What Could We Do with Almond Hulls?

Almonds and Almond Hulls

Did you know that for every pound of almonds produced we’re also left with two pounds of almond hulls? That adds up to about 40,000 tons produced in California each year—an enormous amount of potential debris! Luckily, there are many uses for almond hulls. For example, ground hulls are rich in sugar, nutritious minerals and […]

Posted on October 16th, 2018

Special for Pumpkin Spice Season – Spiced Pumpkin Almond Butter (Recipe)

Is it Pumpkin Spice season yet? It must be because it’s Pun’kin Patch Corner time at Maisie Jane’s! That’s when we welcome you all to the farm for pumpkin family adventures and it starts THIS week. Come by 3764 Hegan Lane in Chico for the next several weekends from 10 am – 5 pm for […]

Posted on October 4th, 2018

Quotes About Farming and Farm Life

Quote About Farming

Farming is hard work, good work, important work. Today’s blog post is a celebration of farming and what we love about it. “This land pulses with life. It breathes in me; it breathes around me; it breathes in spite of me. When I walk on this land, I am walking on the heartbeat of the […]

Posted on September 6th, 2018

It’s Almond Harvest Season at Maisie Jane’s

Shaking the Almond Trees

We’re so excited—it’s almond harvest season! And that means shaking the trees with our mechanical tree shakers – and kids having fun in the orchard while they fall all around. And the fun (and hard work) has only just begun. After the nuts are all on the ground, a sweeper will come through and sweep […]

Posted on August 23rd, 2018

Saturday is National Honey Bee Day!

Honey Orange-Glazed Almonds

Saturday, August 18th is National Honey Bee Day! Honey bees are the almond grower’s best friend so we need to celebrate! We bring honey bees into our almond orchards every year because every almond you eat exists only because some sweet bee pollinated an almond blossom. And the bees benefit, too! Almond blossom nectar provides […]

Posted on August 17th, 2018

Summertime in the Almond Orchards

Almonds Cracking Open in July and August

One of the nice things about living in Chico, CA is how closely connected almost the entire community is to the lifecycles of our local produce. Nuts, of course, are a big deal in this area and the almond orchards draw people out to the countryside throughout the year. One of my favorite times is […]

Posted on July 10th, 2018

Thankful to Be Family Farming!

Hurtado Family

At Maisie Jane’s, farming is definitely a family affair—we’ve been at it for four generations!  And as we look forward to celebrating Thanksgiving, we can’t help but be thankful to be family farming together. What’s great about family farming? Where do I begin?!! According to a United States Department of Agriculture study and a variety of […]

Posted on November 22nd, 2017

It’s Almond Harvest Season!

roasted almonds

We’ve been in almond harvesting season here in Chico, CA and that means it’s time to shake those nuts from the tree! At harvest time, we use mechanical shakers to get the nuts to fall. And you better stay out of the way when it happens because as you can see in the above video made […]

Posted on September 20th, 2017

Maisie Jane’s Top 3 Favorite Farming Traditions

Hurtado Family

From climbing almond hull piles 10 stories high to hay rides celebrating the bounty of harvest, Maisie Jane shares some of her favorite farming traditions and what she’s continually trying to expose her daughters too. What was your favorite family tradition growing up?

Posted on August 30th, 2017

4 Key Components of Sustainable Family Farming at Maisie Jane’s

orchard-harvest

Farming is a big responsibility. Less than 1% of the population in the United States are farmers – a few people with a big responsibility. At Maisie Jane’s, being sustainable means grasping that responsibility to the fullest and viewing farming as more than a paycheck. It’s being able to confidently know that you’re doing your […]

Posted on August 14th, 2017