Producer
Profile.
By David Gaines.
Ha's Apple Farm, Apple Sherrill Orchards, Johna's Organic Orchard.
Producer
Profile.
Ha's Apple Farm, Apple Sherrill Orchards, Johna's Organic Orchard.
John Chapman -- who later became legendary as Johnny Appleseed -- set out from Massachusetts in 1797 to strew apple seeds and grow seedlings all over the Midwest, most prominently in Ohio and Indiana. He didn't scatter seeds randomly all over the landscape, as legend would have it, but rather established elaborate nurseries. It was good business sense, since at the time it was a law in several states that homesteads should plant 50 apple trees in their first year of existence to create a stable farm environment. Apples were also considered to be a healthy addition to a family's diet.
Many members of our fast-food culture still enjoy the health benefits, lush aroma and sweet tart taste of the ever-popular fruit, eclipsed in popularity only by the orange. Apples grow in a variety of different temperate climates all over the world, but thrive most actively in the cooler regions of Europe, North America and Asia. Michigan, Washington and New York are still the states that lead the nation in apple output, with Washington State the overall leader.
California, however, also has a robust apple growing trade, much of it in the foothill regions of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Three apple farmers -- Apple Sherrill Orchards near Arvin, and Ha's Farm and Johna's Organic Orchard from Tehachapi -- consistently rise to the challenge of bringing fresh, tasty fruit to the Harbor Area Farmers Markets, an association of markets sponsored by the South Coast Interfaith Council. The Tehachapi Valley region boasts of warm summer days and cold nights at an elevation of 4,100 feet on the most southern tip of the Sierras. The foothill farm region near Arvin at 500-foot elevation has very hot summers and moderately cold winters, an area ideal for many crops, including apples and peaches.
Apple Sherrill Orchards is a family farm operated by two couples: Reynaldo Rangel and his wife Martha, and Isaac Vargas and his wife Lucia. The two couples are good friends as well as business partners, who met in Mexico before moving north to seek a better life. The 57-acre farm is located near the small Kern County town of Arvin, in the foothills close by the mountains surrounding Tehachapi. The farm has been in operation continuously for 39 years. The two couples purchased the farm from original owner Lewis Sherrill about five years ago. Reynaldo worked for Sherrill for 25 years and Isaac for 15 years before taking over the farm. "He wanted us to have the farm because he knew we would take good care of it," Lucia Vargas affirms. "So he helped us get a loan and helped in many other ways." Apple Sherrill Orchards grows a large assortment of tree fruit, including 13 types of apples, three varieties of peaches, two of apricots, and three of oranges; as well as lemons, grapefruit, plums, figs, tangerines and pomegranates. One variety of peach, Sherrill's Delight, was perfected by Lewis Sherrill.
David Ha started Ha's Farm with his wife Kyung 23 years ago with brothers, cousins, and other in-laws. He began with 20 acres, and 15 years ago added 100 more acres to kick the business into high gear. "I was an electrician before I started farming, so I had to teach myself how to farm," David Ha explains. "We then learned how to farm together as a family. Right now we have about eight family members working on the farm or selling at the markets, but we need to hire outside help for pruning, thinning and harvesting." Ha's Farm grows a large variety of different types of apples, including Fuji, Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Gala, and Pink Lady® brand. They also grow some peaches, raspberries, cherries, and, specifically for jelly, pomegranates. Ha's many apples, some peaches and some raspberries are in all five HAFM markets (and apple juice on Saturdays and Sundays only), usually sold by smiling, energetic salesperson Philip Shen, who is married to David Ha's cousin.
The Has also grow wheat on three acres of land for their sugar-free apple and peach turnovers, which David's wife bakes, and which are available in HAFM's Long Beach Southeast market on Sundays. Ha's apples (and those of the other apple farms) are kept in cold storage for up to ten months, which doesn't hamper the taste or quality significantly since they use strict temperature controls. Storage coolers are on their property and so can be regulated very carefully. David said he has a good cooling system and uses precise temperatures to make the apples stay in good condition longer, and to keep their original sweet, juicy taste.
Johna's Organic Orchard is operated by the Chung family: father Johna, mother Susan, and son David. Johna started the farm in 1978 with 20 acres. In 1996 David quit his job back east to move back on the farm to help out. In 1997 they added 40 more acres for a total of 60. David Chung explains that most apples must be grown in an area with four distinct seasons, and that different types of apples need specific types and levels of nutrition. Therefore a farmer must be very aware of the biology of each variety and of the climate and soil conditions. "If the summer is too hot, apples can get stressed, so we have an organic material, like a sunblock for people, that we spray on the apples if it gets too hot, which is anywhere from 90 to 95 degrees," the young farmer maintains. "At 4,100 feet it is usually about 80 to 90 degrees in the summertime here. We do get a little bit of snow each year, but it doesn't hurt the trees, which are usually dormant by then."
Chung says that the skins and leaves of an apple are very sensitive, especially those of the ever-popular Fuji apple. Fuji leaves are very soft compared to the heavy Red Delicious leaves, so farmers must be very careful to keep mites and aphids from eating the leaves of the Fuji apple trees. Pruning and thinning apples is always very tricky. In addition, apples need rich, hearty soil with a lot of nutrients to make good fruit. The young farmer reveals that temperatures have increased dramatically during the last decade. "I really do believe that global warming is to blame for the increasing temperatures. It could be a very serious problem for farmers in the future," says Chung. One recurring problem plagues apple farmers when temperatures get too warm before springtime: the added warmth allows tree buds to start blooming too early. The problem occurs if it gets cold again after the buds come out, since it will freeze the delicate flowers. If this happens, most of the apples will be lost. "This happened this spring (2005) in the Tehachapi Valley. It's happened to us many times, but it is always quite a blow to lose most of our crop," says Chung.
