http://ucanr.org/blogs/losangelesagriculture/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed History, current information, and human interest stories about agriculture in Los Angeles County en-us UC ANR http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/rss/ Sat, 26 Feb 2011 09:50:17 PST Sat, 26 Feb 2011 09:50:17 PST Part Two: Commercial Winemaking Explodes in Los Angeles(1850s – 1860s)As I wrote in Part 1, Los Angeles attracted wine growers in the early 1830s and 1840s and by the mid-1850s, there were over 100 wineries in the Los Angeles area, with at least seventy-five within the town itself (Carosso, 1951). In fact, the 1850 United States Census indicates that there were 57,355 gallons of wine produced in Los Angeles County and in 1851 there were 104 vineyards in Los Angeles County (excluding San......
]]> Sat, 26 Feb 2011 09:50:16 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=4284&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed judiwrites@aol.com(Judi Gerber) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=4284 If you follow urban gardening/agriculture issues, you may have heard about a disagreement that’s received quite a bit of attention.  Folks are upset with the Dervaes family of Pasadena because they have trademarked the terms “Urban Homestead” and “Urban Homesteading”.  This family has operated an impressive mini-farm in their yard for a number of years, and has a website that shares information on how to become self-sufficient by producing food around your home.  They have recently sent letters......
]]> Mon, 21 Feb 2011 22:05:13 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=4268&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ramabie@ucdavis.edu(Rachel A. Surls) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=4268 With the gubernatorial elections in California just weeks away, I have been thinking more about what I'd like to hear from the candidates.  Hunger is a big problem here in Los Angeles County.   I'd like to see our state doing more to address hunger and access to healthy food.  For example, why does California have such low rates of food stamp participation? I haven't yet heard the candidates discuss hunger or food access.    In doing some research on Depression-era agriculture in Los Angeles, I......
]]> Sun, 26 Sep 2010 08:22:30 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=3441&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ramabie@ucdavis.edu(Rachel A. Surls) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=3441 Many people might be surprised to find out that California’s first commercial wine country wasn’t in the Napa or Sonoma Valleys, but Los Angeles County.Grapes were first planted in Los Angeles in the late 1780’s, as Spanish missionaries planted cuttings they brought with them from Spain and Portugal. Unlike the vintners of today, the Franciscan fathers made their wines strictly for private consumption. Not surprisingly, the grapes they produced became known as “mission” grapes. Because wine......
]]> Fri, 13 Aug 2010 12:45:02 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=3148&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed judiwrites@aol.com(Judi Gerber) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=3148 The Great Depression arrived as Los Angeles was booming.  Oil was big business.  Automobiles had begun to transform the landscape.  The movie studios had come to Hollywood.  Industry was increasing throughout the Southland.  And Los Angeles County was the most productive farming county in the US.  At first, the 1929 stock market crash did not have much impact on the average Angeleno.  But quickly, unemployment rose.  By January 1930, a Los Angeles City Council resolution noted that “the......
]]> Fri, 30 Jul 2010 07:48:31 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=3152&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ramabie@ucdavis.edu(Rachel A. Surls) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=3152 A year or so ago, I met Judith Gerber, who like me has a special interest in the history of agriculture in Los Angeles.  Judi, in addition to being one of our UC Master Gardener Volunteers, is a farm and garden writer and author of the recently released book, "Farming in Torrance and the South Bay".  Judi and I are working together to document the agricultural history of Los Angeles County, once the largest farm county in the US, and now the largest urban county.  We've been calling our project......
]]> Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:38:57 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=3050&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ramabie@ucdavis.edu(Rachel A. Surls) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=3050 With more than 10 million residents, and a climate conducive to year-round growing, Los Angeles County is a gardener's paradise.  Gardening has always been popular in Los Angeles but recently has become an even greater passion.  This trend is evident nationally, with a 19% increase in Americans growing their own food, according to a recent survey conducted by the National Gardening Association.  In the current economic situation, gardening is an important strategy to help families improve their......
]]> Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:00:39 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=2420&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ramabie@ucdavis.edu(Rachel A. Surls) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=2420 I’m enjoying “Sending Flowers to America:  Stories of the Los Angeles Flower Market and the People who Built an American Floral Industry”, by Peggi Ridgway and Jan Works.  It tells the story of flower production in the Los Angeles area and the genesis of what is now the “largest wholesale flower district in the United States”. Residents of early Los Angeles found the climate of Los Angeles perfect for growing countless crops, including many kinds of flowers.  According to the authors, “By......
