Two hands reaching around an apple.Tiny plain transparent version of HAFM logo, with two hands reaching around an apple.Producer Profile.
Page 2: More Nejely Farm Photos from 1/21/04.
 

Southland Farmer Brings Cherimoyas and Other Exotic
Sub-tropical Fruits to Harbor Area Farmers Markets.


Oldest on Karl's acreage, the venerable mulberry tree.
 This venerable elder of Karl's two mulberry trees is estimated to be nearing its 60th year. Its incredibly satisfying berries are brought to market in May and June.
A glimpse into the old-growth avocado cathedral.
 There are 88 Fuerte avocado trees lending their 40-ft-high canopies to this many-vaulted natural cathedral, in which Karl often regains the calm, humble perspective of the sublimely dedicated simple life, after the bustling hubbub of a long marketing day. The humus underfoot is inches thick, offering perfect protection for the newest roots.
Karl picks avocados at dizzying heights.
 Yet, it merits mention that maintaining this avocado grove in its 40-yr-old spiritual pristineness has its commercial consequences: fruit is borne only on new growth, typically near the top of the canopy, the harvesting of which requires ever-steelier nerves and longer ladders. Here Karl scales a cathedral flying buttress.
The Nejely home's front yard view, dotted with encroaching developments.
 When the Nejelys first moved onto the hilltop from which this view is now seen, there were only several very distant neighbors.
Karl and a recently stumped Fuerte avocado tree, showing robust regrowth.
 While it may seem to the casual observer that Karl is always looking UP, he also looks FORWARD, to the future. Here he displays one of the 24 Fuerte avocado trees which he stumped (with the help of one of his sons) in 2002, and you see its vibrant regrowth, from which he expects to harvest new fruit in '05. He is kept fairly busy trimming down the sucker shoots which are constantly popping up out of the root systems.
Karl lovingly pulls weeds from around one of his new cherimoya trees.
 Karl also often looks DOWN even in the process of looking FORWARD, as he does here upon myriad weeds crowding in on his new grove of 50 young cherimoya trees (grown another foot since being planted in 2003, and on which can already be found a small fruit here and there). It is a testament to Karl's genuine concern for the health of the land, the trees and the consumers of the succulent abundance, that he lovingly pulls the most proximate weeds himself, and carefully mows down the others among the widely spaced grove members. He does not use herbicides (nor fungicides nor pesticides, for that matter).
Click here to return to the main Nejely Farm Producer Profile Page.

Back to the Top

The handy navigation bar is courtesy of http://www.milonic.co.uk/menu