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

Is Organic Food Really Better for You?

Organic Orchard

There once was a time when organic food was the same as “food.” Nowadays, the label “organic” is a special one. It requires USDA certification and strict adherence to not only sustainable organic farming practices but also regulates how a product is produced and stored. Products labeled “100% Organic” cannot be made or allowed to […]

Posted on August 9th, 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

What’s Organic at Maisie Jane’s?

USDA Organic Seal

Here at Maisie Jane’s we believe that you deserve to trust the food you buy to be as healthy as possible for you and your family. Our family has been farming for four generations and we place a great deal of importance on delivering food in the same pure and natural way it was always […]

Posted on June 28th, 2018

The Legend of Gilda and the Almond Blossoms

Almond Tree in Bloom

It being June, the month of weddings, I thought I’d share a love story—one involving almond trees, of course! This tale comes from Algarve, Portugal, a gorgeously scenic place on the Mediterranean. It’s a popular tourist destination but is also important agriculturally in the region. Almonds are one of the largest crops—the stuff of legends, no […]

Posted on June 19th, 2018

Celebrating World Bee Day

Bees

Guess what? Yesterday was the first annual World Bee Day! The holiday is about spreading awareness of the significance of bees and came about as the result of a recently adopted UN resolution. It will be on May 20th every year which is also the birthday of Anton Janša, a teacher of apiculture and pioneer of […]

Posted on May 21st, 2018

Natural or Organic Almond Butter?

Maisie Jane's Nut Butters

If you visit the nut butter section of our online store you’ll notice that you often have a choice between natural or organic. People sometimes say “Natural is good, right? Is something labeled “organic” really any better for you?” But we know what they really mean: “Is organic worth the price?” Great question! And, of […]

Posted on April 5th, 2018

Almonds — The Early History of One of the World’s Most Ancient Foods

Did you know that almonds are probably one of the first domesticated nuts? I think the history is pretty fascinating so I thought I’d share a little about that today. Almonds originated in Western Asia (most likely, Persia) but the type that originally grew there —bitter almonds—are too poisonous to eat. However, sometimes a sweet […]

Posted on March 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