It’s the most wonderful time of the year— almond shaking season when we knock the “l” from the almonds. (We say “ah-mond” here in Chico, with “ah” pronounced like “Sam.”) Between mid-August and October, 80% of the world’s almonds are shaken from the trees in California. Some say the season actually begins in Chico. And […]
I came across a country rock song I never heard before recently by a band named Cracker that maybe some of you might know. Cracker was formed by singer-songwriter David Lowery (of Camper Van Beethoven fame) and guitarist Johnny Hickman. On their most recent album, “Berkeley to Bakersfield,” is a bittersweet song called “The Almond […]
At Maisie Jane’s we are committed to sustainable family farming. That’s why we have put practices in place that will save 22% more water, our most valuable natural resource. Using holistic land management and new technology we’re joining other water-wise family farmers across the state of California in a quest to respond to changing weather […]
Did you know that 80% of the world’s almonds are grown right here in California? California also supplies 100% of the almonds sold in the United States. In 2016 that amounted to 2.15 billion pounds of nut meat (shelled nuts) valued at $5.2 billion in worth and $21 billion in economic revenue when products made […]
Did you know that according to the 2012 USDA Agricultural Census, there are around 6,800 almond farms in California? Almost 75% of those farms are just 100 acres or less—most are under 50 acres. And even though California produces 100% of the U.S. almond supply and more than 70% of the almonds produced worldwide, 91% […]
It is not unusual to find beautiful paintings and photographs of almond trees in blossom. Revered artists like Vincent Van Gogh and Pierre Bonnard have been captivated by the beauty of bloom season as have lesser known artists wherever almond trees can be found. What is far less usual, however, is to find a painting that […]
Future Farmers of America (FFA) holds a special place in our hearts here at Maisie Jane’s. After all, this family business actually started as an SAE (Supervised Agricultural Experience) back when the owner of the company, Maisie Jane Hurtado, was still in high school. FFA’s SAE program teaches students a wide variety of skills they […]
Happy Holidays from Maisie Jane’s! Can you believe we’ve been a local Chico business for 25 years? The devastating Camp Fire that happened right here in Butte County is deeply on our minds as many of our employees and friends have lost their homes. We’re extremely grateful that our farm and staff are safe and […]
Happy Birthday to us! Happy Birthday to us! This month marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of Maisie Jane’s California Sunshine Products! It all started when Maisie was just 17 and was raising sheep for a Future Farmers of America (FFA) project. At the time her family had been growing almonds for three generations and […]
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 […]