Wandering forth in all directions
Legendary naturlaist John Muir once penned, “Trees go wandering forth in all directions with every wind, going and coming like ourselves, traveling with us around the sun two million miles a day, and through space heaven knows how fast and far!” Founder of the Sierra Club, Muir’s life was a virtual testament to how it was to be among the trees – and advocated the activity as something all people should embrace. “Climb... Read More
Thanks, berry much
Part 5 of our history of Gold Coast Agriculture, as the Strawberry is crowned king. By Chris Sayer The world was changing rapidly in the 1950’s. The economic and population boom that followed the Second World War was keenly felt in Southern California. Ventura County agriculture began another period of change as well. Huge population growth in Orange County and the San Fernando Valley began to absorb cropland and displace farmers. With... Read More
If you build it, they will come…
First the Mission, then the water, then the ranchos… and Ventura ag is off and running. By Chris Sayer The establishment of Mission San Buenaventura in 1782 marked the beginning of agriculture in our region. The climate was ideally suited to the crops that the Spanish knew well from centuries of cultivation in their homeland, as well as some others discovered during the era of Spanish exploration. The Mission soon sprouted gardens, orchards,... Read More
Speaking of “Sustainable…”
Why our freewheeling use of the term may itself be unsustainable… by Joey Briglio (image courtesy sustainabilityninja.com) Do you need help making an idea sound more complex and thought-out than it actually is? Would you like to find a way to capitalize on the whole Green Movement thing? If the answer to either query is “yes,” the task is easily accomplished: simply add the word “sustainable” to the given concept in question.... Read More
Community Supporting All That Is Ventura
Totally Local VC is a new shop local program that will help promote the benefits of supporting small business, agriculture and the arts in our Ventura County community. Our web site features articles on why shopping locally is key to helping build a long-term sustainable economy. A local business directory with information on each business. Also featured will be easy tips on shopping local, what’s going on in our community and weekly features on... Read More
Ventura County Wine
Kerby E. Zozula, the wine rainman Ventura County is California’s newest “wine country”. Stay local and sample all types and styles of delicious wines. Plan your tasting by visiting the Ventura County Wine Trail at their website ( www.venturacountywinetrail.com ). Over a dozen wineries are listed from Ojai to Malibu. Since Ventura County has very few commercial vineyards, many of these wineries bring in grapes from some of... Read More
A Tomato is a Tomato…
BY DK Crawford Aren’t all tomatoes the same? If I can save money buying a gorgeous red tomato at a large chain grocery store isn’t that a better than spending more on one grown locally? Before you can really make that decision, you must become an informed consumer. Do you really know where the tomato you just bought was grown and in what conditions, i.e., pesticides, genetically modified etc? And do you honestly have any idea who pockets the money... Read More
Small Town – Big Art
By Claudia Pardo McFadyen If there were such a thing as visual alliteration, it would be descriptive of the kind of experience you’d expect from a “small town’s” artscene. It’s a vexing notion—the too familiar opinion that a small town’s approach to art is naive or lacking an edge. In Ventura, the artscene is gratifyingly diverse, in both genre and concept, triumphantly proving that all types or art are valuable to a city’s... Read More
