The inexorable march of global warming has stopped for a bathroom break or something, because it’s damn cold here. OK, so it’s nothing like the blizzards I endured on the East Coast or the ones Denver did over Christmas, but it’s pretty frickin’ nippy for California.
Last night was the second night of record low temperatures, in the mid-teens and low ’20s, which is taking a huge, as-yet-uncalculated toll on the state’s citrus crops. It’s pretty serious. A three-day freeze eight years ago destroyed 85% of California’s citrus crop, or $700 million’s worth — and that’s not counting all the farm laborers who lost work when there were no lemons and oranges to pick.
So, as you put on another sweater, think about the state’s citrus farmers who are staying up all night to keep bonfires burning so that huge fans can keep warmer air blowing through their groves, or spraying their trees with warm water.
Their predicament was brought home to me by a group email I got from Nigel Walker of Eatwell Farm, through whose Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program the Potato and I, along with 500+ others, get a regular delivery of vegetables and eggs. Nigel wrote:
It was 24F here on the farm at 6am Sunday. We frost protected the citrus on Friday night and you can see a video of this on YouTube …On Saturday night I turned on the pump again and set an alarm for midnight to check it. It was not working and despite my best and very cold efforts could not get the pump working. So the citrus are not happy. The trees will survive as we have wrapped the base of the trees with insulation. …The pump is now working again so keep your fingers crossed for us that we do not get any more damage.”
I’m crossing not only my fingers, but every other bendable appendage that Nigel doesn’t lose the fruits — and not just because I love lemons. I can’t go into it, but Eatwell’s had a rough year.
If you aren’t already part of one, consider signing up for a CSA in your area. They’re all over the country, and it’s a great way to learn more about your food, eat more healthily, and challenge yourself to cook creatively and seasonally. You’ll then start to realize just how hard farming is — and all of a sudden, prices that once seemed high will seem pitifully insufficient to reward those who care for our land and our bellies.
I hope it warms up tonight.
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Humor:
February 9th, 2007 at 11:24 pm
the cold snap reminds me of the flatlands of saskatchewan when harvest hit ..but olde ma nature said … “nope ..gonna freeze ya out..”
My question is …” what can you all ferment ,from frozen citric acid , that will help your region to produce methane gas? or ” are you not gonna bother and whine that there is no non renewable energy from that..?