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Fueling the Fun
It's summertime! When school's out, we love to find adventures in the mountains or on the coast. Our family's organic almonds are the...
melebenz
Jun 26, 20241 min read
106 views


Spring Brings a New Crop
It's Spring, which means our trees come out of their winter hibernation to create our crop that will be harvested in the Fall. We've had...
melebenz
Mar 13, 20241 min read
102 views


Season's Eating
As the solstice approaches, the winter season's offerings grace our table. We're reading "Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Kimmerer and the...
melebenz
Dec 17, 20231 min read
97 views


Good health in MIND
We've been following the promising research on the MIND diet. We can't help but notice the prominence of nuts in these guidelines. Here's...
melebenz
Nov 15, 20231 min read
90 views


Simply Summer
Summer's bounty has arrived! We're enjoying a salad from our garden with brats from a pig raised by friends. There's just so much...
melebenz
Aug 10, 20231 min read
140 views


New Beginnings
We've had a wet winter here in Hilmar with nearly twice our average rainfall. As a result, we've learned that our annual water allocation...
melebenz
Apr 4, 20231 min read
115 views


Farming to Feed Ecosystems
Our farm is part of the 1000 Farms Initiative studying the impacts of regenerative farming practices. We're thrilled that the data...
melebenz
Mar 11, 20231 min read
95 views


Everyday Snacks & Special Treats
It's back to school for our household which means we're roasting almonds every weekend to pack in lunch bags. While I love almonds every...
melebenz
Aug 27, 20221 min read
157 views


Happy Independence Day
Independence has been a core value on our small farm, leading us to become organic pioneers back in the 1980s. We enjoy the freedom we...
melebenz
Jul 3, 20221 min read
701 views


What's the (Under)story?
Below the canopy of our orchard, there's an ecosystem that plays an important role in the work we do growing almonds. There's a...
melebenz
Apr 25, 20221 min read
138 views


Growing Almonds: A Love Story
This time of year, the almond trees in California's Central Valley bloom. It happens like clockwork. February's the month the new crop...
melebenz
Feb 12, 20221 min read
205 views


Happy Holistic New Year
The New Year is a time when folks try to course correct from decadent holiday celebrations. I've been one of the people in the gym for a...
melebenz
Dec 27, 20211 min read
101 views

Healthy Gifting
I'm working on gifts for my staff at the elementary school where I work as a principal. I like to give gifts that are useful and they...
melebenz
Dec 13, 20211 min read
91 views


Capturing a Farming Legacy
My niece Asia, a professional photographer who documents her life in the ocean in Hawaii, visited our family farm and made magic with her...
melebenz
Sep 18, 20211 min read
131 views


Real World Science on the Farm
During a recent visit to the farm, we did a science experiment to look at how Grandpa's organic farming practices impacted water...
melebenz
Sep 6, 20211 min read
72 views


Family Farming
Our family gathered at the farm this last weekend for a business meeting - with a new crop coming in the next couple of months and a new...
melebenz
Aug 9, 20211 min read
122 views


That Guardian Article
About a year and a half ago, I kept seeing an article from The Guardian about bees and almonds in my Facebook feed. It was going viral...
Mele Benz
Jul 29, 20212 min read
116 views


When You Don't Want to Keep Up with the Joneses
I live a few hours from my parents' farm in a place with plenty of almond orchards. On my way home the other day, I spotted our neighbor...
Mele Benz
Jul 26, 20211 min read
115 views


Dirt First
When customers tell us our almonds taste good, we tell them it's because we've been building our soil for forty years. Our regenerative...
Glenn Anderson
Jul 23, 20211 min read
119 views


Farming in a Drought
This time of year, we're prepping for our harvest and that means making sure our trees have sufficient water to make it to the finish...
Glenn Anderson
Jul 21, 20211 min read
72 views
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