Where do fabulous Satsumas come from? David and Ann Scheuring at Gold Oak Ranch in Rumsey.

Gold Oak Ranch is one of the family farms we work with in the beautiful Capay Valley. David and Ann Scheuring have been farming together for over 40 years and bring with them a long history in the evolution of organic production and sustainable agriculture techniques. David is an active member in the community, having served as director of the Yolo County Flood Control District and as a founding member of Capay Valley Vision. Ann is the author of A Guidebook to California Agriculture and another book yet to be released, Valley Empires – keep your eyes out!

In addition to super tasty mandarins, they produce asparagus, walnuts, almonds and now gold-medal winning Leccino extra virgin olive oil! Gold Oak Ranch produces farm fresh produce all year round. Asparagus is harvested in the Spring, almonds and walnuts in late Summer and early Fall, olives in November, and December marks the height of Owari Satsuma Mandarin season – lucky us!
Did you know that citrus is particularly sensitive to frost? It’s starting to get cold in the Capay Valley right now – reaching 17 degrees Fahrenheit last night! – and farmers have to do what they can to protect their crops from the cold weather. Last night, some farmers were up late harvesting and covering their citrus trees with cover cloths, such as Reemay, in order to keep the fruit a little warmer and protect them from the killer frost.

The Scheurings have a fun healthy lifestyles blog, The Doctor Is In!, that covers everything from “books you gotta read” to “tales from the trenches.” They also have a delicious recipe for a mixed green salad with mandarins and almonds – two of their specialty crops.

Enjoy your Satsumas and Happy Winter!

- Natasha Tuck

Related posts:

• Capay Valley Grown EVOO Strikes Gold
• Manas Ranch: Best in the West
• FarmShares for November 25, 2009