then be sure to mark your calendar for a fun-filled day on September 26, 2015 from 9am - 2pm.
- Author: Tammy Majcherek
UC ANR South Coast REC 2015 Cherimoya Blind Taste Test
The South Coast Research and Extension Center opened up it gates to invited guests, the California Rare Fruit Growers Assoc. and the UCCE Master Gardeners on Friday, January 23, 2015. Attendees were treated to the fourth annual cherimoya tasting held at the UC ANR South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine.
A crowd of (107) were lined up out the door to evaluate this tropical treat grown at the Center. Through a blind tasting, evaluators were asked to rate the (10) varieties using a basic one to five scale based on texture, flavor, and overall performance.
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', ‘Chaffey', ‘Concha Lisa', ‘Deliciosa', ‘El Bumpo', ‘Nata', ‘Orton', ‘Ott', ‘Oxhart', and ‘Pierce'. The harvest at the time of the tasting was limited this year due to the cold temperatures and rain in December and early January, in addition to the uncharacteristically dry June during pollination.
Unlike the previous open tastings where ‘El Bumpo' reigned as the unanimous winner, there was a shift in the favorites.
|
South Coast REC 2015Cherimoya Tasting Top Three Varieties |
|||||
|
2015 (Blind) |
Texture |
Flavor |
Overall |
||
|
1 |
Orton |
Orton |
Orton |
||
|
2 |
Deliciosa |
Booth |
Booth |
||
|
3 |
Booth |
Deliciosa |
Deliciosa |
||
- Author: Tammy Majcherek
C-h-e-r-i-m-o-y-a. Never heard of it? Come join us January 23rd from 10am to 12pm at the UC ANR South Coast REC for our annual Cherimoya Tasting Event and find out what these delectable tropical delights grown at the Center are all about.
CherimoyaFlyer20153
- Editor: Tammy Majcherek
- Author: Linda Genis
- Contributor: Tammy Majcherek
More Than Numbers……………..
The stats are in for the 2014 UC ANR Urban Landscape and Garden Education Expo! We had 627 visitors sign in, and more than 100 who eagerly went straight to the demonstration landscapes bypassing registration. Visitors came from everywhere between San Diego and the San Fernando Valley. We distributed 1,480 pieces of UC outreach literature. We had 31 vendors, including the UC tables. Five vendors were new to the events. Ninety seven volunteers and 10 staff members energetically putt together the days events.
As a volunteer, whether you bagged hypertufa mix, potted succulents in containers, painted, weeded, dug, cleaned, raked, directed traffic, interacted with the public, or got things organized, you were an important part of this undertaking. We can all be proud of how things turned out and work together to make next year even more spectacular.
Mark your calendar for next year's event: September 26, 2015
