CRFG-Redwood members travelled to San Jose to collect scions from the many varieties of fruit trees at CRFG-maintained Prusch Park.The scions will be used to share with people at scion exchanges throughout Northern California. Photos courtesy of Maile Pieri.
Rachel and all officers were re-elected. Lots of interesting fruit to taste. Rachel displayed her school insect education project. Our Sonoma State grant recipient gave a presentation on his planned use to genetically identify the avocado trees around Sonoma County, searching for a cold hardy variant. Gene gave a little grafting knife-making talk.
Thanks to Keith Borglum for this writeup and photos.
A great crowd assembled at the Ace in the Hole cider pub for CRFG Redwood’s annual apple tasting.
We tasted 52 apples, 16 European pears and 5 Asian pears from 13 states and 10 countries. Remember that on any given day, the results will differ due to several factors such as fruit maturity and growing conditions. As many of you know, the top tasters vary widely from year to year. The top apple this year, Liberty, ranked near the bottom of the list last year.
Thanks to David Ulmer for organizing and emceeing, Ace Cider for hosting, and everybody who donated fruit and helped out. Thanks to Keith Borglum and John Valenzuela for photos.
Click the links below to download copies of the final results.
CRFG Apple Tasting Results 2015
CRFG Pear Tasting Results 2015
CRFG members put together another great table for the National Heirloom Exposition – a major event featuring thousands of heirloom varieties of produce and livestock, hundreds of pure food vendors, and numerous speakers.
Thanks to everybody who helped setup and man the exhibit, and thanks to Keith Borglum for photos.
CRFG held its annual Summer Plant sale and fundraiser. Dozens of varieties of rare fruit trees and plants were sold.
Ted Richarson hosted a tour at his Bella Ridge Farm, a small, 2 acre, CCOF certified farm outside of Occidental.
We toured his over 300 fruit trees including apples, pears (European and Asian varieties), peaches, pluots, plums and more. The tour showcased a low-chill growing area and associated challenges, pests and diseases, and pollinators. Tomato, eggplant and pepper plant varieties for sale, and two apple trees were raffled off for free.
Thanks Ted for opening your farm and expertise to the group.
A Bark Grafting and Citrus grafting demonstration was held at David Ulmer’s house.
David demonstrated grafting persimmons by top-working to existing trees with bark grafts.
Ray Sheehy shared his knowledge of bud grafting citrus trees. He brought citrus rootstocks and various varieties of citrus scionwood that were available to participants to a nominal price.
On March 15 we held our annual Grafting Clinic at David Ulmer’s house. David gave a brief grafting talk and demonstration, then everyone who wanted individual instruction had the opportunity to buddy up with one of the experienced grafters.
Participants were encouraged to bring scions if they had them, and many varieties were provided by CRFG. Participants grafted previously-ordered rootstocks or peach rootstocks and a few Myro 29C plum that were available for purchase.
Thanks to all the volunteer grafter/instructors and David Ulmer for hosting this event.
CRFG expert grafters gathered together to graft heirloom trees for their annual plant sale fundraiser.
Numerous varieties of apple, pear, cherry, plum and peach scions were on hand, plus super rootstocks (myro plum, red leafed Lovell peach, OHxF pear and mahaleb cherry) that Dick Kirk grew in his garden last year as well as 3 kinds of apples. Approximately 125 trees were grafted.
Thanks to all the grafter volunteers, Bob McCarville for mixing soil and filling pots before the event, David Ulmer for hosting the event and managing rootstock orders, and Keith Borglum for growing out the potted trees.
For the second year running, CRFG members hosted a grafting clinic at Altimira Middle School in Sonoma. CRFG provided rootstocks, grafting materials and expert grafter/instructors.
Something like 120 kids have grafted apples. Some kids took them home to plant. Other trees are planted in the school’s huge garden/orchard, used to supply fruit/veggies for the cafeteria.
Special thanks to the volunteer grafters and Dick Kirk for organizing this event.
