Orangutans Love Maisie Jane’s Nut Butters—No Palm Oil!

orangutan

Here’s another reason to love Maisie Jane’s nut butters: we don’t add palm oil to any of our products! And that should make the orangutans happy because the big demand for palm oil has led to the destruction of their natural habitat. In various parts of the world—Indonesia in particular—the natural landscape has been clearcut […]

Posted on January 8th, 2019

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

Are non GMO Products Best For You?

Non GMO Verified

There is a great deal of controversy about whether GMO products are harmful. GMOs (genetically modified organisms) are made by scientists in a laboratory by removing a gene from the DNA of another organism, (plant, animal, bacterium, or virus) and adding them into the DNA of the plant or animal they want to alter. That sounds […]

Posted on October 9th, 2018

What Would Happen If We Lost the Bees

Bee Stressors

This morning as I sat eating breakfast next to a wonderful Crepe Myrtle tree in full flower and buzzing with bees, I realized that a person could find it hard to believe that bees might be an endangered species. After all, I reported here myself last March about how Colony Collapse Disorder in honey bees […]

Posted on August 28th, 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

Making Almond Products is a Zero Waste Business

Almond Shells

Here at Maisie Jane’s we believe in using every part of the almonds we harvest. Luckily, processing almonds is a very efficient system, leaving zero waste with all the by-products and creative uses of them. Ever since the early 60’s there has been a stable market for almond hulls to the dairy industry.  This is where the […]

Posted on May 8th, 2018

Happy Earth Day!

Earth Day

Sunday, April 22nd is Earth Day! 48 years ago, on April 22, 1970, millions of people banded together in the United States to demand clean air, clean water, and a healthier approach to how we as a nation treated the environment. Smog had become deadly, our waterways were so polluted some rivers actually caught on […]

Posted on April 20th, 2018

Update on How the Honey Bees Are Doing

honeybees on honeycomb

About 10 years ago beekeepers began to report unusually high losses of 30-90 percent of their hives. Worker bees would suddenly leave the hive, leaving the queen and the young behind, and without the workers the rest of the hive would eventually die. The phenomenon was called Colony Collapse Disorder and it became a very troubling […]

Posted on March 8th, 2018

Almond Growing and Sustainable Farming

Hurtado Family

Maisie Jane’s is very proud to be part of an industry with a strong focus on healthy and sustainable farming practices. At the 45th annual Almond Conference put on by the Almond Board this past December, Almond Board Director of Sustainability and Environmental Affairs, Gabriele Ludwig introduced a new and interesting publication called Growing Good. It showcases the fine […]

Posted on January 9th, 2018

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