Lychees and longans may be future cash crop for coastal small-scale farmers

Production of the sub-tropical fruits lychee and longan may present a new opportunity to farmers along California's coast, according to Mark Gaskell, the UC Cooperative Extension advisor to small-scale farmers in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.  Ping-pong-ball-sized tree fruit with white, jelly-like flesh, red-skinned lychee and green-yellow-skinned longan are popular among Asian consumers.  Interest in purchasing fresh fruit in California has spurred illegal imports that can carry unwanted pests.  The California Department of Agriculture Pest Exclusion Program provided a $120,000 grant to Ventura County UCCE farm advisor Ben Faber and Gaskell to study local lychee and longan production.  At each of 20 small farms from San Diego County to San Luis Obispo County and at a site at California Polytechnic State University, Pomona, Gaskell and Faber have begun planting six longan varieties and six lychee varieties.  "We're monitoring temperature and relative humidity at each of the research sites," Gaskell said.  "It is still early to tell how well they will do, but they appear to be adapted to roughly the same conditions as avocados."  For more information, contact Gaskell at (805) 934-6240, mlgaskell@ucdavis.edu.

Flavorful capers to be planted in Valley soil this spring

Capers are so prolific in their native Morocco, Italy and Spain, the plants grow in sidewalk cracks and wall fissures.  Those countries supply the world with the processed capers at a retail price of about $1 an ounce.  The United States imports capers to the tune of $21 million a year.  UC Cooperative Extension Fresno County farm advisor Richard Molinar believes small-scale farmers in California could capitalize on growing interest in capers' gourmet taste and the purported healthfulness of Mediterranean cuisine, of which capers are a part.  He begins his first trial at the UC Kearney Agricultural Center near Parlier this spring on several varieties of the small, woody perennials whose flower buds must be tediously handpicked for fresh sale at roadside stands or farmers' markets, or for processing into the more common pickled product.  Molinar said he knows of no commercial caper farmers in California.  However, a Greek immigrant and Molinar's former Cooperative Extension colleague in Contra Costa County, Demetrios Kontaxis, grew the condiment at home for personal use and did some preliminary research.  "Fresno County is probably a little colder than other climates where capers are grown, but Kontaxis feels it will do well here," Molinar said.  "Our research in Parlier will give us the opportunity to observe its growth under (San Joaquin) Valley conditions."  For more information contact Molinar at (559) 456-7555, rhmolinar@ucdavis.edu.

Blueberries another option for San Joaquin Valley growers

Blueberries are mainstays in the East and Northwest, where the plants flourish in acid soils.  But that doesn't mean San Joaquin Valley farmers can't profit from a fruit that is said to be loaded with cancer-fighting anti-oxidant vitamins.  UC Cooperative Extension Tulare County farm advisor Manuel Jimenez has 21 varieties of blueberry plants entering their third year at the UC Kearney Agricultural Center near Parlier.  Last year they bore their first fruit.  "We have one variety that's just exceptional," Jimenez said.  "The taste is far superior to any I have ever tried and the texture is perfect."  The greatest challenge Valley blueberry farmers will face, Jimenez said, is keeping the plant in its preferred low-pH environment.  "Our water is close to a pH of 7," Jimenez said.  "So every time farmers irrigate, the balance can be thrown off.  They must carefully calculate the amount of acid material to add to maintain pH at 5."  Although blueberry farming can be a thorny endeavor, San Joaquin Valley farmers could take advantage of a lucrative market window.  "Prices are good in May and June, when our plants are ready for harvest," Jimenez said.  "Oregon doesn't start harvesting until late June, and everybody else harvests after that."  For more information, contact Jimenez at (559) 733-6363, mjjimenez@ucdavis.edu.

Popular Japanese snack food could be boon for California growers and consumers

Edamame, vegetable soybeans that are usually boiled and eaten out of the pod like peanuts, are wildly popular in Japan, where the crop is grown in greenhouses and is the country's No. 1 import.  California could become one of those suppliers and local markets for the vegetable may grow as more California consumers take a liking to the tasty, healthful snack.  Mark Gaskell, UC Cooperative Extension advisor to small-scale farmers in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, has trials underway to find the best varieties for local production.  "The better varieties are selected for a preferred color of hair on the pods, the pod's dark-green color and a high frequency of pods with two and three seeds," Gaskell said.  "But once you've settled on these horticultural characteristics, there are agronomic issues to consider.  The plant development and maturity is related to the farm's latitude.  It's a specific amount of daylight that will trigger them to flower."  Gaskell said he is currently just scratching the surface of research required to develop commercial edamame production, but he believes the crop holds promise for California.  For more information, contact Gaskell at (805) 934-6240, mlgaskell@ucdavis.edu.

Chili trials improve the offerings for San Joaquin Valley growers

A wide variety of chilies grow well in the San Joaquin Valley, including the jalapeño, serrano, Fresno, chile ancho, cayenne and the uncommonly hot habanero, which is appearing in some restaurants as a curiosity.  Many small-scale growers include chilies as part of their vegetable production systems, said UC Cooperative Extension Tulare County farm advisor Manuel Jimenez.  Jimenez will plant as many as 80 varieties in plots at the UC Kearney Agricultural Center near Parlier late this spring and invite farmers to observe for themselves which ones they might want to cultivate in 2001.  Among the plants Jimenez will sample are a wide variety of jalapeños, the most popular of the fresh-market peppers.   "One problem with peppers is they get sun blotches on them," Jimenez said.  "We're trying to identify varieties that don't.  You can't sell jalapeños that have black stains."  Jimenez also seeks to find varieties that yield well.  For more information, contact Jimenez at (559) 733-6363, mjjimenez@ucdavis.edu.

Herb studies expanding at the Kearney Agricultural Center

Huang qu, a sprawling perennial legume said to stimulate the immune system, she-gan, used to treat hoarseness and sore throats, and hun que, grown as a plant aid in digestion, will join more common herbs, such as comfrey, ephedra, feverfew and St. John's wort, in trials being planted this spring by UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor in Fresno County Richard Molinar at the UC Kearney Agricultural Center near Parlier.  In addition, Molinar will expand his work with Echinacea, an herb used in teas and supplements to boost the immune system, and the culinary herb rosemary.  Molinar will compare two kinds of Echinacea:  angustifolia and purpurea.  "The first is more difficult to grow, but it has more potential in the marketplace," Molinar said.  "Purpurea has flooded the market."  Molinar started rosemary trials last year.  "We keep expanding and bringing in other varieties," he said.  "Some grow slower, others have more distinct flavors.  We will be comparing the different varieties available."  For more information, contact Molinar at (559) 456-7555, rhmolinar@ucdavis.edu.