The Green Man….a mythical spirit, quietly symbolizing the strength and mystery of all things growing. A fitting symbol for our signature crop, the almond.
We take extra-special care of our almond trees, and feel we make use of some of the most innovative growing practices around. Using banked pollen to improve crop set, applying customized organic fertilizers, carefully preserving the tilth of the orchard floor, reducing dust generation to discourage mite populations, encouraging beneficial insect populations…….all of this adds up to a nearly organic growing program, and the nuts show the difference. They are crispy, crunchy, flavorful, and are everything a good almond should be. For more information on our cultural practices, we hope to have information posted soon. We are currently following what we refer to as the “pasteurization debacle”. Many of our loyal customers have expressed in no uncertain terms that they want a raw, natural product for their consumption, and we are doing our best to supply that demand. It is our understanding that according to current rules, we may sell up to 100 pounds per day of unpasteurized nuts, and this isn’t a problem for us.
Our base price is $7.50/lb for the 2010 crop. We have a variety of pre-packaged amounts that we can ship flat rate. Please contact Deborah at nevermorefarm@gmail.com if you would like an information sheet that details prices and ordering information emailed to you. We try to be very flexible, because we want everyone to be able to enjoy what we feel is basically a handcrafted, gourmet product. Please feel free to contact us at 530-574-3597 with your questions or inquiries. Harvest for our 2011 crop will begin approximately mid-August 2011. Due to pollination failure resulting from unfavorable weather events in late winter, the crop for 2011 is anticipated to be smaller and with resulting higher prices. Buy early!
Bulk sales: We offer discounted pricing of $6/lb delivered for minimum orders of 400 lbs within the continental US. Further discounts may be available for orders 2000 lbs and up.
Scenes from Harvest 2009:
This is a 90+ year old IXL almond tree in full bloom. For 3-6 weeks starting in early February our whole neighborhood is awash in beautiful pink and white blossoms as the almond trees break their winter dormancy.
Part of the crew at Scofield Farms…Drew, the man behind the almonds, is in the center, standing in front of a fully loaded Nut Buggy.
Deborah is using a New Holland tractor to offload the “nut buggy” onto an elevator which brings the almonds into a high-sided trailer pulled by a semi. From here they travel to the processors, which is huge mechanical unit that removes the almonds from debris like sticks and stones, then removes the hull, then removes the shell, and then returns the almonds in 2,500lb bins to the grower. Almond harvest is hot, dusty work that happens in the heat of the valley summers.
Drew is driving the Pickup Machine, which picks up almonds from windrows in the orchard and then disgorges them into the Nut Buggy. The pickup machine must be kept working constantly to make the best use of time, so it is the Nut Buggy that shuttles the almonds around the orchard.