Organic News:

For two years Bella Viva has been a certified organic fruit grower. We are excited to announce that we recently became a certified organic processor as well.

What does this mean? It means that this season you will be seeing more and more organic dried fruit start to pop up on BellaViva.com.

Our first organic fruit we have online is our delicious dried orange slices.

Cherries are the next fruit to ripen so they will be the next organic fruit we will offer online.

 

Protecting Blossoms:

When it starts to warm up and there is moisture in the air, blossoms are very susceptible to a fungus called Brown Rot. All the work the bees do in the spring will be in vain if the blossoms are not taken care of.

To prevent Brown Rot from destroying all the tree's blossoms, we apply one of the three certified organic materials right to the blossoms. These products could possibly be used in a home garden but attention to correct dosage is critical so that disease control is achieved and no harm is done to the plant. The materials used are Oxidate, Sulfur, and Serenade. Oxidate is a brand name product for a form of hydrogen peroxide. Sulfur is a natural compound that is mined from the earth. Serenade is a strain of the bacteria called Bacillus Subtills.

Frost is another threat to blossoms. Although the weather is getting warm and everyone is thinking about getting out the swimsuit, frost can still be a real danger to blossoms and fruitlets that are already forming inside the blossoms. Farmers will be on the watch for frost if there hasn't been any rain and things are dry. Moisture can retain heat but if things are dry, frost can sneak up without warning in the middle of the night. At times like this we are prepared to turn on the irrigation water. Just the little bit of warmth from the water can save our crop.

Every bit of heat helps. At this time of year we don't cultivate our fields because cultivating will stop the dirt from retaining heat.

Bella Viva's Director of Operations,
Victor Martino, helps weigh a sample
of this year's snow pack.

California's Water Supply:

A couple weeks ago Director of Operations, Victor Martino, had the opportunity to take a trip to Peregoy Meadows and check the snow pack. The measurements taken throughout the Sierra Mountains will determine the supply of water to California central valley farmers.

To check the amount of water in the mountains they use a long tube and shove it down into the snow until it hits the dirt. When the tube hits the bottom and is full of snow it is pulled back up to be weighed. This will tell how much water is in the given area of snow.

Peregoy Meadows is just one of the many locations that water surveillance teams check the snow pack. For about 70 years the snow pack has been checked in the Sierra Mountains.

With all the data gathered through the years, water surveillance teams can calculate quite well how much water we will have in the coming summer. As of now things are looking good for farmers and we are planning on having a good supply of water for our crops.