All three farms practice organic farming on some scale [Ha's Fuji apples are certified organic as of '07], but only Johna's Organic Orchard is certified to grow and sell all their fruit labeled as such, a distinction that requires being monitored and approved by a certification agency. Although all three farms grow a large amount of apples, they also produce a variety of other tree fruit. Ha's Farm also grows peaches, raspberries and cherries, and even wheat for its home-made turnovers. Apple Sherrill Orchards also grows peaches, apricots and pomegranates. And Johna's Organic Orchard also grows peaches and Asian pears.
In the early '90s the Chung family started learning organic farming by themselves and from a friend's grandfather, who himself raised organic olives and almonds on his own farm. In 1998 they become certified as organic. "My dad started practicing organics a few years before I came home from Michigan, so we were able to get certified in two years," says son David. "The certification agencies are very strict. Most of the research we've done to learn organic farming has been on our own." Even with the best science, initiative, and effort, according to Chung, an organic farmer will usually lose 40-50 percent of each year's crop due to pests, disease and viruses, whether they are weeds, bugs, fungus or mold. Most farmers using petrochemical methods only lose a small percentage of their crops each year, a testament to the potentially harmful chemicals they use to combat pests. In addition, fertilizers that are certified organic are twice the cost of regular chemical fertilizers. The Chungs use a natural liquid compost to give their trees maximum nutrition. It's sprayed right onto the leaves, and the tree then absorbs into its system.
Although not certified organic, Apple Sherrill Orchards operates using organic farming methods, meaning chemical fertilizers and pesticides are not used. When Lewis Sherrill owned and operated the farm he used organic methods, so he mentored the two couples in those labor-intensive methods. "Mr. Sherrill never used chemicals to get rid of the weeds," Lucia Vargas explains. "So we do it the same way he did, by mowing the weeds and then plowing them into the ground, which is considered 'green fertilizer.' One thing we do to keep fungus from ruining the fruit is to smear cooking oil on the tree trunks. And we also make our own natural compost for fertilizer: we use the fruit pulp that is left over after we make our juices, and we use old tree branches, leaves, and other organic materials."
David Ha grows some of his apples using organic methods and is working toward becoming entirely certified (as his Fuji apples are since beginning '07). Most of his older apple trees are maintained using organic methods. "I still use a small amount of pesticides for the young trees that are not very strong and often have problems with bugs."
All three farms produce spinoff or "value-added" products: Ha's Farm produces juices, home-style apple turnovers, butter, jellies, jams, vinegar, fruit leather rollups and dried apple chips, all made from fresh fruits; Johna's Organic Orchard juices and sells unpasteurized apple cider, apple sauce, and dried apple chips; and Apple Sherrill Orchards specializes in making delicious fruit juices for sale at farmers' markets all over the Southland. The fruit they harvest can only be sold as long as it lasts, but the juices are sold all year long and are a mainstay in the late winter, spring and early summer when there is very little fruit left to sell.
Apple Sherrill Orchards' juices are made in a specially designed "Cider Room," a small building designed and used many years ago by Lewis Sherrill to produce a wide variety of juices. Making juice is a very labor-intensive operation, one that has workers washing and sorting the fruit, pulping it in several different stages, pressing it into juice, and then finally bottling and packing it for distribution. Mr. Sherrill's son Lewis Jr. designed a special hydraulic juice press for the operation. The press streamlines the juicing part of the process, whereby the thick, juicy pieces of pulp are squeezed into juice. The farm turns out ten healthy, delicious flavors of juice, which include apple-cherry-pomegranate, apple-cherry-passion fruit, apple-carrot, and orange. The juices are 100% natural, with no added sugar, water or preservatives. Most of the fruits are grown on their property, except the carrots. Most of the juices are pasteurized, except for the raw apple juice and some of the pomegranate juice. Lucia Vargas says a law may soon take effect that would require all of them to be pasteurized. She says pasteurization is very important for people with weak immune systems. A downside of the unpasteurized juices is that they only have a shelflife of five days after being opened, and seven days without opening.
Another innovation that Mr. Sherrill initiated was keeping fruit trees small, usually about six or seven feet tall. In this way ladders were not necessary to pick the fruit, and it would store up more nutrients. And with the trees using less energy to grow leaves, branches and fruit, the remaining fruit was much sweeter and more succulent. Apple Sherrill Orchards' owners have used irrigation sprinklers for many years, but will soon be putting in a drip system to conserve water. "During the summer months, when we use the most water, our water bill is about $8,000 per month," Lucia insists. "So drip irrigation will save a lot of time setting up and moving sprinklers. It will also save us a lot of money."
Even with all of the attendant problems and hard work inherent in farming, most farmers still love the lifestyle and the work. "My family and I still love farming, even though there are a lot of stresses involved," says David Chung. "But it's nice working outdoors with nature, and it's nice working together with your family." "Farming is more of a lifestyle than a job or a business," Lucia Vargas maintains. "We work night and day throughout the whole week, but it is very satisfying knowing that people enjoy our produce and juices." "There are many secrets to getting an excellent-tasting apple," David Ha insists. "I think that the methods that we use to grow the apples have a lot to do with it, but also the methods we use for storing our apples in coolers after they're harvested are also extremely important."
All in all, apples remain one of the most popular fruits in the HAFM markets, thanks in large part to the hard-working farmers who bring them to market from these three "apple specialty" farms.