]]> Sun, 14 Feb 2010 17:35:04 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=2298&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ramabie@ucdavis.edu(Rachel A. Surls) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=2298 The highlight of my week was visiting Farm Advisor Andre Biscaro at our Antelope Valley office in Lancaster.  I went with Andre to visit one of his field trials.  He is testing numerous varieties of alfalfa to see what works best in the hot, windy high desert.  Alfalfa has historically been an important crop in Los Angeles County.  A 1940 Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce publication referred to alfalfa as "Green Gold", because it was considered very profitable, and listed the Antelope Valley,......
]]> Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:30:09 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1935&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ramabie@ucdavis.edu(Rachel A. Surls) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1935 I often see and find inspiration in the links between current events around Los Angeles and our county's agricultural heritage.  This week my "ahah" moment came at the Compton Creek Symposium, an event put on jointly by my organization, UC Cooperative Extension, and the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council.  This was a two-day event that brought together community, staff of government agencies, city officials and local non-profits to discuss the Compton Creek watershed and its......
]]> Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:50:55 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1775&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ramabie@ucdavis.edu(Rachel A. Surls) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1775 For a brief period each spring, cherries are available at several pick-your-own farms in Los Angeles County's Antelope Valley, mostly in the community of Leona Valley. Leona Valley is approximately nine miles west of Palmdale, and about 70 miles from downtown Los Angeles. Quite a few varieties of cherries are available, including Bings, Rainiers, Brooks and Black Tartarians. Cherry picking is currently underway, and it's a great family outing. This coming weekend, June 20th and 21st, is......
]]> Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:14:26 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1401&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ramabie@ucdavis.edu(Rachel A. Surls) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1401 The Baldwin Park Community Garden sits in the shadow of the San Bernardino Freeway in Eastern Los Angeles County. As the cars rush by, an effective and innovative community garden grows. I was delighted to be a guest of students and their teachers recently. I was impressed with the public-private partnership which made this garden possible to benefit the community and local children. The garden, which is approximately a quarter acre in size, has both school and community plots. The land and......
]]> Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:36:11 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1374&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ramabie@ucdavis.edu(Rachel A. Surls) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1374 Nothing heralds the coming of summer in Los Angeles quite like the bloom of our jacaranda trees. Jacarandas produce loads of incredible purple flowers in May and June, with trees lining entire streets in some parts of town. Our in-house tree expert at UC Cooperative Extension, Environmental Horticulture Advisor Donald Hodel, considers this year’s LA jacarandas to look “especially handsome and floriferous”. Don is the author of several books on trees, including......
]]> Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:28:23 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1362&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ramabie@ucdavis.edu(Rachel A. Surls) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1362 ]]> Tue, 26 May 2009 08:51:03 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1318&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ramabie@ucdavis.edu(Rachel A. Surls) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1318 ]]> Tue, 19 May 2009 16:41:17 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1304&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ramabie@ucdavis.edu(Rachel A. Surls) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1304 A resident of Pasadena recently contacted me with a “sticky” problem. Bees had created a colony inside the walls of her condo and she wondered what to do. I don’t have any expertise in entomology beyond a few college classes, but I made a few phone calls to see what I could find out. My first stop was the Los Angeles County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office. My organization, UC Cooperative Extension, dispenses gardening advice and information on integrated pest......
]]> Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:33:53 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1047&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ramabie@ucdavis.edu(Rachel A. Surls) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1047 ]]> Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:25:56 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1029&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ramabie@ucdavis.edu(Rachel A. Surls) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1029 ]]> Sat, 14 Feb 2009 23:57:46 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1020&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ramabie@ucdavis.edu(Rachel A. Surls) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1020 One of our talented Master Gardeners, Judi Gerber, is also a historian who has recently published the book Farming in Torrance and the South Bay from the Arcadia Press “Images of America” Series. The book is loaded with photos of Torrance and surrounding communities from the days, not so long ago, when LA County’s South Bay was home to major agriculture, including flower farms, hay and bean production, dairies and much more. Judi shares great information: for example, I......
]]> Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:05:03 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=969&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ramabie@ucdavis.edu(Rachel A. Surls) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=969 ]]> Sat, 17 Jan 2009 12:04:39 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=942&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ramabie@ucdavis.edu(Rachel A. Surls) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=942 I’ve heard many people, including my parents, talk about having received an orange every year in their Christmas stocking. Apparently, this custom dates back many years. I remember reading a Laura Ingalls Wilder book as a child in which Laura was thrilled to receive an orange for Christmas. It was a special treat, at a time when oranges were rare and expensive. During my holiday break, I read an interesting book called “Orange Empire: California and the fruits of Eden”, by......
]]> Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:57:50 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=924&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ramabie@ucdavis.edu(Rachel A. Surls) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=924 ]]> Sun, 28 Dec 2008 16:51:19 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=899&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ramabie@ucdavis.edu(Rachel A. Surls) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=899