CALIFORNIA RARE FRUIT GROWERS, INC.
Ventura and Santa Barbara Chapter
July, 2006
*****July Meeting
When: July 15, Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to Noon (begins 10:00 sharp)
Where: Santa Barbara Olive Company, Olivos del Mar Ranch, 12477 Calle Real
Directions: The ranch is near Refugio Beach, north of El Capitan State Beach and south of Gaviota. On the 101 Freeway, exit at Refugio Road. On the inland side of the freeway make a right turn on Calle Real (it parallels the north bound lanes). Proceed 1/2 mile to Venedito Canyon Rd. At the yellow gate turn left. The gate code is #4055. Go thru the gate for about 1 mile until you reach the larger beige/green roof warehouse. Our host will be waiting for us. The gate will be locked at 10 A.M. so be sure to arrive a bit early.
Our Host is Craig Makela - President of Santa Barbara Olive Company, Inc. Craig designed and planted an olive grove on the Ronald Reagan Ranch, for President Reagan. The near-by ranch (now a preserve) was a facet of the famous Santa Barbara, Western White House. Craig Makela still oversees this presidential olive grove.
His 105 acre ranch has some 5,000 production olive trees in seven different varieties. The various olive crops should be maturing nicely. Other orchard crops include avocado and macadamia. He also grows Chardonnay grapes. We will be seeing olive operations and orchard management, olive fruit production, fruit curing and product preparation. Check out his website at http://www.sbolive.com.
Norm says that the last time we visited, it was rated one of the best site visits the group as ever been on! Don't miss it!
******JUNE MEETING RECAP from Co-Chair Jerry Sortomme:
Our Chapter met June 24 at Bennett’s Honey Farm east of Fillmore on Hwy 126. Red and Ann Bennett, our delightful hosts, gave 22 CRFG members and guests the full tour of the Honey Farm facilities.
The Bennett’s produce two million pounds of honey each year (about 1%+ of the national production). We taste-tested many of types of honey. The mildest honey is mesquite (cactus) that crystallizes easily and becomes milky looking (Koreans especially like this product). World-class Sage honey, which does not granulate, is perhaps the most popular of the selections currently. We tried eucalyptus and avocado honey last, as they are more bold tasting. Bennett’s also produces 80,000 lbs. of bee’s wax (cap wax). Trucks with hives full of honey arrive at Bennett's from states within the greater western USA region, west of the Rockies, to have their honey processed. Bennett’s processes the U.S.A. regional-western zone.
Other honeybee products available at their outlet are honeycomb honey (which is the purest unprocessed honey), bee pollen, bee’s wax and imported royal jelly. Red and Ann listed the purported health, nutritional and therapeutic benefits connected to honeybee products. Ann also explained api-therapy (bee sting therapy) which is used for MS, arthritis, and the healing of scar tissue and surgery sites. Surprisingly, the bee venom in the stinger is molecularly similar to rattlesnake venom.
Some facts learned at our meeting:
1) The honey industry was one of the earliest California industries.
2) There were no honey bees in Spanish California, they were imported later.
3) Ancient honey found in the Egyptian pyramids (resembling amber stone) was rehydrated, it was perfectly useful after all that time. Honey does not go bad if stored correctly.
4) Bee pollen is 23% protein and its amino acids have the complete vitamin B-complex. Honey and bee pollen together satisfies a complete diet requirement.
5) Floral nectars digested by the worker bees are transformed into basic sugar compounds.
6) A single hive has between 80 and 200 lbs of honey in it when harvested.
7) A hive can be harvested every 10-15 days in the active season and every two months in the low season.
8) Many crops like avocado need bees to pollinate the blossoms. Native bees can be the pollinators, but produce no commercial honey.
9) The temperature of a working hive is 95 degrees and is regulated by the movement of the bees, the temperature being modified by the circulation of the busy bees.
A sweet thank you to Red and Ann for making our trip to Bennett’s so special.
******NEWSLETTER IN TRANSITION: The newsletter needs some more people on its team. We need an editor to assemble reports from officers and members and do a bit of editing, mostly to cut material to fit the space and to tighten up prose. There is very little writing involved. Wally Matthews is handling the paper mailing. It would be nice to have someone to maintain the e-mail list. Once the newsletter is set up on your computer, it takes only a few hours per month to do the editing. Two people could do the editing job on alternating months.
******NEW MEMBER: A BIG welcome to Vernon Noell.
******TREASURER'S REPORT: The Treasury balance as of July 1---$5,359
