A Farmer’s Story That Needs To Be Told: Reprint of 2017 Special to the Mountain Democrat
The year was 1947. The place is Pasadena, California. The people gathered around the bridge table are regulars. The topic is a regular complaint about the lousy weather, and the city congestion. It was, as L. G. “Frank” Beals put it at the time, “making him sick.” Frank was is one...[Read More]
Valentina, Ida, son Luigi, Papa Vigliano. Valentina runs the hotel affairs and makes ceramics, Mama Ida cooks, makes mozzarella each morning, Papa supervises everyone, including the 2 pigs, and 2 cows that make this an authentic agritourismo farm stay. This, like so many Italian families in business, members glean continued perseverance and success from ancestorial efforts, requisitioning only the...[Read More]
“Just days ago on Feb.16 the California almond industry celebrated National Almond Day with a big campaign to get the entire nation eating one of California’s top crops.
“Don’t limit yourself to just one nut, however. California Assembly Bill 1067 approved by the governor on July 10, 2017 made the almond, pistachio, pecan and walnut all the State Nut....[Read More]
Every winter, my boredom with the dreary weather and its indoor regimen force me into the most evil tasks. While the wind howls and the last of fall gets blown away, cabinets get scrubbed, linens get rearranged, and loads of extra wash and dry create snuggle spots for the cats. The snow begins its steady drifts and the driveway is a sheet of ice. Going out is out of the question. My spirits begin...[Read More]
Persimmon is a Fall favorite, native to China, introduced to California during the mid 1800’s. There are many varieties of the “non-astringent” persimmon which contains less tannins than its “astringent” cousins which must ripen fully to be eaten or included in recipes. I have used both California persimmons most easily found, the Fuyu and Hachiya varieties in baking by ripening them in...[Read More]
Wondering what to do with all that squash? Too many apples? You’ve been called to Apple Hill™ and know the first day of Autumn is September 22, Thursday (2016). You know the trees will soon be a blaze of color: Come visit the farms! The farmers’ markets are bounding in every kind of squash, melon and pumpkin imaginable....[Read More]
The year was 1947. The place is Pasadena, California. The people gathered around the bridge table are regulars. The topic is a regular complaint about the lousy weather, and the city congestion. It was, as L. G. “Frank” Beals put it at the time, “making him sick.” Frank was is one of the gang with a regular itch for country life and hopeful for a resolution to his “citified”...[Read More]
If it’s Labor Day the chances are pretty good that tomatoes are available and in demand. Ingomar Packing is one of the biggest tomato processing companies in the Central Valley / Los Banos area. A typical tomato truck holds 50,000 pounds of tomatoes, which is about 300,000 tomatoes. California is the nation’s largest producer of processed tomatoes, accounting for 96% of U.S. output and...[Read More]
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“Schlein – Hurley” are two historical El Dorado County family names carved into the sign on Garden Valley Road along with “Irish Creek Ranch”. Twenty-nine gravestones in the cemetery at Georgetown attest to the size of this large local family who lived and worked here. It was great-grandmother Rebella Schlein who continued the ranching tradition by buying up 350 acres three miles south...[Read More]
Betty is a California-based writer whose work explores local history, travel, food, and the people who shape community life. Her storytelling is rooted in curiosity, culture, and real-world experience.
Stories of place, people, and culture - told with curiosity and heart - telling stories that bring places and people to life.
Betty is a Gold Country-based writer covering regional history, travel, food, and human-interest stories, with a focus on the people and traditions that define a place.