Farm to Table, Now More Than Ever

  Once upon a time, I was a youngster growing up in Brooklyn, New York, in a neighborhood dominated by apartment houses, asphalt and concrete. As such, I never thought about how we got food (other than going to the supermarket), or what food looked like in its natural state. As far as I knew, […]

Posted on August 6th, 2020

This Independence Day, Celebrate Family Farms

Family farms are so important! In fact, according to the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the USDA, more than 90% of farms in the U.S. are classified as small family farms. That’s a lot of family love grown into our food supply. But due to factors that include climate change, giant agribusiness and […]

Posted on July 2nd, 2020

More Crop Per Drop—Water-wise Family Farming at Maisie Jane’s

Maisie Jane and Her Children

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 […]

Posted on June 27th, 2019

Why Do Organic Farming?

Organic Orchard

Is “Organic” just a buzzword to make more money? Well, it is a healthy way to make a living but it’s healthy in many more ways than one! It’s healthier for the planet, it’s healthier for the local environment, it’s healthier for one and all. And it’s healthy in ways you might not expect. The […]

Posted on May 23rd, 2019

Making the Most of Every Part of an Almond Crop (Almond Coproducts)

Almonds Cracking Open in July and August

Here at Maisie Jane’s we believe in using every part of the almonds we harvest. Did you know that almond orchards actually produce four different coproducts? There’s the kernels we eat, the almond hulls (frequently used to feed livestock), the shells (used for livestock bedding and as a fuel source) and the trees themselves when they are […]

Posted on February 26th, 2019

We Couldn’t Do It Without the Bees

Maisie Jane's Honey

Meet one of our biggest business partners: the honeybees! The importance of bees for almonds is so valuable that the relationships between almond growers and the beekeepers we work with go back for years. Almonds, like many crops, are not self-pollinating. So between January and March we depend on bees coming into our orchards to do […]

Posted on February 12th, 2019

Healthy Food for a Healthy Planet

Almond Orchard

Did you know that an acre of almond trees grows 450 pounds of protein and 260 pounds of fiber and the “good” monounsaturated fats that helps keep your heart healthy? But the trees don’t only have healthy food value—they can have health benefits for the environment as well. In fact, a well-managed almond orchard could […]

Posted on January 17th, 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

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